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Proxy and connection errors

How to Fix "There Is Something Wrong with the Proxy Server"

Find out who set the proxy, with steps for each source and a cURL, Python and Node.js test.

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TL;DR

"There is something wrong with the proxy server" (ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED) is Chrome's own message that it could not reach the proxy it is set to use, so no website saw the request. If you never chose a proxy, switching it off and reloading the page clears the error.

What the error looks like in each client

Every row but Firefox's refusing-connections page means the client never reached the proxy.

WhereWhat you see
ChromeNo internet. There is something wrong with the proxy server, or the address is incorrect. ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED
Chrome in Turkishİnternet bağlantısı yok. Proxy sunucusunda bir sorun var veya adres yanlış.
Puppeteer page.goto()net::ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED at https://example.com
Firefox (closed proxy port, a 403 or 429 to an https request, or a cancelled proxy sign-in)The proxy server is refusing connections
Firefox (HTTP proxy host name did not resolve)Unable to find the proxy server
curl (proxy host name did not resolve)curl: (5) Could not resolve proxy: proxy.invalid
Python requests on macOS (urllib3 2.6 or later)(Caused by ProxyError('Unable to connect to proxy', NewConnectionError("HTTPSConnection(host='127.0.0.1', port=9): Failed to establish a new connection: [Errno 61] Connection refused")))

Why this happens

Chrome is set to use a proxy, and it cannot find or connect to it.

Chrome takes its proxy from your system settings unless an extension, a policy or a launch flag sets one. A host name that DNS cannot find or a port with nothing listening ends the request there.

Diagnose your proxy error first

These checks show where the proxy comes from and whether anything answers at its address.

  • Look at the proxy row in Chrome's Settings > System; if it names an extension or your administrator, that is where Chrome's proxy comes from.

  • Check the system proxy address; if it is 127.0.0.1, it points at a program on this computer that may have stopped.

  • Open chrome://version; if the Command Line row shows --proxy-server or --proxy-pac-url, Chrome was launched with a proxy flag.

  • Try the proxy over a phone hotspot; if it works there, your usual network blocks traffic to the proxy.

  • Run the third fix's curl test; exit code 5 means the proxy name did not resolve, 7 means the connection to its port failed.

Solutions ranked by effectiveness

Fixes one and two remove an unwanted proxy; fix three repairs a proxy you need.

  1. Most common fix

    Turn off the system proxy

    Applies when nobody set up a proxy on this device on purpose. Switching off only Automatically detect settings, as Chrome's Windows hint says, leaves any manual proxy on.

    1. In Chrome, go to Settings > System > Open your computer's proxy settings.

    2. On Windows, switch off Use a proxy server and Use setup script, then select Save.

    3. On a Mac, in your network's Details > Proxies, turn every proxy off; click OK.

    4. On Android, edit the Wi-Fi network, open Advanced options, set Proxy to None, tap Save.

  2. Check next

    Remove a proxy that only Chrome uses

    Applies when Windows, macOS or Android show no proxy, yet Chrome still fails.

    1. For an extension, click Disable in Settings > System, or Manage to remove it.

    2. For a policy, ask IT on a work device, or uninstall the program behind it.

    3. For a flag, remove it from the shortcut or script that starts Chrome, and restart.

    4. Then open chrome://net-internals/#proxy and click Re-apply settings and Clear bad proxies.

  3. For developers

    Correct the host and port, then test

    Applies when you need the proxy: paste its host and port from your provider's dashboard again. In the test, any HTTP status, even 407, means the proxy answered; curl's HTTP 000 means it did not.

    curl -sS -o /dev/null -w "HTTP %{http_code}\n" \
  -x http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@proxy.geonode.io:9000 \
  http://example.com
echo "curl exit code: $?"

Stop the proxy error from coming back

These habits stop a stale proxy entry from sending Chrome or scripts to a dead address.

  1. Quit a debugging proxy such as Charles normally; after a crash it cannot reset your proxy settings.

  2. Add DIRECT as a PAC fallback only when it is fine for sites to see your real IP.

  3. Test a free proxy again before each session, since public free lists carry no uptime guarantee.

  4. In scripts, pass the proxy with every request; a stale environment variable can override one set on a session.

Proxy settings you can checkGeonode's docs list each gateway host and the HTTP and SOCKS5 port ranges.
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Related errors

Learn more

FAQ

Chrome tried to load the page through a proxy server and could not reach it. Turn the proxy off if you did not choose one, or fix its host and port.

It is Chrome's Turkish text for "There is something wrong with the proxy server, or the address is incorrect": Chrome could not reach its proxy.

Turn off the manual and script proxy under Settings > Network & internet > Proxy. Skip netsh winhttp reset proxy: it resets WinHTTP, which Chrome does not read by default.

It means a Chromium browser could not reach its proxy; net:: is the prefix Chromium adds to network errors. Puppeteer throws it from page.goto(), and Selenium reports it as unknown error.

urllib3, the library under requests, raises it when it cannot open a working connection through the proxy. A script that sets no proxy inherited one from a variable such as HTTPS_PROXY or a manual proxy in Windows or macOS.

Nothing accepted the connection at the proxy's host and port, the proxy refused the tunnel to an https site with 403 or 429, or its sign-in prompt was cancelled. Firefox follows the system proxy by default.

Save and switch proxies in Chrome

Geonode Proxy Manager stores each host, port and login, so nothing is retyped by hand.

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