How to Setup Proxy Server in Windows & macOS

When browsing the web on the Internet, privacy and Internet security are important issues for users to prevent abuse. Many technologies are used to provide privacy on the Internet and encrypt Internet traffic, such as VPN, proxy, Tor, etc., and the proxy is one of the most common methods in this field. But what is a proxy server and what does it do? A proxy server is a router that provides a gateway between users and the Internet and helps users prevent cyber attackers from entering the private network.

If you use a proxy server, the internet traffic will flow through it (proxy server) on its way to your requested address (the web pages you visit online). Then the request is returned through the same proxy server and the data received from the websites is sent to the user through the proxy server.

The proxy server is a popular solution for organizations and network administrators to control and filter incoming and outgoing traffic from employee systems. In addition to sending web requests, a proxy is also used as a firewall, web filter, and scanner for viruses; Also it speeds up common requests, hides your public IP address, caches data, and provides shared network connections.

Considering the facilities that proxy offers in creating privacy on the Internet, this article will guide you in setting up a proxy server in Windows and macOS. If you are ready, let’s find out how to find the proxy settings for your operating system and how to set up a proxy server.

Procedures for setting up a proxy server in Windows

Buying a Windows VPS to set up a proxy server can be a reasonable choice, don’t worry about how to set up a proxy server in Windows. On Windows, you can consider automatic setup, script setup, and manual setup methods to configure from the proxy server. If you don’t have the information about the type of proxy server and IP address, setting the proxy server automatically can be a reasonable option because Windows or macOS can automatically detect the proxy server in this way. If the automatic settings can not automatically identify the proxy server, a script must be set; you can reach your purpose through the address of the proxy script.

If you are interested in setting up the proxy server manually, you can do so after knowing the proxy server name and IP address or port. In this tutorial, we try to teach the easiest way to set up a proxy server in Windows and macOS.

Note: If you do not know the address of the proxy setup script or the server name or IP address, get help from the information technology department of your organization.

Step 1: Finding proxy settings in Windows

To be able to set up a proxy server, you need access to the information related to the settings of the desired proxy server. So finding the proxy settings on your computer is a prerequisite for setting up a proxy server.

In accessing proxy server settings, settings program (if you use Windows 10 or 8), control panel or registry editor can help you. By following the instructions we provide, you will easily access the proxy server settings in Windows.

Accessing proxy settings through Windows settings

If you want to access the proxy settings using Windows Settings, follow the steps below:

• Select the Start menu and go to Settings (gear icon).
• Select the “Network & Internet” option.

• Click the “Proxy “option in the left panel.

As a result, you will get information related to proxy server settings.

Accessing proxy settings through Windows Control Panel

If you want to set the proxy server through the control panel in Windows, follow the steps below:

Select the start menu and click on “Control Panel“.

• Select the “Internet options“.

• By choosing Connections > LAN Settings, you can reach the settings related to the proxy server, and configure automatically proxy server.

Accessing proxy settings through the Windows registry editor

Some users find it easier to set up the proxy server in the Windows registry editor, so if you want to access the proxy server settings information through the Registry editor, follow the steps below:

• Press the “start+R” buttons at the same time.
• Type Regedit.
• Select HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Internet Settings.
• Select the proxy entries (ProxyServer or AutoConfigURL) by double-clicking and checking their value.

Accessing proxy settings via the command line

Some users are interested in settings through the command line. You can obtain information about the proxy server through the Netsh command line tool:

netsh.exe winhttp show proxy

Using PowerShell can also help you to obtain proxy server information in Windows:

Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings' | findstr ProxyServer

Output:

ProxyServer: proxyname:port

Step 2: Configuring the proxy server in Windows

As we explained at the beginning of the article, you can set and configure the proxy server in Windows automatically and manually; we will explain both methods.

Automatic configuration of the proxy server in Windows

After accessing the proxy server settings in Windows (Windows 8 /10) and selecting the Proxy option by following the process of step 1 (Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy), click on “Network Proxy“. To automatically setup the proxy server in Windows, continue the following steps:

• Set “Use a Proxy Server” to On at the bottom of the Manual Setup section and make sure the toggle status of the “Automatically detect settings” option is changed to On.
• By changing the status of the desired options to On, Windows automatically checks the local or business network to see if it is already automatically ready to run and set up the proxy server or not.
• We assume that Windows finds the PAC file, in which case you should change the Use Setup Script option in Automatic Proxy Setup to On. Finding the PAC file at this step means that you have already set up the PAC proxy in the Windows system.
• Find the path of the PAC file from the “Script Address” section and enter the script address in the empty field.

• Click on Save.

As a result, you have successfully configured the proxy server in Windows.

Manual configuration of the proxy server in Windows

If you could not set up the proxy server automatically, we will teach you how to manually configure the proxy server in Windows 8/10.

• For accessing Windows settings, select Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy.
• Find the “Manual proxy setup” option by scrolling.
• switch “Use a Proxy Server” to ON.
• Enter the proxy server name and IP address in the address field.
• In the port field, type the port number of the proxy server.

• If a password is set for the security of the proxy server, select “Proxy server requires password“.
• Fill in the username and password
• Click on the “Save“

As a result, when using the Internet, the proxy server is placed as a gateway between your device and the Internet, and you managed to manually configure your Windows system to use a proxy server on your connections to the Internet.

Steps to set up a proxy server on macOS

The easiest way to access proxy settings information in macOS is through System Preferences. Browsers also have a separate settings page for configuring proxy settings, which can be helpful for you in this regard.

Step 1: Finding proxy settings in macOS

To find proxy settings in macOS, follow the steps below:

• Select Apple menu > System Preferences.
• Select the “Network” option for “Adjust connectivity settings“.

• Find and select an active network connection on the left pane.
• To configure the proxy server for the active network connection, select the “Advanced” option.

• To access the proxy protocols, select the “Proxies” tab.

As a result, you can use different proxy protocols available for different network connections.

Step 2: Setting up the proxy server in macOS

By following the instructions in this section, you can configure the proxy server in macOS after accessing the proxy server settings in macOS:

• First access the proxy settings (Apple menu > System Preferences > Network > selecting WiFi > Advanced > Proxies)
• By clicking on the “Auto Proxy Discovery “option, you will configure the proxy server automatically.

Select the “Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS)” option.

• Enter the address and port of the desired proxy server in the relevant fields.

• If you are using the PAC proxy automatic configuration file, check the “Automatic Proxy Configuration“option and type the proxy address in the URL field.
• If a password is specified for the proxy server, select the “Proxy server requires password” option and then type the user account name and password in the Username and password fields.
• Click OK and save the proxy server configuration.

Congratulations, you have successfully configured the proxy server on macOS.

FAQ

Conclusion

Proxy servers have various uses, but the most common use of them is to protect online activities and the identity of users on the Internet. By using a proxy server, you will have privacy in the insecure world of the Internet, and prevent the tracking of personal information such as bank information, private photos, etc.

Setting up a proxy server is very simple for IT professionals and network administrators, but it will be a bit complicated for novice users. By reading this article, it will be easy even for novice users to set up a proxy server on Windows and macOS because by following the instructions provided in this article, you were able to set up a proxy server on Windows and macOS.

We have already taught how to set up a proxy in Ubuntu Linux, novice users can easily set up a proxy server in their favorite operating system using the tutorial articles and benefit from the proxy server for various purposes.

Thank you for reading this article to the end, if you have any questions at any step of the article, share them with us in the comments section so that we can answer them.