Complete Beginner's Guide (August 2025)

This comprehensive guide covers all major platforms and browsers with links to detailed, screenshot-guided tutorials for each device type.

How to Use a Proxy Server: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Master the basics of proxy server usage with this comprehensive guide. We'll explain everything you need to know and direct you to detailed setup instructions for your specific platform.

8 min read

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Before You Start: The Two Pieces of Information You Need

Before you can use any proxy server, you need two essential pieces of information. Think of them like a street address and an apartment number - you need both to reach the right destination.

1. The Proxy IP Address

The IP address is like the "street address" of the proxy server. It tells your device where to find the proxy on the internet.

What It Looks Like:

Example IP Address: 185.199.229.156
Domain Format (less common): proxy.example.com

2. The Proxy Port Number

The port number is like the "apartment number" - it tells your device which specific service on the proxy server to connect to.

Common Port Numbers:

8080

Most common

3128

HTTP proxies

1080

SOCKS proxies

🎯 Need Both IP and Port?

You can get both the IP address and port number from our live free proxy list, updated every few minutes with working proxies.

Browse Free Proxy List

The General 3-Step Process

Using a proxy follows the same basic pattern regardless of your device or browser. Here's the universal workflow that applies everywhere:

1

Get Proxy Details

Find a working proxy IP address and port number from a reliable source.

2

Open Network Settings

Navigate to your device's or browser's network/proxy configuration menu.

3

Configure & Test

Enter the IP and port, save settings, then verify your connection is working.

That's it! The specific steps vary between platforms, but this 3-step pattern applies everywhere. The detailed guides below will show you exactly where to find these settings on your specific device or browser.

Choose Your Platform: Detailed Setup Guides

The exact steps depend on your operating system or browser. Choose the guide that matches your setup for detailed, screenshot-guided instructions.

For Your Operating System (System-Wide)

System-wide proxy settings affect all applications on your computer that use your system's network configuration. This includes your default browser, email clients, and most desktop applications.

Windows

Step-by-step guide for Windows 11 and Windows 10 using the Settings app. Works with Edge, Internet Explorer, and most Windows applications.

Windows Setup Guide

Mac

Detailed guide for macOS using System Settings/Preferences. Works with Safari, Mail, and most Mac applications that respect system network settings.

Mac Setup Guide

For Your Web Browser (Browser-Specific)

Browser-specific proxy settings only affect that particular browser. This is useful when you want to use a proxy for web browsing while keeping other applications on your regular connection.

Google Chrome

Chrome uses system proxy settings by default, but you can configure it independently. Our guide shows both methods with current interface screenshots.

Chrome Setup Guide

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox has its own independent proxy settings with advanced options like SOCKS support and DNS configuration. More control but requires browser-specific setup.

Firefox Setup Guide

Which Method Should You Choose?

Choose System-Wide When:

  • • You want all applications to use the proxy
  • • You're using your computer's default browser
  • • You want a "set it and forget it" approach

Choose Browser-Specific When:

  • • You only need proxy for web browsing
  • • You want other apps to use normal internet
  • • You need different proxy settings per browser

A Final, Crucial Step: Verify Your New IP Address

After completing the setup on any platform, the most important step is to verify that it's working correctly. Many users skip this step and don't realize their proxy isn't functioning properly.

Quick Verification Process:

  1. 1 Complete your platform setup using one of the guides above
  2. 2 Open a web browser and navigate to our IP checker tool
  3. 3 Check if your IP has changed - it should now show the proxy server's IP address
  4. 4 Browse a few websites to confirm everything works as expected

Instant Verification Tool

Use our What Is My IP tool to instantly verify that your proxy is working correctly. It will show your current IP address and location.

Check My IP Address Now

What If It's Not Working?

If your IP address hasn't changed or you can't browse websites:

Related Resources

Setup Guides

Testing & Verification

Proxy Resources