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How to Set Up a Proxy in Google Chrome: System Settings, a Start-up Flag or an Extension

How to set a proxy in Google Chrome, step by step: where Chrome takes its proxy from, the start-up flag for one session, what to do about a username and password, how to check the result and how to switch it off.

Three words explained

A proxy is another computer that sends your requests to the internet for you; websites then see the proxy's address instead of yours.

HOST and PORT are the address of that computer and the number of its door. USERNAME and PASSWORD prove that you may use it.

A start-up flag is a word such as --proxy-server that you add to the command that launches Chrome. It works for that launch only.

How Chrome finds its proxy

The Chromium network-settings page says the network stack "uses the system network settings" so that users and administrators can control them. In plain words: Chrome reads the proxy that Windows or macOS holds, and the same setting also affects other programs that follow the system.

Chrome's proxy support notes add that a proxy typed in as a manual setting is written in the platform's own rule format, and that an HTTPS proxy is generally not possible through system settings. So for a normal HTTP proxy use the system settings or a flag, and for an HTTPS proxy use a flag.

Method 1: the computer's proxy settings

  1. Open Chrome settings

    Click the three dots in the top-right corner, then Settings, then System. Chrome shows a line that opens your computer's proxy settings; I could not open a Google Help page that describes it on 2 November 2026, so if you do not see it, type "proxy" in the Settings search box.

  2. Fill in the address and port in the operating system

    The window that opens belongs to Windows or macOS, not to Chrome. The system proxy guide lists the exact clicks for Windows 11 and macOS.

  3. Restart Chrome and test

    Close Chrome completely, open it again and go to https://ipinfo.io/json. If the IP is not yours, the proxy works.

Username and password

The Chromium proxy notes say Chrome "will not use any credentials embedded in the proxy settings". Authentication goes through the ordinary flow instead, so do not expect to type the login next to the address. The notes list Basic, Digest, Negotiate and NTLM for HTTP proxies. They do not describe what the sign-in box looks like, so if one appears, enter the USERNAME and PASSWORD from My assets.

For SOCKS5 the same notes say "No authentication methods are supported for SOCKSv5 in Chrome". A SOCKS5 proxy without a login can work; a SOCKS5 proxy with a login cannot be used by Chrome itself. Buy HTTP if you need a login.

Method 2: the --proxy-server flag for one session

The Chromium page lists three forms of the flag: a list of scheme-to-address pairs separated by semicolons, a single address used for all URLs, and "direct://", which makes all connections skip the proxy. The proxy notes list the schemes Chrome knows: direct, http, https, socks4 and socks5. Write the scheme in front of the address so there is no doubt.

--no-proxy-server tells Chrome not to use a proxy and, according to the page, overrides any other proxy settings. --proxy-auto-detect asks Chrome to find the setting itself and is ignored if --proxy-server is also given. --proxy-pac-url points Chrome to a PAC file, a small script that decides which address goes through which proxy.

The flag is for a Chrome that you start yourself. The page does not discuss a Chrome that is already running, so close it completely first.

The flag: examples

chrome --proxy-server="http://HOST:PORT"
chrome --proxy-server="socks5://HOST:PORT"
chrome --no-proxy-server

Replace HOST and PORT with the values from My assets. "chrome" stands for the way you start Chrome on your system; the flag goes after it. The second line is for SOCKS5 without a login.

SOCKS5 and DNS lookups

The Chromium SOCKS page says that with --proxy-server="socks5://..." the hostnames of http:// and https:// addresses are resolved by the proxy and not locally by Chrome. It warns that the flag applies to URL loads only and that, with DNS prefetching on, you can still see local DNS requests. The page describes a --host-resolver-rules flag as a catch-all against local DNS requests; read its example there before using it.

Addresses that skip the proxy

The Chromium proxy notes say addresses on your own computer (localhost) and link-local addresses go direct by default, and that the list of hosts which skip the proxy applies to manual settings only, not to PAC scripts. The flag that holds such a list works only together with --proxy-server; its exact name and examples are on the Chromium network-settings page.

Method 3: an extension

Chrome's extension API has a proxy interface. It accepts five modes: direct, auto_detect, pac_script, fixed_servers and system, and an extension must declare the "proxy" permission. In fixed_servers mode the extension supplies the proxy address itself, so the proxy then applies inside Chrome without changing the computer's settings. The page I read does not describe how the extension passes a username and password, so follow the extension's own instructions.

How to check that the proxy works

  1. Open https://ipinfo.io/json in Chrome

    The page shows the IP, country and network that websites see. Compare it with the same page opened without the proxy.

  2. Test the proxy outside Chrome

    Run the curl command below. If it fails, the problem is the proxy details, not Chrome.

