If you are using the Windows 10 operating system (OS), you don’t need any third-party software to configure proxy settings. With the option of setting up a network proxy, you are able to hide your internet traffic and bypass blocks that may be set up by your local network administrator. Once configured, the proxy server will work on all web browsers and apps published by Microsoft that you use to access the Internet with your Windows 10 device.
In order to use a proxy, you are going to need details by which you can connect to the proxy server. These details may take on different forms. First, we will go over how to configure proxy settings if you have a script address. Whether you got this address from your proxy service provider or found a free proxy online this is what you do to set up a proxy on Windows 10.
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- Open settings
You can do this by clicking the Start button at the bottom taskbar and selecting settings. Alternatively, you can quickly open system preferences using the keyboard by pressing the Windows key + I at the same time.
2. Click on Network & Internet
Find the Network & Internet bar on the settings board and click on it.
3. Click on Proxy
After the last step, there should be a panel of network-related features on your left-hand side of the screen. Find the Proxy bar on this panel and click on it.
4. Set the Use Setup Script switch to on
On the page that opens you will see a switch above which says “Use setup script”. Switch this from off to on. Note that the “Automatically detect settings” switch should also be set to on.
5. Enter the script address
In the Script address bar enter the script address as it was given to you. The script address is the URL or IP address that has to be loaded by Windows 10 in order to set the proxy server. It may look something like the example in the screenshot.
6. Click save and close settings
Don’t forget to click on the save button and that’s it! The proxy is set up, you can close the settings now.
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How to manually set up a proxy in Windows 10
Another way to configure proxy server settings in Windows 10 is the manual setup option. It’s possible if you have a proxy IP address and a port number.
In order to do the manual proxy setup you also have to open the proxy control panel and scroll down a bit. Thus, the first 3 steps will be the same as above, but you should keep the script switch set to off. Below are the steps of the manual proxy setup, starting with the fourth where the differences begin.
2. Set the Use a Proxy Server switch to on
After the third step as described above, scroll down to focus on the manual proxy setup section. Here, set the switch under “Use a Proxy Server” to on.
2. Enter the IP address
In the address bar, type in the IP proxy server address as it was given to you. It should be similar to the IP address of any device on the network, made up of numbers separated by dots. It could look something like the address in the screenshot below:
3. Enter the port number
Next to the Address bar, there is the Port bar. Port number should be given to you by your local network administrator if you are using a company network. The range of the possible port numbers is wide, but the default number for web servers is 8080, which you can try when otherwise not specified.
4. Save and close
Once again, don’t forget to save the changes, and then you can close the windows settings menu.
Wrapping up
By allowing you to easily configure proxy settings, Windows 10 helps to increase your online anonymity and easily set up a secure web proxy.
There are two main ways to set up proxy server settings in Windows 10. The first is the automatic proxy setup and the second is the manual proxy setup. You can choose either one based on the information that you have related to the connection to the proxy server. Either way is quite simple following the steps outlined above.
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Frequently Asked Questions
You should be given a proxy server IP address from your proxy service provider. This can be any company from which you have purchased your proxy product.
Additionally, your network administrator or institution’s IT department, for example, that of your workplace or academic office should give you a proxy IP address whenever your work requires connecting to a proxy server.
Finally, you can find free proxies online. However, this is not the best option, since it is likely that many others will be using the same proxy, slowing down your connection, or that the proxy IP is banned quickly. Additionally, in this case, you cannot fully trust the proxy server provider.
The reason for receiving an error code message “Unable to connect to Proxy Server” on Windows 10 is usually incorrectly configured proxy server settings. To solve this, go back to the Connections tab and press on Proxy as outlined above, to double-check your proxy settings in Windows 10.
If you get this error when not using proxy servers, it might be because some connection details are still there, when they should not be. Thus, make sure to delete everything from the Address and the Port bar and click the save button. Additionally, incorrect internet preferences might cause this problem. Try setting your internet options to default and deleting all cache and cookies in the internet browser you are using.
Using a proxy server increases your internet privacy and security as it hides your IP address. Additionally, proxy servers can help to bypass geographic restrictions and other firewalls set up by websites, thus allowing you to access content that you otherwise could not view or stream.
Using multiple IP addresses of proxy servers also increases the efficiency of web scraping and other procedures that require multiple content requests. Rotation of IP addresses helps to prevent getting banned. Furthermore, in case an IP address of one proxy server is banned, you can always switch to another.
Various types of proxies are compatible with Windows 10 and work very well with the OS. One of the main differences is between residential proxies and datacenter proxies.
Residential proxy servers give you a proxy IP address, while datacenter proxies hide your details from the website without providing a different IP address. Both types of proxy servers are good to go with Windows 10 but datacenter proxies are cheaper.
When choosing the latter option you might want to try Razorproxy products, which while cheap can provide you with all the best features of datacenter proxies and are easy to manage. Another important difference is between a rotating proxy server and a static proxy server. Razorproxy can provide you with both types, depending on your needs, and both work great with Windows 10.
