6 Ways to Fix the “NordVPN Background Process Is Not Running” Error

The 'NordVPN background process is not running' error message typically appears when the VPN fails to initialize after booting up your Windows PC. This mostly happens due to a software conflict that prevents the VPN from initializing correctly, even if the autostart option is enabled by the user.

The good news is that you can fix this error message quite easily. In most cases, clicking the 'Start Process' button or reinstalling NordVPN does the trick, but there are other things you can try.

To make this article as helpful as possible, we'll focus on a group of solutions to restart the NordVPN background processes. However, if you’d like to expand your set of options, here's how to fix a VPN that's not working, where you'll find dozens of extra troubleshooting steps.

How to Fix NordVPN Background Processes That Are Not Running

Your first step is to use the 'Start Process' button to initialize NordVPN's processes. If the NordVPN background processes aren't running yet, you can quit the application forcefully, clear its cache, restart the application, and do a few other things. Let's give you more details.

1. Use the 'Start Process' Button

The error message you see typically appears along with a button that lets you initialize NordVPN’s background process manually. With that said, your first action should be to press the 'Start Process' button, located just under the error message. 

It might take several tries to initialize NordVPN’s background process, so we recommend pressing the button a couple of times. However, do not do that at once. Instead, wait around 10 seconds between each attempt. If that doesn’t fix the error, proceed to our other troubleshooting tips.

2. Quit NordVPN Using the Task Manager

Next, you can try closing NordVPN manually. However, don't just close it by pressing the "X" button. Instead, quit the VPN app along with its associated processes via the Task Manager in the following way: 

1. Press the CTRL + ALT + DEL key combination. 
2. Select 'Task Manager' when presented with a list of options. 
   
3. Make sure the 'Processes' tab is active in Task Manager. 
4. Look for two active processes – 'nordvpn-service.exe' and 'NordVPN.exe.'
   
5. Select each of those processes and use the 'End Task' button. 
6. Finally, open NordVPN again and see whether its home screen will show.

3. Clear NordVPN’s Cache Data

If the method above doesn’t work in your case, you can go one step further to fix NordVPN's background processes error. Let’s show you how to clear NordVPN’s cache data from your Windows PC: 

1. First, quit NordVPN using the Task Manager (as explained just above). 
2. Open the 'Run' prompt by using the Windows Key + R shortcut. 
3. You now see a tiny window on your screen asking for a navigation path.
4. Type in %localappdata% and click on 'OK.'
   
5. At this moment, you should see a large list of individual folders. 
6. Find 'NordVPN' and delete that folder. 
   
7. Re-launch NordVPN and check whether the VPN app works properly. 

4. Reinstall & Update NordVPN

NordVPN’s team releases updates for its VPN app every couple of weeks, improving its performance. So, in case you haven't updated NordVPN in a while (or even if you did), you should re-installing the VPN app in the following way: 

1. Navigate to your Nord Account dashboard using any Web browser.
2. Provide your credentials and access your Nord Dashboard. 
3. Using the left-placed sidebar, select 'Downloads.'
   
4. Download the latest version of NordVPN available. 
5. Reinstall the app by opening the installation file. 
   

As you can see, we haven’t instructed you to remove NordVPN first. That’s because once you run its installation file, you will be asked to repair your installation. So, you might want to try that first. In case repairing NordVPN doesn’t do the trick, you can remove it from your PC and install it from scratch. 

5. Allow NordVPN in 'User Access Control' Settings

NordVPN requires administrator rights to run. So, depending on your computer’s UAC settings, the application might be blocked from running, failing to initialize its background process. With that said, here’s how to optimize your UAC settings on your Windows PC:

1. Launch the Start Menu and type in 'Control Panel.'
2. Navigate to User Accounts > User Accounts.
   
3. Select 'Change User Accounts Control Settings,' which comes as a link. 
4. Take a look at the slider on the left-hand side.
5. Depending on the required level of security, move the slider up or down. 
   
6. Know that dragging to slider to 'Never Notify' will disable UAC. 
7. Select 'OK' once done and confirm your decision if asked. 
8. Try running NordVPN again. 

6. Remove Other VPN Client Apps

As a final option to fix the error message, we recommend removing other VPN clients from your Windows PC. That’s because running multiple VPNs can cause software conflict, preventing them from working. Here’s what to do: 

1. Select 'Start' (in the bottom-left corner of your screen). 
2. Pick 'Settings' and navigate to Apps > Installed Apps. 
   
3. Select the app(s) you'd like to remove and pick 'Uninstall.'
4. If needed, follow the on-screen prompts to finalize the procedure. 

If none of the previously mentioned tips helped, that might indicate that a more comprehensive approach is needed. In other words, we recommend contacting NordVPN’s support team for further assistance. More precisely, use NordVPN’s live chat functionality, available on its website’s homepage. 

Final Thoughts

Resolving the 'NordVPN background process is not running' error message is done easily. The quickest fix is to simply use the 'Start Process' button a couple of times. However, if that doesn't help, you still have plenty of actions and steps to try, as outlined above.

Even though we've dedicated this article to resolving technical issues, NordVPN remains one of the most stable VPNs available. More importantly, this VPN offers impeccable customer support, which awaits your messages 24/7, meaning you'll resolve any issue without any effort.

After reading this guide, if you have any questions, post them in the comments section below. Lastly, thank you for reading!