  3. Look at what Chrome is told to use

    If you used a flag, make sure Chrome was started with it; if you used an extension, check that it is switched on.

Check the proxy outside the browser: example

curl -x http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT https://ipinfo.io/json

Replace HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD with the values from My assets.

How to switch the proxy off

• System proxy: open the same system window and turn the proxy off.

• Flag: close Chrome and start it again without the flag, or with --no-proxy-server.

• Extension: switch the extension to direct mode or remove it from Chrome's extensions page.

Common errors

• A sign-in box keeps coming back, or the page says 407. The proxy did not accept the username or password. Copy them again from My assets.

• SOCKS5 with a login does not work. This is expected in Chrome itself; use HTTP.

• The IP did not change. Chrome was not restarted, the flag was not on the command that started it, or another extension or a policy is setting the proxy.

• The page does not open at all. The proxy does not answer on that port, or the lease has ended. Test it with curl.

How to do it with Proxy302

A static ISP proxy fits when you want one permanent address for your browser: the IP stays the same for the whole lease and you choose the protocol at purchase. Choose HTTP: the Chromium notes say Chrome supports no authentication methods for SOCKS5, and a Proxy302 IP has a username and password. The product itself is described on the static residential proxies page.

How to do it with Proxy302: steps

  1. Step 1

    Open the static ISP page, choose the country, set Protocol to HTTP, choose the term and the quantity, then review the cost and generate.

  2. Step 2

    Open My assets and copy HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD. The Connect page shows a ready example with your own details. HTTP uses port 2222 on proxy.proxy302.com.

  3. Step 3

    Put the values into the computer's proxy settings (Method 1) or into the --proxy-server flag (Method 2), then restart Chrome completely.

  4. Step 4

    Check the exit with the curl command above and read the country and org fields, as the proxy location guide explains.

Prices and limits

A static ISP IP costs US$0.50 for one day and US$7.99 for 30 days, about US$0.27 per day, the same in every country. Availability by country changes daily and is shown on the order page. There is no free trial, and the smallest purchase is one IP for one day.

FAQ

Where is the proxy setting in Chrome?

Chrome keeps no proxy form of its own. According to the Chromium documentation it uses the system network settings, so you set the proxy in Windows or macOS.

Can Chrome use a SOCKS5 proxy with a username and password?

Not by itself: the Chromium notes say no authentication methods are supported for SOCKS5. Use an HTTP proxy.

What does --proxy-server do?

It tells that run of Chrome which proxy to use instead of the system setting. The page lists three forms: scheme-to-address pairs, one address for everything, and direct://.

How do I turn the proxy off?

Undo the method you used: clear the system setting, start Chrome without the flag or with --no-proxy-server, or switch the extension to direct.

Reference links

5
  1. Chromium: Network Settings

    Official documentation · Confirmed on:

    Read on 2 November 2026: the network stack uses the system network settings; the --proxy-server forms (scheme-to-address pairs, one address, direct://); --no-proxy-server overrides other proxy settings; --proxy-pac-url; --proxy-auto-detect is ignored when --proxy-server is given; the flag for a list of hosts that skip the proxy works only with --proxy-server.

    The page does not describe SOCKS proxies, DNS rules, credentials in the flag or chrome://net-internals.

  2. Chromium: Proxy support (net/docs/proxy.md)

    Official documentation · Confirmed on:

    Read on 2 November 2026: schemes direct, http, https, socks4, socks5; no authentication methods supported for SOCKSv5; credentials embedded in proxy settings are not used and authentication goes through the ordinary flow; Basic, Digest, Negotiate, NTLM for HTTP proxies; rules written in the platform's own format for system settings; localhost and link-local addresses go direct by default; the host list applies to manual settings, not PAC.

    It does not describe the sign-in box and states no default scheme for an address written without one.

  3. Chromium: Configuring a SOCKS proxy server in Chrome

    Official documentation · Confirmed on:

    Read on 2 November 2026: --proxy-server="socks5://..." for http:// and https:// loads; the proxy resolves the hostnames; the flag applies to URL loads only; local DNS requests remain with DNS prefetching on; --host-resolver-rules as a catch-all.

    The page does not mention SOCKS5 authentication.

  4. Chrome for Developers: chrome.proxy (extensions)

    Official documentation · Confirmed on:

    Read on 2 November 2026: five modes (direct, auto_detect, pac_script, fixed_servers, system); fixed_servers rules; the "proxy" permission is required.

    The page does not describe credentials.

  5. Proxy302 product facts and price list

    Product observation · Confirmed on:

    Product facts file of the site (checked against the console, the backend and the price table on 18-19 October 2026): prices in US$ (1 PTC = US$1), lease terms, protocols and ports, no free trial.

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