The Guide: Bypassing NordVPN’s Port Forwarding Ban

Part 1: The Reality Check

Does NordVPN support port forwarding?

No. NordVPN officially discontinued all support for port forwarding in 2023.

Why did they remove it?

1. Security: Opening ports creates “holes” in the firewall that can be exploited by malicious scanners. NordVPN’s current policy is to block all unsolicited incoming traffic to protect their infrastructure and users.

2. The Shared IP Conflict: NordVPN assigns the same IP address to hundreds of users simultaneously. If one user “claims” port 8080 on that IP, it becomes unavailable for everyone else, leading to technical conflicts and abuse.

Does a “Dedicated IP” fix this?

No. Even if you pay for a Dedicated IP, NordVPN still applies the same strict firewall rules. You cannot open ports on a Dedicated IP.

Part 2: Choose Your Solution

Since you cannot open ports directly, you must use one of these two alternatives based on your goal:

Solution A: The Easy Way (Meshnet)

If you just want to access your own files or play a game with a friend who also has NordVPN:

1. Turn on Meshnet in the NordVPN app on both devices.

2. Copy the Nord Name (e.g., user-pc.nord) or the Meshnet IP.

3. Connect directly using that name/IP. No port forwarding is required because Meshnet creates a virtual LAN.

Solution B: The “Pro” Way (VPS Relay)

If you need strangers to connect to you (e.g., a public Minecraft server), Meshnet won’t work because strangers won’t have your specific Meshnet credentials. You need a VPS Relay.

Part 3: The VPS Relay Guide (Public Hosting)

This setup uses a cheap cloud server (VPS) to accept traffic from the internet and tunnel it to your home computer, bypassing NordVPN’s restrictions entirely.

Prerequisites:

• A Cheap Cloud VPS: Running Ubuntu (e.g., DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS Lightsail).

• Software: WireGuard (Free).

• NordVPN App: Installed on your home PC.

Step 1: Prepare the VPS (The “Front Door”)

1. SSH into your VPS.

2. Enable IP Forwarding:

   • Run: sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

   • Uncomment net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

   • Apply: sudo sysctl -p

3. Install WireGuard:

   • sudo apt update && sudo apt install wireguard -y

4. Generate Keys:

   • wg genkey | tee privatekey | wg pubkey > publickey

   • Save these keys; you will need them.

Step 2: Configure the VPS

Create the config file: sudo nano /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf

Paste this config (replace placeholders with your keys/IPs):

[Interface]
Address = 10.0.0.1/24
ListenPort = 51820
PrivateKey = <VPS_PRIVATE_KEY>

# FORWARDING RULES (Example: Port 8080)
# Replace '8080' with your game port.
PostUp = iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DNAT --to-destination 10.0.0.2:8080
PostUp = iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p udp --dport 8080 -j DNAT --to-destination 10.0.0.2:8080
PostUp = iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE

# Cleanup rules on shutdown
PostDown = iptables -t nat -D PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DNAT --to-destination 10.0.0.2:8080
PostDown = iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE

[Peer]
# Your Home PC
PublicKey = <HOME_PC_PUBLIC_KEY>
AllowedIPs = 10.0.0.2/32

Step 3: Configure Your Home PC

1. Install the WireGuard client.

2. Create a new “Empty Tunnel” and paste this config:

[Interface]
PrivateKey = <HOME_PC_PRIVATE_KEY>
Address = 10.0.0.2/24

[Peer]
PublicKey = <VPS_PUBLIC_KEY>
Endpoint = <VPS_PUBLIC_IP>:51820
AllowedIPs = 10.0.0.1/32  <-- CRITICAL: Only route traffic meant for the VPS through this tunnel.
PersistentKeepalive = 25

Step 4: The “Split Tunneling” Trick

This is how you use NordVPN and the VPS at the same time.

1. Open NordVPN Settings > Split Tunneling.

2. Turn it ON.

3. Select “Disable VPN for selected apps”.

4. Add WireGuard to the list.

   • Result: Your game/server traffic goes through the VPS (Open Ports). Your web browsing goes through NordVPN (Privacy).

Step 5: Launch

1. VPS: Run sudo wg-quick up wg0

2. Home PC: Click Activate in WireGuard.

3. Test: Have a friend connect to <VPS_PUBLIC_IP>:8080. The traffic will be forwarded instantly to your home PC.

FAQ

Q: Will this add lag (latency) to my games?

A: Yes, a small amount. Traffic has to travel to the VPS first, then to you. To minimize this, choose a VPS location physically close to you (e.g., if you are in New York, rent a VPS in New York).

Q: Can I just use a different VPN?

A: Yes. If the guide above is too technical, switching VPN providers is the easiest solution.

• Proton VPN: Supports port forwarding.

• AirVPN: Excellent port forwarding support.

• Private Internet Access (PIA): Built-in port forwarding.

Q: Is this safe?

A: Yes. You are only exposing the specific port you opened (e.g., 8080) on the VPS. Your real home IP address remains hidden behind the VPS IP, and your personal browsing is still encrypted by NordVPN.