Cannot delete VPN Profile

I think I have an easier solution, at least in 10.8.2. I, too, had a VPN configuration that would not go away; the - button was grayed out. Here's what I did, though only step 2 is mandatory.

1. In Terminal: networksetup -listallnetworkservices
2. In Terminal: networksetup -removenetworkservice networkservice
   
3. In Terminal: networksetup -listallnetworkservices

The first step shows you the names of your networkservices, like "old." The second step removes the network service. Be sure to spell the one you want to remove exactly as it's listed in the results of the first step. The third step confirms it is gone. Only Terminal is required, no XCode. The .plist will automatically update; no need to copy or delete. The remove command bypasses the GUI and removes the service whether or not the - button is grayed out.

Hope this helps. If you run man networkservices you will see many other Terminal commands that maniupulate items in the Network preference pane.

Well that 's nice that the given solution worked for you..indeed i did find another solution.

1. Open Settings on your iOS device.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Profile.
4. Here you will see any configuration profiles installed on your device (there might be several). Tap on the one named VyprVPN.
5. Tap on Delete Profile, then Confirm that you would like to delete this profile by tapping Delete again.

Well i prefer that you go for some really nice and simple vpn like gom vpn chrome extension..They are just easy to install and use. Check this for more info: http://www.hackbs.com/gom-vpn-free-tricks-to-bypass-cyberoam-2015/

To delete a VPN Profile, go to System Preferences > Profile(s). Highlight the profile you want to delete then click the ➖ (minus) button under the list. You will have to confirm and type in your password to delete it. I just deleted a profile. Hope it helps.

Creating a new Network location is the quickest but not most convenient solution here.

AliAR gave you the correct way of resolving the issue.

However, there is also a .plist file that needs to be edited if you want to resolve this issue entirely.

Open Terminal and run this command:

networksetup -listallnetworkservices

If you still have a VPN active it after deleting the profile it will appear on this short list.

Open a FInder Window. Go to -> /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration

There is a .plist file called preferences.

Make a copy of this file to your Desktop as a backup just incase.

Open the original file with Xcode and expand all of the directories/subdirectories.

Search for VPN and delete any VPN files.

Close Xcode, Reboot your Mac and you will have successfully deleted that VPN.

Hope it works for you!

matcp,

I tried your method in Mountain Lion and there is no .plist file, not even hidden. There are just .bundle files. Does this method still work? And if so, which .bundle do I open?

It worked, thanks very much.

"Make a copy of this file to your Desktop as a backup just incase."

This is very important.

Cheerschacha wrote:

It worked, thanks very much.

"Make a copy of this file to your Desktop as a backup just incase."

This is very important.

Did it work in Lion or Mountain Lion?

Yes, It works on version 10.8.2

Okay, I'm seeing the files now, but I don't know where to begin deleting and where to end. I've tried a couple of times using TextWrangler, since I don't have XCode, but it just screws up the network options - changes the icons, moves settings under wrong network type, etc. Anyone willing to help me understand .plists?

Thanks so much! I was messing up with terminal trying to delete through there. I'm glad I found your response, much easier that way! 🙂

Hi,

I tried this certainly working approach but I must be making a misake in Terminal.

The VPN service is printed in Terminal as (no quotes, of course)

"VPN (server.com)"

When I enter

networksetup -removenetworkservice VPN (server.com)

Terminal returns:

-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('

I must make some stupid mistake.

Regards,

Twistan

Try this:

networksetup -removenetworkservice "VPN (server.com)"

Put quotes around the network service name. I think this is necessary because the parentheses cause problems with Terminal interpreting the UNIX command. I created a test network service on my machine, entered the command you did, and got the same error result you did. I then used quotes around the network service name and got the correct result. BTW, depending on your system settings, you may be asked to authenticate the deletion with your administrator password. If so, a dialog box will come up asking for it.

Dhalgren

Kindest thanks for your quick help.

I shall do as you said and report back.

We do have this issue on all our Macs (not just one misbehaving machine).

Once again, I am very grateful.

Regards,

Twistan

P.S.

I tried to "edit" the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist file but when I deleted the VPN entry all network locations were gone and I had to reconfigure from scratch.

That's unfortunate. Not to be preachy, but you shouldn't edit .plist files without making a backup copy. It looks like something went wrong and networkservices created a new, blank one, from scratch.

If you use TimeMachine, you might have a backup of the file and not know it, but it sounds as if you already recreated all your network services.

In my experience, doing a lot of direct .plist editing is fraught with problems. If there's something wrong with the file, I have no problem deleting it, knowing I will have to start over from scratch. Every time I've tried to directly edit a .plist, it hasn't worked out well. I prefer to let Terminal handle the editing and have found there are few Mac OS settings that Terminal can't modify.

Just my opinion. I'm sure there are others who are more adept at directly manipulating .plist files.