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Free Proxy for Windows How to Set Up a Proxy on Windows 11 and 10

Get residential proxies for WindowsCheck free proxies

Windows works on

  • Windows 11
  • Windows 10

Key facts

  • Two proxy settings

    Settings > Network & internet > Proxy is the per-user WinINet proxy that browsers and most desktop apps read. Windows services and some tools read a separate WinHTTP proxy, which you copy over with netsh winhttp import proxy source=ie from an admin Command Prompt.

  • VPN connections

    A proxy set on the Proxy page does not carry over to a VPN connection. Windows keeps a separate proxy in each VPN connection's advanced options.

  • Free proxies

    Windows has no proxy service of its own. Pick an HTTP proxy from the Geonode free proxy list for the Proxy page and use it only for tests, never for logins.

Ways to connect Windows to a proxy

The built-in setting takes an HTTP proxy with no login fields; for SOCKS5 or every app, use a proxy client.

NameWorks InAuthBlocking ResistanceBest ForWhere To Get
Manual proxy (Settings > Network & internet > Proxy)Edge, Chrome, Firefox on its default setting and other apps that read the system proxyNo username or password fields. Browsers ask for them in a Sign in dialogThe link from Windows to the proxy is plain HTTP; HTTPS sites stay encrypted end to endBrowsing through one proxy on the whole PCGeonode residential, ISP or datacenter proxies (HTTP endpoint); Geonode free list filtered by HTTP
Setup script (PAC file)The same apps as the manual proxyNone in Windows settingsEach site uses whichever proxy the script names, or goes directCompany networks that publish a .pac address, or sending only some sites through a proxyYour network admin, or a .pac file you host yourself
Proxifier (proxy client)Any app you add a rule for, including apps that ignore the system proxySOCKS5 and HTTP/HTTPS with username and passwordSOCKS5 traffic to the proxy is not encrypted; HTTPS sites stay encrypted end to endSOCKS5 on Windows 11 or 10, and apps with no proxy settingGeonode residential or ISP proxies (SOCKS5 or HTTP); Geonode free list filtered by SOCKS5

Which proxy type to use on Windows

Windows works with all four; the sites and apps you open decide which one gets through.

Best for Windows

Residential proxies

from $0.27/GB

Sites see a home connection in the country you pick, and a sticky session keeps one IP for up to 24 hours. You pay per GB, so route only your browser or chosen apps through Proxifier rules instead of the whole PC.

Start $5 trialSee residential pricing
Best for fixed IP

ISP proxies

from $1.25/IP

One address that stays the same, so accounts you sign in to from this PC always see the same IP.

See ISP pricing
Public pages only

Datacenter proxies

from $0.14/GB

Fine for opening websites, but Google Search and many shops show CAPTCHAs to datacenter ranges more often.

See datacenter pricing
Testing only

Free public proxies

Free

Whoever runs a free proxy sees the sites you open, so use one to test the setting and never to sign in.

Get free proxies

How to set up a proxy in Windows

Copy the host, port, proxy username and proxy password from your provider's dashboard before you start. The menus below follow Windows 11 first; Windows 10 stopped getting free security updates on October 14, 2025, but its proxy settings work the same way.

  1. Open Start > Settings > Network & internet > Proxy.

  2. Under Manual proxy setup, next to Use a proxy server, click Set up.

  3. Turn on Use a proxy server.

  4. Enter the host in Proxy IP address and the port in Port.

  5. Add sites that should skip the proxy to the exceptions box, separated by semicolons.

  6. Tick Don't use the proxy server for local (intranet) addresses.

  7. Click Save.

  8. Open a site in Edge or Chrome and enter the proxy username and password in the Sign in dialog.

Check detailed instructions on our blog:

Read the blog post

How to check that Windows uses the proxy

  1. Open geonode.com/what-is-my-ip in your browser. You should see the proxy's IP and country, not your own.

  2. For Proxifier, open the app you routed and watch its connections appear in the Proxifier window with the proxy's address.

  3. Run netsh winhttp show proxy in Command Prompt to see whether Windows services also use a proxy. On Windows 11, netsh winhttp show advproxy shows the newer advanced setting.

How to turn the proxy off in Windows

  1. Windows 11: go to Settings > Network & internet > Proxy, click Set up next to Use a proxy server, turn it off and click Save. On Windows 10, turn off Use a proxy server on the same page.

  2. WinHTTP: run netsh winhttp reset proxy in an admin Command Prompt.

  3. Proxifier: exit it from the tray icon, or remove the proxy from the Default rule.

Common Windows proxy problems and fixes

  • No internet with the proxy on, or Windows can't detect it

    Cause
    Wrong host or port, a dead free proxy, or Automatically detect settings on a network with no auto-config
    Fix
    Compare the host and port with your dashboard and test the proxy in the Geonode proxy checker. If it still fails, turn the manual proxy off and try again.

  • Browser keeps showing Sign in, or sites return error 407

    Cause
    Wrong proxy username or password, your account login entered instead of the proxy credentials, or a desktop app that reads the system proxy but has no way to send a username and password
    Fix
    Copy the proxy username and password from the proxy dashboard and enter them again; your Geonode account email and password will not work here. Only browsers show a Sign in dialog, so for other apps use Proxifier with authentication, or whitelist your IP in the Geonode dashboard so no login is needed.

  • One app still shows your real IP

    Cause
    The app has its own proxy setting or ignores the system proxy. Games send their traffic over UDP, which an HTTP proxy cannot carry
    Fix
    Set the proxy inside the app if it has a setting, or route it with a Proxifier rule. Proxifier and the Windows proxy carry TCP only, so game and voice traffic over UDP still goes out directly; see the UDP over SOCKS5 guide below.

  • Proxy settings revert or are managed by your organization

    Cause
    A VPN, proxy or security app, or a work policy, writes its own proxy
    Fix
    Close VPN and proxy apps one by one and check the Proxy page again. On a work PC, ask your IT team.

More for Windows users

Windows proxy FAQ

Windows has no proxy service of its own, but you can enter any proxy in its settings. The Geonode free proxy list shows HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies; pick an HTTP one for the Windows Proxy page and use it for tests, not logins.

Open Settings > Network & internet > Proxy, click Set up next to Use a proxy server, enter the host and port and click Save. Your browser then asks for the proxy username and password.

The Windows 11 Proxy page has no SOCKS5 option or login fields. Add the SOCKS5 proxy in a proxy client such as Proxifier, which sends chosen apps or all apps through it with a username and password.

Windows 10 has no proxy server for other devices built in. You can install one, such as IIS with the Application Request Routing module, or use a hosted proxy from Geonode instead. To send this PC's own traffic through a proxy, enter a host and port under Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy, which is the Windows 10 label for that menu.

Telegram Desktop has its own proxy setting under Settings > Advanced > Connection type, where you add a SOCKS5, HTTP or MTProto proxy. Choose Use system proxy settings instead to follow the Windows proxy.

Windows Update checks for updates through the WinHTTP proxy, not the Settings Proxy page, and downloads go through Delivery Optimization. Copy the Settings proxy over with netsh winhttp import proxy source=ie in an admin Command Prompt. Proxies that decrypt HTTPS break Windows Update, because Microsoft pins its certificates.