Tap0901 Device — What It Is and How to Install the Driver

When using Windows 10 or 11, you might come across an unknown device labeled tap0901 in the Device Manager. This can raise questions about what this device is and whether you need to install a driver for it. Let's break down what tap0901 is and how you can properly set up the driver if needed.

What is tap0901?

The tap0901 device is a virtual network adapter, known as the TAP-Win32 Virtual Private Network Driver. This adapter is utilized by VPN software, such as OpenVPN, to create virtual network interfaces essential for VPN connections. If you see this device on your system, it is likely linked to VPN software installation or might have appeared after using certain Windows activation tools that create such virtual devices.

Do you need to install a driver for tap0901?

If you haven’t installed any VPN-related software and the tap0901 device appeared after using a Windows activator, installing the driver might not be necessary. You can safely remove it from the Device Manager without affecting your system's functionality. However, if you do use software that requires virtual network adapters, installing the driver is essential for proper operation.

How to Install the Driver for tap0901

There are a few methods you can use to install the driver for the tap0901 device:

1. Install the Driver from Existing Files on Your Computer

  1. Open the Device Manager.
  2. Locate the device labeled tap0901 and right-click on it.
  3. Select Update driver.
  4. Choose Browse my computer for drivers.
  5. Enter C:\ in the search path and check the box for Include subfolders.
  6. Click Next. Windows will attempt to find and install the appropriate driver from the existing files on your computer.

2. Download and Manually Install the Driver

  1. Download the dist.win7.zip driver package from the official OpenVPN website.
  2. Extract the contents of the archive to a convenient location.
  3. In the Device Manager, repeat steps 1–4 from the previous method.
  4. Select the folder containing the extracted driver files.
  5. Click Next to proceed with the installation.

3. Install the Driver via the OpenVPN Installer Package

  1. Download the OpenVPN installer from the official website.
  2. Extract the MSI installer using a tool like 7-Zip.
  3. In the Device Manager, repeat steps 1–4 from the first method.
  4. Navigate to the extracted folder containing the driver files.
  5. Click Next to install the driver.

Once the driver is successfully installed, the tap0901 device should function correctly, allowing VPN applications that rely on virtual network adapters to work properly.