How to configure proxies: manual and software methods

Often, users of the Internet have a desire to hide their IP address. This raises the question: "How to configure the proxy?". This can be done “manually”, i.e. set up a proxy server in your browser yourself or use special proxy programs that can independently find a working proxy server and integrate it into your browser.

If we dwell on the first method, then there is a chance of encountering a number of problems that complicate the work when searching for proxy lists and checking their performance, because many proxies are inactive.

The second way to solve the problem of “how to configure proxies” is much easier for a beginner, but it should be borne in mind that some programs are paid and they are most often in English.

Manual proxy settings

To configure the proxy manually, you need to go through three stages:

  • find proxy lists (lists of proxy servers on sites);

  • integrate them into the browser (configure proxies on your browser);

  • check proxy for performance (using special sites).

Proxy lists are laid out on the open access network, which can be easily found by the search engine by requesting a search for free proxy lists or “free proxy”.

The proposed list does not always contain only working proxies, so the site with the found list always offers a function to check them, which helps filter out the "dead" ones, but this is also not a 100% guarantee.

Verification of such servers on the site ends with the formation of a table with the results of the verification.

Analysis of it allows you to stop your choice on a suitable proxy server. When viewing the table, you should pay attention to whether the proxy hides the username and IP. If not, then discard this option.

Now you need to install the proxy server in our browser. There are differences in the proxy settings for different browsers.

Configuring proxies in Internet Explorer

We select the first of the workers from the proxy list.

1. Having opened Internet Explorer, through the "Tools" panel (above), go to the "Internet Options".

2. Going to the “Connections” tab and selecting ours (in this case “internet”), we go to “Settings”.

3. In the new window, select "Use a proxy server for this connection" by checking the box. After that, the “Port” and “Address” fields are activated. From the selected proxy, insert the last 4 digits into the “Port”, and all the rest, respectively, into the “Address”.

Configuring proxy servers in Mozilla FireFox

1. Open Mozilla FireFox and go to "Tools" (top panel), select the "Settings ..." tab.

2. Then select the “Network” tab and click “Configure ...”.

3. After the “Connection Settings” window opens, check the “Manual proxy service settings” checkbox. Clicking activates the “HTTP proxy” field and the “Port” field. We put "HTTP and" Port "from the selected proxy.

All changes are completed, including leaving the default column “Do not use proxies for:”.

After clicking “OK”, proxy configuration will be completed.

Configuring proxy servers in Opera

1. Open Opera, go through the "Tools" panel to "Settings ...".

2. Then go to "Advanced", after which a menu will be displayed on the left, where you need to select the "Network" section and click on "Proxies ..."

3. In the new window “Proxy Servers”, check the box next to “HTTP” and write “HTTP” and “Port”.

Checking the health of the selected proxy server

After the proxy configuration in the selected browser is completed, save the change and go to any site for checking the location and IP address.

  • If the page does not load, then the proxy is not working. We configure the next proxy from the proxy list.

  • If the page displays your city, it means that something is done wrong or the proxy is “dead”.

  • If the page does not display your city, it means that you coped with the task of setting up proxies perfectly.

  • To disable the proxy, you need to uncheck the settings of the selected browser about choosing a proxy server.

Programs for accessing the proxy server

Programs have been developed for anonymous surfing on the Internet . The most popular programs for solving the "How to configure proxies" task are Mask Surf, Proxyassistant, ProxySwitcherStandard. Their use greatly facilitates the search for a list of proxy lists, reduces the time spent on checking and integrating the found proxy into the browser.


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