What is TAP-Windows Adapter v9 and why does your VPN require this Driver

This article explains what TAP-Windows Adapter v9 is, why VPNs require it, and where you can get the TAP Drivers. We’ll also walk you through installing, updating, and uninstalling the TAP driver.

When you access the Windows 10 Settings, you’ll notice that TAP-Windows have been installed.

 

It will be shown in the Control Panel for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista users.

It will also be visible if you open Devices Manager and expand Adapters.

What is TAP-Windows Adapter

  • TAP-Windows Adapters allow Windows users to use a virtual TAP device. It’s located in the C:\Program Files\TAP-Windows folder and is needed for your VPN software to work.
  • TAP devices are software-only virtual network kernel devices that are not backed up by hardware network adapters.
  • TAP drivers are created with low-level kernel support for Ethernet tunneling and are used to make TAP devices work.

TAP-Windows is included in your VPN installers and is installed automatically alongside the VPN software, so you don’t have to install it individually.

There are two types of TAP-Windows drivers:

  1. NDIS 6 (TAP-windows6, version 9.21.x) for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista.
  2. NDIS 5 driver (TAP-windows, version 9.9.x) for Windows XP.

This driver may create problems from time to time. Let’s take a closer look at a few of them.

TAP-Windows adapters on this system are currently in use

If you come upon a message, All TAP-Windows adapters on this system are currently in use, or if your VPN program is having trouble beginning, you can try restarting the TAP Adapter to see if that helps. To do that, go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Click on Change Adapter Settings to open Network Connections.

You’ll notice that one of the local area connections has the label TAP-Windows Adapter next to it. Right-click on it and choose Disable. Right-click it again after a few seconds and pick Enable. Reconnect and check if it works this time.

If you have any further problems operating your VPN program, I recommend going to the Control Panel and either Repair or Uninstall and reinstall your VPN software to see what happens. The TAP drivers will be installed during the Repair/Installation process.

If you want to delete, disable, or update TAP-Windows, open Devices Manager from the Windows 10 WinX Menu, expand Adapters, and look for TAP-Windows Adapter v9.

If you right-click it, you’ll get options to update, disable or uninstall the driver.

There are no TAP-Windows adapters on this system

If your VPN software can’t detect this driver on your computer, you’ll get an error notice that says “There are no TAP-Windows adapters on this system.” After that, you’ll need to download and install the driver’s setup.

TAP-Windows adapter driver download

Visit openvpn.net to get the TAP-Windows driver file. You’ll find their download links if you scroll down.

Install it on your computer. Restart your computer and check once the driver installation is complete.

If your Internet connection stops working, you should try uninstalling this adapter to see if it helps. If not, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the most recent version of this driver.

Can I uninstall Tap Windows Adapter v9?

You can remove Tap Windows Adapter via Control Panel or Settings as usual or via Device Manages as follows:

Go to Device Manager > Expand Network adapters > Right-click TAP-Windows Adapter V9 > Select Properties. Navigate to the Driver tab and click Uninstall> Select Delete the driver program for this device > Click OK, then restart your computer.

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