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How to use a proxy

Copy an address from the list, enter it in your client, then test a request. Pick your client below for the exact settings.

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First, copy the right connection details

For an HTTPS website, choose an address from the HTTPS proxy list. Click the address to open Use this proxy. Its App settings view separates the values your client needs.

Host
The IP address, without a protocol or port.
Port
The number shown after the IP address.
Type
HTTP for an HTTPS CONNECT entry; SOCKS5 for a SOCKS5 entry.

The HTTPS label describes a tunnel to the destination. The proxy URL can still start with http://. Changing it to https:// requests a different connection to the proxy.

cURL: test one request

The connection panel’s cURL view builds a command using the selected address. For a manual command, replace the documentation address below with a current endpoint. 203.0.113.10 is an example, not a working proxy.

HTTP proxy to an HTTPS page
curl --proxy http://203.0.113.10:8080 --connect-timeout 5 --max-time 15 --fail --show-error https://example.com

On Windows, use curl.exe in place of curl to select the executable explicitly. The one-line command works without shell-specific line continuations.

For a SOCKS5 endpoint, use socks5h:// to ask the proxy to resolve the destination hostname:

SOCKS5 with DNS at the proxy
curl --proxy socks5h://203.0.113.10:1080 --connect-timeout 5 --max-time 15 --fail --show-error https://example.com

The command allows five seconds to connect and fifteen seconds overall. A returned page shows that this request completed. It does not establish an endpoint’s future availability. See the cURL references for timeouts and SOCKS DNS behavior.

Browser and system settings

Record your current settings before changing them. Firefox has its own proxy configuration. Windows and macOS settings affect applications that follow the system configuration; other apps may need their own settings.

Leave authentication off for these examples. FreeProxyHub does not provide usernames or passwords. If a proxy asks for credentials, choose another endpoint.

Firefox

  1. Open Settings and search for proxy. Open Configure proxy, or the Network Settings dialog in older versions.
  2. Choose Manual proxy configuration. For an HTTPS CONNECT entry, enter the host and port in the HTTP fields and enable the option to use that proxy for HTTPS.
  3. For SOCKS5 instead, use the SOCKS host and port fields and select version 5. Check the proxy-DNS setting if you want the hostname resolved through SOCKS.
  4. Save, then load a non-sensitive test page.

After the test: return to this dialog and restore the previous connection option. Firefox settings reference.

Windows 11

  1. Open Settings → Network & internet → Proxy.
  2. Under Manual proxy setup, select Set up and enable Use a proxy server.
  3. Enter the IP address and port from an HTTP or HTTPS CONNECT entry in their separate fields. Save the configuration.
  4. Test in an app that uses Windows proxy settings. For a SOCKS5-only endpoint, use a client with explicit SOCKS5 support.

After the test: switch the manual proxy off or restore the previous values. Keep any existing automatic configuration unchanged. Windows settings reference.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings → Network. Choose the active network connection, then Details → Proxies.
  2. For an HTTPS destination through an HTTP proxy, enable Secure web proxy (HTTPS) and enter the endpoint’s host and port. Enable Web proxy (HTTP) too if you need plain HTTP requests.
  3. For SOCKS5, use SOCKS proxy instead and enter that endpoint’s host and port.
  4. Save and test in an app that uses these network settings.

After the test: return to the same network connection and restore its proxy settings. macOS settings reference.

Check what changed

Request an IP-check service directly, then through the proxy, and compare the returned outbound IP. Use a service you trust; the default URL in the connection panel is one option. A page loading successfully alone does not prove that an app used your proxy settings.

Keep TLS certificate checks enabled. Use a non-sensitive test and avoid sending passwords or private tokens through a proxy you do not control.

If it still does not connect

Try a second recently checked endpoint. If the same error occurs, use the error-to-fix lookup to separate a bad address, timeout, certificate error or rejected destination request.