Best for macOS
Residential proxies
from $0.27/GB
Sites see a home connection in the country you pick. A sticky session holds one IP for up to 24 hours, so you stay signed in.
Browsers & operating systems
Mac Proxy Server Setup in System Settings and Terminal
macOS works on
- macOS
Key facts
Where to set it
System Settings > Network > (your service) > Details > Proxies on macOS 13 and later; System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies on macOS 12 and earlier.
Which apps follow it
Safari, Chrome, Edge and Brave use the macOS proxy, and Firefox does too while its Network Settings stay on Use system proxy settings. Terminal tools such as curl, git and Homebrew ignore it and read the http_proxy and https_proxy variables instead.
One setting per network service
Wi-Fi, Ethernet and each USB or Thunderbolt adapter keep their own proxy settings, so a cable plugged in later goes out without the proxy. On a work Mac, a device management profile can lock the fields.
HTTP vs HTTPS vs SOCKS vs PAC on macOS
The Proxies pane lists all four. With a proxy from a provider you usually turn on the first two.
| Name | Works In | Auth | Blocking Resistance | Best For | Where To Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web proxy (HTTP) | http:// requests from Safari, Chromium browsers and other apps that use the system proxy | Username and password after you turn on Proxy server requires password, or none | Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave and the App Store | Everyday browsing, together with the HTTPS row | Geonode residential, ISP or datacenter proxies (HTTP endpoint); HTTP entries from the Geonode free list |
| Secure web proxy (HTTPS) | Requests to https:// addresses, which is almost every site today | Username and password after you turn on Proxy server requires password, or none | The same apps as the HTTP row; pages stay encrypted end to end | Every https:// site; needed alongside the HTTP row | The same HTTP endpoint you entered in Web proxy (HTTP) |
| SOCKS proxy | Apps that read the system SOCKS setting | The pane has a password toggle, but Chromium browsers ignore SOCKS usernames and passwords | Apps that read the system SOCKS setting; not curl, git or Homebrew | SOCKS-only proxies without a login, or an SSH tunnel on localhost | Geonode residential or ISP proxies (SOCKS5 endpoint); SOCKS5 entries from the Geonode free list |
| Automatic proxy configuration (PAC) | Any app that follows the system proxy, per network service | The pane has only a URL field; the proxies named in the file ask for their own login | Any app that follows the system proxy, for the sites the file sends through it | Sending only some sites through the proxy, or a PAC address your IT team gives you | Your network admin, or a PAC file you write and host yourself |
Which proxy type to use with macOS
macOS treats every proxy type the same. Which IP gets through depends on the sites and apps you open.
Best for logins
ISP proxies
from $1.25/IP
The IP never changes, so banks and social sites see the same address every day.
Public pages only
Datacenter proxies
from $0.14/GB
Fine for checking how a public site looks from another country in Safari; Google Search and streaming services flag datacenter ranges more often.
Testing only
Free public proxies
Free
A system proxy carries traffic from every app on the Mac, and whoever runs a free proxy can see which sites you open. Use one only to check your settings.
How to set up a proxy for macOS
Copy the proxy host, port, username and password from your provider's dashboard, and pick the network service you actually use (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Network in the sidebar.
Click the network service you use, such as Wi-Fi, then click Details.
Click Proxies in the sidebar of the window that opens. You may need to scroll.
Turn on Web proxy (HTTP) and enter the host in Server and the port in Port.
Turn on Proxy server requires password and enter the proxy username and password.
Turn on Secure web proxy (HTTPS) and enter the same host, port, username and password.
Turn on Exclude simple hostnames so local names such as printers skip the proxy.
Click OK.
Check detailed instructions on our blog:
Read the blog postHow to check that your Mac uses the proxy
Open geonode.com/what-is-my-ip in Safari. It should show the proxy's IP and country, not your own.
Run scutil --proxy in Terminal. HTTPEnable and HTTPSEnable should read 1, next to the host and port you entered.
Open the same page in your other browsers. Each one should show the proxy IP.
How to turn the proxy off on Mac
macOS 13 and later: go to System Settings > Network, click the service, click Details > Proxies, turn off each proxy you turned on and click OK.
macOS 12 and earlier: go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies, untick each proxy, click OK, then Apply.
Terminal: run sudo networksetup -setwebproxystate "Wi-Fi" off and sudo networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate "Wi-Fi" off.
Common macOS proxy problems and fixes
No site loads after you turn on the proxy
- A typo in Server or Port, a dead free proxy, or a SOCKS5 port typed into the Web proxy (HTTP) fields
- Check the host and port against the HTTP details in your dashboard, then test them in the Geonode proxy checker.
CauseFixSafari or Chrome keeps asking for the proxy password (407)
- Proxy server requires password is off, or you entered your account email and password instead of the proxy credentials
- Turn the toggle on in both the HTTP and HTTPS rows, paste the proxy username and password from the dashboard and click OK.
CauseFixChrome, Edge or Brave won't load pages via SOCKS with login
- Chrome, Edge and Brave do not send SOCKS usernames and passwords
- Turn SOCKS proxy off and put the HTTP endpoint of the same plan into the Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS) rows.
CauseFixBrowsers use the proxy, but curl, git or Homebrew don't
- Command-line tools read http_proxy/https_proxy, not System Settings
- In Terminal, run export https_proxy=http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT and the same for http_proxy, or add both lines to ~/.zshrc.
CauseFix
More for macOS users
macOS proxy FAQ
Open System Settings > Network, click your network service, click Details > Proxies, and turn on Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS) with the proxy host, port, username and password. Click OK.
On macOS 13 Ventura and later they are in System Settings > Network > (your service) > Details > Proxies. On macOS 12 Monterey and earlier they are in System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies.
It is a server your Mac sends web traffic through, so websites get the server's IP address instead of yours. macOS does not include one. You enter the address of a proxy you got from a provider, your company or a free list.
It is a list of addresses that connect directly instead of through the proxy. Separate entries with commas, and use a wildcard such as *.local for a whole domain. Local networks and company intranets usually go here. By default the field already contains *.local, 169.254/16; keep those. It sits at the bottom of the Proxies pane, or run networksetup -setproxybypassdomains "Wi-Fi" "*.local" "169.254/16" example.com.
Yes. Any HTTP entry from the Geonode free proxy list works in the HTTP and HTTPS fields. Many free proxies stop working within a day and their owners can see which sites you visit, so don't sign in to accounts through one.
Yes. On macOS neither browser has its own proxy fields, so both use the system proxy. Firefox does too unless you change its Network Settings.
