Utilities Windows
FortiClient
Connect a Windows PC to a FortiGate network with FortiClient VPN. The linked free VPN-only edition provides remote access, not the managed endpoint-protection suite.
What is FortiClient?
FortiClient connects a Windows PC to an organization’s FortiGate network over an SSL VPN or IPsec tunnel. You configure a connection using the remote gateway and authentication details supplied by the network administrator. It is a client for an existing VPN service, rather than a subscription that supplies public VPN locations.
This download is Fortinet’s free VPN-only Windows installer. FortiClient’s managed editions add capabilities such as ZTNA, endpoint posture checks and central management through EMS; the EPP/APT edition adds antivirus and other endpoint-protection modules. Those edition-specific features should not be assumed to come with the free VPN client. Fortinet also offers a separate commercial Standalone edition with support.
Check the gateway’s VPN configuration before choosing a connection type. Fortinet documents that FortiOS 7.6.3 and later no longer support SSL VPN tunnel mode, so those deployments require an appropriate alternative such as IPsec. The screenshot shows the IPsec configuration screen from the publisher’s 7.4.3 administration guide; its managed-client navigation is not a list of features included in the free download.
What it offers
- Connect to a FortiGate network using SSL VPN or IPsec remote access.
- Save named VPN connections with the gateway settings provided by your administrator.
- Configure IPsec authentication using a pre-shared key or an X.509 certificate.
Good to know
- The free VPN-only edition does not include the managed suite’s central management, zero-trust posture assessment or enterprise support.
- A configured VPN gateway and the required authentication details are needed; the client does not supply a public VPN service.
- SSL VPN tunnel mode is unavailable on FortiOS 7.6.3 and later; confirm the connection type with your network administrator.
Product images
Sources
References used for this listing. Retrieval dates do not indicate hands-on testing.
- FortiClient - Download — Windows discovery and gallery ↗Retrieved
- Product Downloads | Fortinet Product Downloads | Support ↗Retrieved
- FortiClient Unified Agent for ZTNA, Secure Remote Access and Endpoint Protection | Fortinet ↗Retrieved
- Introduction | FortiClient 7.4.3 | Fortinet Document Library ↗Retrieved
- Remote Access | FortiClient 7.4.3 | Fortinet Document Library ↗Retrieved
- Configuring an IPsec VPN connection | FortiClient 7.4.3 | Fortinet Document Library ↗Retrieved
- Configuring an SSL VPN connection | FortiClient 7.4.3 | Fortinet Document Library ↗Retrieved
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