VPN settings overview for Apple devices
You can configure VPN settings for an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV enrolled in a mobile device management (MDM) solution. Use the VPN payload to enter the VPN settings for connecting to your network. Settings you specify in the configuration profile can’t be modified by users. Some VPN and Wi-Fi settings, such as 802.1X parameters, can be set only by a configuration profile.
Note: An identity is required for some VPN configurations. Depending on the VPN configuration, a VPN payload may require that the associated Certificates payload contain the certificate associated with the identity.
The VPN payload supports the following. For more information, see Payload information. To see a list of VPN variables, see Variables settings for MDM payloads for Apple devices.
Supported payload identifier: com.apple.vpn.managed
Supported operating systems and channels: iOS, iPadOS, macOS device, macOS user, tvOS, visionOS 1.1.
Supported enrollment methods: User Enrollment (App-Layer VPN and App-to-App Layer VPN mapping only), Device Enrollment, Automated Device Enrollment.
Duplicates allowed: True—more than one VPN payload can be delivered to a user or device.
You can use the settings in the table below with the VPN payload.
Setting | Description | Required | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Configure the VPN connection to use Internet Key Exchange, version 2 (IKEv2). | No | ||||||||||
Configure the VPN connection to use Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). | No | ||||||||||
Configure the VPN connection to use Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). | No | ||||||||||
Third-party connection type | The third-party types of VPN connection. The options are:
Users must install both the configuration profile and the appropriate authentication app. Some third-party VPN apps are available from the App Store. | No | |||||||||
Custom VPN connection type | For other custom VPN solutions, contact your vendor and ask if they have an app in the App Store. If they do, specify the bundle identifier of the app. Make sure the Identifier field matches the identifier specified by your vendor’s VPN app and is in reverse DNS format (for example, com.betterbag.myvpn). Your users must install both the vendor’s app and the configuration profile to connect to your network. | No |
Note: Each MDM vendor implements these settings differently. To learn how VPN settings are applied to your devices and users, consult your MDM vendor’s documentation.