Best for Safari
Residential proxies
from $0.27/GB
Sites see a home connection in the country you choose. A sticky session holds one IP for up to 24 hours, long enough to stay signed in.
Browsers & operating systems
Safari Proxy Setup on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Safari works on
- macOS
- iOS
- iPadOS
- visionOS
Key facts
The proxy covers the whole device
Safari has no proxy of its own. On a Mac, Safari > Settings > Advanced > Proxies > Change Settings opens the macOS network settings; on iPhone it's Settings > Wi-Fi > (i) > Configure Proxy. The proxy also carries Mail, the App Store and any other app that follows the system settings, and you can't limit it to Safari.
No proxy extensions
Safari's extension API has no proxy feature. FoxyProxy and the Chrome proxy switchers have no Safari version that changes your IP.
iCloud Private Relay is not a proxy you control
Private Relay (iCloud+) hides your IP in Safari, but the IP it gives you stays near your real region. You can't pick a country or a fixed address.
Proxy options Safari can use
The macOS Proxies screen also has Auto proxy discovery; the four below are the ones you fill in by hand. iPhone and iPad offer only the HTTP proxy and a PAC file, and only on Wi-Fi.
| Name | Works In | Auth | Blocking Resistance | Best For | Where To Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web proxy (HTTP) | Safari on macOS for http:// pages; on iPhone and iPad the Wi-Fi HTTP proxy carries all Safari traffic | Username and password (Proxy server requires password on Mac, Authentication on iPhone) | Set by the IP type behind it | Everyday browsing through a paid proxy | Geonode residential, ISP or datacenter proxies; Geonode free list |
| Secure web proxy (HTTPS) | Safari on macOS for https:// pages, which is almost every site | Username and password | Set by the IP type behind it | Pairing with the web proxy so both kinds of pages use the same IP | The same host and port as the HTTP proxy |
| SOCKS proxy | macOS only; not offered on iPhone or iPad | Unreliable with a login on macOS, see the fixes below | Set by the IP type behind it | SOCKS proxies that need no login | Geonode free list (SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 entries) |
| Automatic proxy configuration (PAC file) | macOS, and iPhone and iPad under Configure Proxy > Automatic | Set by the proxies the file points to | Set by the proxies the file points to | Sending only some sites through a proxy, or company networks | Your network administrator, or a PAC file you host yourself |
Which proxy type to use with Safari
Safari accepts all four. Which one gets through depends on the sites you open.
Best for accounts
ISP proxies
from $1.25/IP
The IP never changes, and a bank, shop or social site sees the same address at every sign-in.
Public pages only
Datacenter proxies
from $0.14/GB
Google in Safari shows CAPTCHAs to datacenter IPs more often than to home IPs, and every app on the Mac shares that one IP.
Testing only
Free public proxies
Free
The whole Mac goes through it, including iCloud and Mail sign-ins, and whoever runs a free proxy can see which sites you open. Don't sign in to any account through one.
How to set up a proxy for Safari
Copy the proxy host, port, username and password from your provider's dashboard before you start.
In Safari, choose Safari > Settings, then click Advanced.
Next to Proxies, click Change Settings. In Network, select your service (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), click Details, then Proxies.
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.
Optionally add sites that should skip the proxy under Bypass proxy settings for these hosts & domains, separated by commas.
Click OK. Enter your Mac user password if macOS asks for it.
Reload the page in Safari. If a sign-in prompt for the proxy appears, enter the proxy username and password.
Check detailed instructions on our blog:
Read the blog postHow to check that Safari uses the proxy
Open geonode.com/what-is-my-ip in Safari. It should show the proxy's IP and country, not yours.
If the IP is neither yours nor the proxy's, iCloud Private Relay may be on. Turn it off in System Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay and reload.
On a Mac, run scutil --proxy in Terminal. HTTPEnable and HTTPSEnable set to 1 mean macOS applies the web proxies, and the host and port are listed next to them.
How to turn the proxy off in Safari
Mac: open Safari > Settings > Advanced, click Change Settings next to Proxies, select your service, click Details > Proxies, turn off each proxy you turned on and click OK.
iPhone and iPad: go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap (i) next to the network, tap Configure Proxy, select Off and tap Save.
Common Safari proxy problems and fixes
A SOCKS proxy with a username and password does not connect
- The fields for a SOCKS login exist, but on macOS Sonoma 14.3 and 14.4 users report the system SOCKS proxy never sends them and offers the server only 'no authentication'. We haven't retested this on newer macOS.
- Test on your macOS version. If it fails, use the HTTP endpoint of the same proxy plan in Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS), and keep SOCKS for proxies without a login.
CauseFix"Safari can't connect to the server" after you set the proxy
- Wrong host or port, the proxy is offline, or your IP isn't whitelisted on the proxy
- Check the host and port against the dashboard, test the proxy with the proxy checker, then turn the proxy off to confirm Safari loads pages without it.
CauseFixSome sites show the proxy IP and others show your real IP
- Only one of Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS) is turned on
- Turn on both and enter the same host and port in each. Also clear the bypass list if a site you want to proxy is in it.
CauseFixSafari keeps asking for a password, or pages show error 407
- Wrong proxy username or password, or your account login typed in place of the proxy credentials
- Copy the proxy username and password from the proxy dashboard and enter them again. Your Geonode account email and password won't work here.
CauseFixThe proxy stopped working after you changed networks
- The proxy is saved per network service on a Mac and per Wi-Fi network on iPhone; cellular data never uses the Wi-Fi proxy
- Set the proxy again on the Ethernet service or new Wi-Fi network. For Safari on cellular, use a proxy app such as Shadowrocket.
CauseFixThe Proxies fields are greyed out
- A configuration profile or your company's device management controls them
- Check System Settings > General > Device Management. If a profile sets the proxy, ask whoever manages the Mac to change it.
CauseFix
More for Safari users
Safari proxy FAQ
No. On a Mac, Safari > Settings > Advanced > Change Settings opens the macOS Proxies screen, and on iPhone the proxy is set per Wi-Fi network in Settings. Every app that follows the system proxy uses the same one.
On a Mac, yes, through SOCKS proxy in the macOS Proxies screen. SOCKS proxies without a login work; with a username and password, users on macOS Sonoma 14.3 and 14.4 report failures, so test on your version or use the HTTP endpoint. iPhone and iPad have no SOCKS option in Wi-Fi settings.
Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap (i) next to your network, tap Configure Proxy, choose Manual and enter Server and Port. Turn on Authentication if the proxy needs a login, then tap Save.
No. Safari always uses the macOS or iOS system proxy, and other apps on the device go through it as well. For a proxy in one browser only, use Firefox, which has its own Network Settings, or on a Mac a per-app proxy tool such as Proxifier.
Not one that changes your IP. Apple gives Safari extensions no way to set a proxy, so switchers like FoxyProxy exist for Chrome, Edge and Firefox but not for Safari.
It works like one. Safari traffic passes through two relays, one run by Apple and one by a partner company, and sites never see your IP. You can't pick a country, though, and the IP stays near your region, which makes it useless for geo-checks.
