Setup guide
Browser proxy settings: Firefox, Chrome, Edge
Of the three, only Firefox has a proxy form of its own. Chrome and Edge pass the job to the operating system, and a change there reroutes other programs as well. A proxy extension sits in between: it affects one browser, switches on and off from the toolbar, and has proper fields for the username and password.
Before you start
- Firefox, Chrome or Edge, on a version that still receives updates.
- HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD from your service page.
- For the extension route, permission to install browser extensions on this computer.
Your connection details
Sign in to the dashboard and open the service you bought. Its page shows the host, port, username and password for that service. There is no single ProxyPanda address to remember, so copy them from there each time. The code in these guides uses the placeholders below; replace each one with your own value.
- HOST
- The proxy address for this service, exactly as the service page shows it.
- PORT
- The port to connect to. Copy it with the host, since it can differ from one service to the next.
- USERNAME
- Your proxy login. It is separate from the email you use for the dashboard.
- PASSWORD
- Copy it in full. On residential, the options you choose in the dashboard are added to the end of the password, so a password typed from memory loses them.
You can skip the username and password by adding the IP address you connect from to the service’s allowlist. Then only HOST and PORT go into your code.
The examples use HTTP, which reaches https sites through an encrypted tunnel. SOCKS5 works too: residential ports accept both, and ISP and datacenter proxies switch protocol in the dashboard.
Steps
Open Firefox’s Connection Settings
Firefox has been moving its settings pages around between releases, so the search box is the reliable way in. Open Settings, type proxy, and click the button in the proxy section. A window titled Connection Settings appears.
Choose Manual proxy configuration
Select Manual proxy configuration, enter HOST under HTTP Proxy and PORT beside it, and tick Also use this proxy for HTTPS so encrypted sites take the same route. Leave the SOCKS fields blank and press OK.
Connection Settings (•) Manual proxy configuration HTTP Proxy: HOST Port: PORT [x] Also use this proxy for HTTPSSign in at Firefox’s prompt
The next page you open makes the proxy ask for a login, and Firefox shows a small window for it. Type USERNAME and PASSWORD, and let Firefox remember them if you would rather not see the prompt each time.
Know where Chrome and Edge keep the setting
The proxy entry in Chrome’s and Edge’s settings is a link labelled Open your computer’s proxy settings. It leads to the Windows or macOS panel, and anything entered there applies to the whole machine. The Windows and macOS guide walks through that panel.
Or give one browser its own proxy with FoxyProxy
FoxyProxy Standard is a free extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Open its Options, go to Proxies, click Add, fill in the form as below and Save. Then pick the new entry from the toolbar icon to route the browser through it, and pick Disable to go direct again.
FoxyProxy › Proxies › Add Title: My proxy Type: HTTP Hostname: HOST Port: PORT Username: USERNAME Password: PASSWORDSee which address sites get
In the proxied browser, go to https://api.ipify.org. The number on the page should be the proxy’s address, not the one your internet provider assigned you.
Rotating and sticky IPs
A browser loads one page over many connections. With Randomize IP on residential, those connections can come from different addresses, and signed-in sites may log you out or ask you to verify. Sticky IP keeps a browsing session on one address.
An ISP or datacenter IP is the same every time you open the browser, which makes it the calmer choice for a site you sign in to often.
A proxied browser sends everything through the proxy, video and background updates included. Residential traffic is billed by the gigabyte, so switch the proxy off when you finish.
Common errors and fixes
The login window keeps coming back
The proxy is refusing the username or password. Copy both again from the service page; a password typed by hand often loses the options added to its end.
Firefox shows “The proxy server is refusing connections”
Firefox could not reach the proxy at the host and port you entered. Check both in Connection Settings, and check in the dashboard that the service is still active.
Chrome or Edge shows ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED
The Chromium version of the same problem: the address or port in the system settings or in the extension is wrong, or the service has lapsed.
Every page fails once the FoxyProxy entry is selected
Look at Type. HTTPS in FoxyProxy means an encrypted connection to the proxy itself, and your service does not take connections that way. Choose HTTP; https sites stay encrypted inside the tunnel.
ipify still shows your own address
The browser is going direct. In Firefox, check that Manual proxy configuration is still selected. In FoxyProxy, check that the proxy entry is chosen rather than Disable, or that Proxy by Patterns has a pattern matching the site.
Which line to pick
For everyday browsing from another country, or seeing how a shop page looks elsewhere, a datacenter IP is the cheapest fit. Sites that challenge server addresses behave better through residential with Sticky IP. If one account is signed in from this browser for weeks, rent an ISP IP and keep it for that account alone.
Other setup guides
Not sure what a word means? The glossary explains it in plain English.
Stuck on a step?
Paste the command and the error into Discord, with your password taken out. People there have met most of these errors before.