NordVPN responds to its 'dumpster fire' Mac VPN update

At the start of April 2026, NordVPN rolled out a significant UI update for its Mac and Windows app. We rate NordVPN as the best VPN for most people, and it was the most comprehensive redesign we've seen from the company for a long time.

However, users – primarily on its Mac VPN app – have reported a number of issues following installation of the latest update, NordVPN 10.0.

Lagging, bugs, and worryingly, connection drops, have all been experienced by users and some have taken to Reddit to voice their concerns.

The NordVPN team has been made aware of the issues and is responsding quickly. A hotfix is in the works and we're expecting its release imminently.

"A dumpster fire" of an update

In the days following the update, the NordVPN subreddit lit up with complaints from users.

One user described the update as "so bad." They said it was extraordinarily slow and extreme lag with every click. Their VPN connection also kept reconnecting, and dropped connections "every 30 seconds." They said restarting the computer three times didn't help and issues were still present when resetting kill switch and DNS settings.

Another user described the update as "a dumpster fire" and said they were "getting 10-second input lags, and repeated connection drops."

Horrible update from r/nordvpn

In our own testing, we also experienced difficulty in loading different screens and tabs, along with slow connections.

Multiple users said they were regretting their NordVPN purchase as a result of the update, and others shared links to older NordVPN versions to download.

However, not every Mac and Windows VPN user was having trouble, and NordVPN's mobile VPN apps remain unaffected.

A handful of users complained that NordVPN's "disconnect" button is still hidden under the "Pause" connection tab. Previously you could disconnect in one click, but now two are needed. This isn't new for this update, but users were disappointed to find it hadn't been changed back with this new release.

NordVPN responds

Tom's Guide contacted NordVPN with our findings, as well as highlighting the Reddit posts.

NordVPN confirmed it was aware of performance issues. It listed "slower app behaviour, lagging when navigating between screens or tabs, and increased CPU usage" as reported issues.

It reassured users that it takes concerns seriously and the team is actively investigating the root cause.

NordVPN said: "We want to reassure our users that this is a known issue and our engineers are working to identify and implement a resolution as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this may be causing."

NordVPN confirmed that its team is "preparing a hotfix" which will address the performance issues. The fixes will be included in version 10.0.4 and is expected to be released by April 17.

According to NordVPN, clearing the app's cache content can alleviate problems in the short term – but this may not work for everyone, and did not help in our testing. Regardless, NordVPN encouraged affected users to contact its support team who can guide them through the appropriate steps.

You could also try uninstalling and redownloading the NordVPN app – although NordVPN hasn't confirmed this as a temporary fix.

There are two ways to download the app on Mac. One is via the Apple App Store, and the other is via NordVPN's website – we recommend trying both – although Threat Protection Pro is not available in the App Store version.