How to Set Up a Proxy on Windows 10

Setting up a Windows 10 proxy serverProxys.io offers both datacenter and residential proxies (IP addresses) with support for HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 protocols. In each case you receive an IP address, an HTTP(S) port, a SOCKS5 port, and login/password for authentication. To use one of these proxies on Windows 10, you must configure the system or your applications to route traffic through the proxy’s IP and port. Below we cover system-wide configuration via Settings and command-line, as well as application-specific proxy setup (for browsers, etc.). We use a sample Proxys.io residential proxy (e.g. IP 10.0.0.6, port 8080) in examples.

Configuring Windows 10 System Proxy

Open the Windows Settings app (for example, click the Start menu and the gear icon or press Win+I). In Settings, go to Network & Internet and select Proxy from the left-hand menu. This opens the proxy configuration panel.

 

Scroll to the Manual proxy setup section. Make sure the “Use a proxy server” toggle is turned On. This reveals the fields to enter your proxy details. In the Address box, enter the proxy’s IP address (e.g. 10.0.0.6), and in the Port box enter its port number (e.g. 8080). If you have a SOCKS5 proxy, you can enter its address here too, but many Windows apps only use the HTTP(S) proxy from these settings.

If needed, use the Exceptions or Bypass list to exclude certain domains (for example, internal sites) from using the proxy. Finally, click Save to apply the settings. Windows 10 does not store proxy credentials in the Settings UI; when an application first attempts to use the proxy, a login prompt will appear. At that time, enter the username and password provided by Proxys.io. Your system is now configured to route all web traffic through the proxy.

To disable the proxy, simply revisit the same Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy page and set “Use a proxy server” to Off. The system will then ignore the proxy and revert to a direct Internet connection.

Command-Line and WinHTTP Proxy

Windows also lets you configure a system-wide proxy via command-line (for example, for services or scripts that use WinHTTP). In an elevated Command Prompt (run as administrator), use the netsh winhttp commands:

  • Run netsh winhttp set proxy <IP>:<port> to set the proxy. For example:
    netsh winhttp set proxy 10.0.0.6:8080.
  • To remove the proxy (back to direct), run netsh winhttp reset proxy.
  • You can check the current proxy with netsh winhttp show proxy.

These commands apply the proxy at the WinHTTP level (used by Windows Update and some services).

For command-line tools and environments, you can also set environment variables. For example, open Command Prompt or PowerShell and do:

set HTTP_PROXY=http://username:password@10.0.0.6:8080

set HTTPS_PROXY=http://username:password@10.0.0.6:8080

This tells most console programs (like curl, git, etc.) to use that proxy. (On PowerShell you would use $Env:HTTP_PROXY = "http://user:pass@10.0.0.6:8080".) These environment variables must include any required authentication (username/password).

Proxy Settings in Browsers and Apps

  • Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge: These Chromium-based browsers do not have their own proxy UI. They always use the Windows system proxy settings. In other words, once you set the proxy in Settings > Network > Proxy, Chrome and Edge will automatically use it.
  • Mozilla Firefox: Firefox has a separate proxy dialog. Go to Options (or Settings) → General → scroll to Network Settings and click Settings…. Choose “Manual proxy configuration” and enter the proxy details there (you can select HTTP or SOCKS and provide the address/port). Firefox will then route web requests through the proxy you entered.
  • Other applications: Many apps follow the system proxy by default. If an app has its own proxy field (like some download managers, development tools, etc.), use the same IP/port there. If it uses HTTP environment variables, the HTTP_PROXY/HTTPS_PROXY settings above will apply.

By configuring the proxy at the system level (or in each application), all HTTP/HTTPS traffic will be routed through Proxys.io’s servers. For SSL (HTTPS) sites, Windows will still show a lock icon – the proxy simply relays encrypted data.

Example: Using a Proxys.io Residential Proxy

As a practical example, suppose you have purchased a residential HTTP proxy from Proxys.io with these credentials: IP = 10.0.0.6, Port = 8080, Username = user123, Password = pass123. To configure it in Windows 10:

  1. Open Settings (Win+I) and go to Network & Internet > Proxy.
  2. Under Manual proxy setup, turn on Use a proxy server. In the Address field enter 10.0.0.6 and in Port enter 8080. Click Save.
  3. Now open a browser (Chrome/Edge). The first time you visit a website, a login prompt will appear. Enter user123 and pass123 when asked. From then on, browsing will go through the residential proxy.

This works the same way for HTTPS proxies (just enable “Use a proxy server” for HTTPS in the same panel). Proxys.io also supplies SOCKS5 proxies (with a different port). Windows’ settings panel is oriented to HTTP(S) proxies, so to use a SOCKS5 proxy you would typically configure it inside a SOCKS-supporting app (for example, enter the same IP but the SOCKS5 port in Firefox’s proxy settings, or use a SOCKS5 feature in your software).

Choosing Proxy Types (Datacenter vs Residential)

Proxys.io offers datacenter and residential proxy IPs. Datacenter proxies come from server hosts (fast and inexpensive), whereas residential proxies are real ISP-assigned IPs (harder to detect). Both types support HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 connections. Use a residential proxy if you need maximum anonymity (they mimic normal home users). Use a datacenter proxy if speed and cost are more important than stealth. In Windows, the setup procedure is identical for either type: enter the given IP address and port in the proxy settings as shown above, then authenticate with your proxy username/password when prompted.

Following these steps, your Windows 10 system will send network traffic through the specified proxy. This allows you to browse or run applications as if from the proxy’s location/IP. If you later need to switch proxies (for example, to a different country or IP), just repeat the above process with the new IP/port.