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VPN connections do not work after Windows 10 May 2019 Update

by 51 Comments

I received the latest Windows 10 update today (May 2019 – Build 1903) and found that none of my existing VPN connections worked. When I try to connect to one of them, it just says “connecting” and eventually stops without producing an error.

I have not found a solution to this, but I have found a very easy workaround. This is by using a tool that has been in Windows Since at least Windows NT 4.0 Called rasphone.exe. I actually prefer the simple interface it provides.

How to get access to your existing VPN connecitons

  • Create a new shortcut on your desktop to:
    C:\Windows\System32\rasphone.exe
  • Double click your new shortcut and you should get this interface:
    Image showing rasphone.exe running on Windows 10 1903 update
  • Try your VPN connection.

This will give you access to the traditional dial-up tool which seems to work perfectly. It’s quite clear that something in the update is blocking access to the credentials window appearing and therefore the connection never completes.

It seems strange to workaround an issue with the very latest version of Windows 10 by using a tool that has been around for over 20 years!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. FedUpITGuy says

    Way to go Microsoft!!! You continue to make Windows 10 ‘the best Windows version ever’… I just spent 45 minutes F’ING around with your new version 1903… and getting a new L2TP VPN connection to work… I found the way that seems to work… can’t do it through Network and Sharing Center anymore… as it never asks for the VPN username and password in the setup…. I applaud you your ever failing, persistent screw ups with what I would describe as the ‘Biggest bunch of crap for a Windows operating system ever’ – and I have worked with them all since 1.0… ooohhh. I have nothing better to do than try to sort out your incompetent changes and loss of operational functions especially in the area of NETWORKING… you are wonderfully incompetent… entirely lacking in vision… and going in some direction that most savvy people think is plain idiocy… STOP CHANGING THE F’ING WAY THINGS WORK…

  5. MGREE says

    Yohoooooo !!!!! GREAT GREAT ! It works. Now Iam able to conenct to my VPN connections under Win 10 1903 ! Thanks a lot for this hint. MG

  6. Paul Bolduc says

    This solution was quick and it worked GREAT! Funny how Microsoft never provides these type of solutions. Also funny how Microsoft’s fix it tools never really fix anything. Thank you so much!

  7. Slava says

    Many thanks for this tip! It solved the problem for me (Windows 10 Enterprise version 1809 Build 17763.475) but only after I selected the PPTP vpn type AND in the Security tab selected the MS-CHAP v2 authentication protocol. In the built-in GUI vpn client, you cannot even see the authentication protocol options—at least I could not find them. The best thing is that once you configure a vpn connection with this exe this way, you can see it and call it up from the regular Windows GUI network pane in the taskbar.

  10. Dan says

    Thanks so much for sharing this information.
    Saved me a lot of time and this works great!

  11. Raymond says

    You can also tell the connection to store your credentials as another workaround… not sure if MS has released an actual fix for this yet or not….

  12. PaulT says

    Thanks for the workaround. I ended up logging this with MS Support and have been told they are aware of the issue and this will be fixed soon in either August or September’s Win 10 cumulative update.

  16. Kamen Kamenov says

    So simple and good working solution.

    Next beer is for you.

    You saved me so much time and nerves.

  17. Kaloyan Iliev says

    Greetings from Bulgaria! I was trying to figure out why the VPN is not working for copule of weeks. You solution saved me! thank you very much!

  21. Chris says

    Thanks for this easy but effective workaround. It is a shame that Microsoft still didn’t fix this obvoius error.

  24. Lionel says

    Hey Paulie, Just wanted to say thank you from South Africa. I thought the server was broken and spent 2 days re installing RRAS, checking firewall rules, replacing the router, etc. Your solution worked first time.

  25. Mark says

    This worked for me. I also discovered that the cause of the issue was that I had left the password field blank. I wanted to enter the password when I connected. When I went back and added the password, so both user ID and password were stored, rather than optional, I was able to connect normally.

  27. Patrick says

    You can also go to Start–>VPN Settings

    Next…go to the advanced options en clear the sign in info.
    then click on connect in the VPN settings screen and it will connect.
    Ridicilous but it works….you have to do this every time you have disconnected. It still holds your sign in info but it blocks signing in 🙂

  30. valjan says

    Greetings from Serbia, just to let you know that after several weeks of unsuccessful search for a solution of the problem, I accidentally bumped into your page, and my laptop can finally connect to all the VPN networks I need – I also had to delete all the WAN Miniports from the device manager and let the system recreate them because some other stuff was also messed up, but your solution actually was the one that made my day.

  33. marco Diepstraten says

    Thanks a million, you saved my day. When in Tilburg i’ll buy you a beer 🙂

  37. Jeremy says

    Had this issue with Windows 7 as well. So it’s not just Windows 10 as some crybaby in the comments was suggesting

  41. Bill says

    This post saved my butt too. Customer’s PC wouldn’t connect to PPTP VPN and this page had the only fix that worked. Thank you Paulie!

  44. Luke says

    Awasome! Another example that Windows 10 is in beta stage. That kind of things should not be in production system.

  47. Charles says

    I just purchased several new machines and all have been upgraded to W10 1909. They all suffer from the problem where using the Task Bar shortcut for VPN does not work, but this workaround using RASPhone works GREAT! Thank you so much.

    PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MICROSOFT JUST FIX THIS CRAZY SH*T! How hard can it be if your 20-year old tool works?

  48. TJC says

    Thanks. On Win 1909 and my VPN connection icons using windows built in VPN disappeared from my control panel network adapters. Attempted to re-add but could not connect. Note: I was not getting the newer (I think newer) blue screen where you enter your VPN connection info, which showed up in an older Windows update, but I haven’t added a VPN connection for a couple of years.

    rasphone.exe worked. Perfectly and much faster than all the other nonsense.

    Thank you!

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