---
title: Help Transferring a Profile to Android
canonical: https://openvpn.net/connect-docs/trouble-importing-profile-android/
product: OpenVPN Connect Docs
---

# Help Transferring a Profile to Android

If you're having trouble importing a profile on Android, try these steps:

## 1. Ensure all files are in the same directory

When you import a .ovpn file, ensure all files referenced by it, such as **ca**, **cert**, and **key** files, are in the same directory on the device as the .ovpn file.

## 2. Check formatting and size

Profiles must be UTF-8 (or ASCII) and under 256 KB in size.

## 3. Use the unified format for OpenVPN profiles (option 1)

Consider using the **unified** format for OpenVPN profiles, which allows all certs and keys to be embedded into the .ovpn file. This simplifies OpenVPN configuration management by integrating all configuration elements into a single file.

> **Tip**
>
> Example of using the **unified** format:
>
> 1. You have a traditional OpenVPN profile specifying certs and keys as follows:
>
>    |  |  |
>    | --- | --- |
>    | ca | ca.crt |
>    | cert | client.crt |
>    | key | client.key |
>    | tls-auth | ta.key |
> 2. You convert this usage to **unified** by pasting the contents of the certificate and key files directly into the OpenVPN profile as follows, using an XML-like syntax:
>
>    ```
>    <ca> -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIBszCCARygAwIBAgIE... . . . /NygscQs1bxBSZ0X3KRk... Lq9iNBNgWg== -----END CERTIFICATE----- </ca> <cert> -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- . . . </cert> <key> -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- . . . </key> key-direction 1 <tls-auth> -----BEGIN OpenVPN Static key V1----- . . . </tls-auth>
>    ```

> **Warning**
>
> When converting **tls-auth** to unified format, check for a second parameter after the filename (usually a 0 or 1). This **key-direction** parameter must be specified as a standalone directive when **tls-auth** is converted to a unified format. For example, if the parameter is 1, add this line to the profile: **key-direction 1**. If there is no second parameter to **tls-auth**, you must add this line to the profile: **key-direction bidirectional**.

## 3. Use the Android Keychain (option 2)

Another approach to eliminate certificates and keys from the OpenVPN profile is to use the Android Keychain. For information about this, refer to [Android FAQs for OpenVPN Connect](https://openvpn.net/connect-docs/android-faqs.md).

---

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Index: https://openvpn.net/connect-docs/llms.txt