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What is PPTP protocol?

PPTP, or the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, is the oldest widely-used VPN protocol that was originally developed by Microsoft back in 1999 for dial-up networks. PPTP uses a control channel over TCP and a GRE tunnel, operating to encapsulate another protocol called PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol).

Features and technical details

Being easy to configure without the need to install additional software, PPTP is still common to most VPN capable platforms and devices. Another advantage is that PPTP is one of the fastest VPN protocols. For this reason, it is a good choice for the cases when the speed is paramount, like audio or video streaming, and on the older, slower devices with more limited processors.

However, due to the lower encryption standard, PPTP is not a secure option, meaning that authorities can easily decrypt and monitor PPTP traffic. The known vulnerabilities relate to the unencapsulated authentication methods used (mainly MS-CHAP-v2). That is why, if security matters more than a high performance, it is NOT recommended to use the PPTP protocol.


  • One of the fastest protocols
  • Very easy to set up
  • Native to most platforms


  • Lower encryption
  • Can be compromized by authorities

To configure a VPN service to PPTP on your Windows Phone, please follow this step-by-step guide.