Windows 11 config-auto profile not starting automatically

[BrentD]

Just installed 2.6.13 on a new Windows 11 Laptop.

I have the following config file in c:\ProramFiles\OpenVPN\config-auto

profile.ovpn:

dev tun
persist-tun
persist-key
data-ciphers-fallback AES-256-GCM
auth SHA512
client
resolv-retry infinite
remote 12.227.42.42 1194 udp
lport 0
verify-x509-name "<redacted>" subject
remote-cert-tls server
auth-user-pass <redacted>.conf
comp-lzo no
<ca>
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
<redacted>
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

</ca>
<cert>
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
<redacted>
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
</cert>
<key>
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
<redacted>
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
</key>
<tls-auth>
#
# 2048 bit OpenVPN static key
#
-----BEGIN OpenVPN Static key V1-----
<redacted>
-----END OpenVPN Static key V1-----
</tls-auth>
key-direction 1

management 127.0.0.1 1200 <redacted>.conf
management-query-passwords
management-hold

I also have the appropriate .conf files for username and password in the config-auto folder.

When I reboot the computer, the OpenVPN service starts automatically and I get a log file that says:

2025-01-24 16:45:53 OpenVPN 2.6.13 [git:v2.6.13/5662b3a8eb9e5744] Windows [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [LZ4] [PKCS11] [AEAD] [DCO] built on Jan 15 2025
2025-01-24 16:45:53 Windows version 10.0 (Windows 10 or greater), amd64 executable
2025-01-24 16:45:53 library versions: OpenSSL 3.4.0 22 Oct 2024, LZO 2.10
2025-01-24 16:45:53 DCO version: 1.2.1
​

If I try to delete the log file, it will say it is open by OpenVPN Service, so the service is still using the log file.

If I go to the gui client and click connect, the VPN connects fine and the log adds more info:

2025-01-24 16:45:53 OpenVPN 2.6.13 [git:v2.6.13/5662b3a8eb9e5744] Windows [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [LZ4] [PKCS11] [AEAD] [DCO] built on Jan 15 2025
2025-01-24 16:45:53 Windows version 10.0 (Windows 10 or greater), amd64 executable
2025-01-24 16:45:53 library versions: OpenSSL 3.4.0 22 Oct 2024, LZO 2.10
2025-01-24 16:45:53 DCO version: 1.2.1
2025-01-24 17:06:06 TCP/UDP: Preserving recently used remote address: [AF_INET]<redacted>:1194
2025-01-24 17:06:06 UDPv4 link local (bound): [AF_INET][undef]:0
2025-01-24 17:06:06 UDPv4 link remote: [AF_INET]<redacted>:1194
2025-01-24 17:06:06 WARNING: this configuration may cache passwords in memory -- use the auth-nocache option to prevent this
2025-01-24 17:06:07 [OpenVPN Cert] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]<redacted>:1194
2025-01-24 17:06:08 open_tun
2025-01-24 17:06:08 tap-windows6 device [OpenVPN TAP-Windows6] opened
2025-01-24 17:06:08 Notified TAP-Windows driver to set a DHCP IP/netmask of 10.10.242.42/255.255.255.252 on interface {A4B69C70-15C9-47BF-8676-535DB0BD286A} [DHCP-serv: 10.10.242.41, lease-time: 31536000]
2025-01-24 17:06:08 Successful ARP Flush on interface [15] {A4B69C70-15C9-47BF-8676-535DB0BD286A}
2025-01-24 17:06:08 IPv4 MTU set to 1500 on interface 15 using SetIpInterfaceEntry()​
​

It looks like OpenVPN Service is starting and reading the config file, but not automatically connecting the profile. I've been working on this for about a week and can't seem to get it working right. What am I missing?

[Anakin72]

I have the exact same problem on two different PCs, one with windows 7 and one with windows 11.
The service starts regularly but does not autoconnect, if I launch the connection manually everything works perfectly.
If I close and reopen the program it autoconnects, but the thing does not apply on reboot.