What to Do If Your Proxy Doesn’t Work? A Beginner’s Checklist

You followed the instructions, entered the data, clicked "OK"... but nothing works. Websites won’t open, programs show errors, and anonymity remains an unattainable dream. Sounds familiar? Lack of connection through a proxy is one of the most common issues, but its solution almost always comes down to methodically checking a few key points.
No need to panic. Instead of randomly trying to “press something,” let’s go through a simple yet effective checklist that will help you quickly find and fix the problem. We’ll move from the simplest and most obvious causes to the more complex ones.

**Understand the nature of the error: A proxy is a chain**

It’s important to realize that when you use a proxy, your connection becomes a chain of several links:
Your computer → Your provider → Proxy service → Target website
A problem can occur at any of these stages.

**Your checklist is designed to help you test each link step by step:**

Steps 1–3 check your “hardware” and data.
Steps 4–7 test the connection between your computer and the proxy server.
Step 8 checks the connection between the proxy server and the destination site.
This understanding helps you stay calm and systematic in diagnostics. You stop seeing one big issue (“the proxy doesn’t work”) and start seeing a logical chain. This lets you eliminate working links step by step and quickly find the source of failure — saving time and nerves.

**Step 1: Surface check — basic questions**

In 80% of cases, the problem lies right here. Start with the simplest things.
✅ 1. Check the proxy status
Is it active? Log in to your proxy provider’s dashboard. Make sure the service hasn’t expired and is active.
Have you run out of traffic? If your plan has a traffic limit, check whether you’ve reached it.
✅ 2. Double-check your connection data
This is the champion of mistakes. One typo — and nothing will work.
IP address (host): Make sure you copied it completely, without extra spaces.
Port: This is a numeric value (e.g., 8000, 9595). Verify every digit.
Login and password: The most vulnerable part. Never type them manually. Always copy and paste them directly from your dashboard to avoid case errors (uppercase/lowercase) or similar characters (like O and 0, l and I).
✅ 3. Check your main internet connection
It sounds trivial, but it’s necessary. Disable the proxy in your system or app settings and try opening any website (for example, google.com). If the internet doesn’t work even without the proxy, the problem is with your provider, not the proxy server.

**Step 2: Technical diagnostics — digging deeper**

If everything checks out so far, the issue is likely more technical.
✅ 4. Check your firewall and antivirus
Your security software might see the proxy connection as suspicious network activity and block it.
How to check: Temporarily disable your antivirus and/or the built-in firewall (Windows/macOS) and try connecting again.
If it helped: Don’t leave protection off. Instead, add the program you use with the proxy (for example, your browser or Proxifier) to your antivirus/firewall exceptions list.
✅ 5. Check the app’s own settings
Some applications — especially browsers — have their own proxy settings that override system-wide ones.

How to check:
Go to the network settings of the app you’re using. For example, in Firefox, go to “Settings” → “Network Settings” → “Configure…”. Make sure “No proxy” isn’t selected and that no old or incorrect data is entered.

What to do:
In the app’s settings, choose “Use system proxy settings.” This forces the app to follow the system-wide configuration. Or, if you only want the proxy active in this program, enter the credentials manually here.

✅ 6. Make sure you’ve selected the correct protocol
Proxies come in different types. If you specify the wrong protocol, you won’t connect.
HTTP/HTTPS vs. SOCKS5: Confirm with your provider which type you purchased. SOCKS5 is more modern and versatile, but if you bought HTTP(S), you must use that in your settings. They’re not interchangeable.

✅ 7. Check IP binding
Some proxy services let you bind a proxy to your home or work IP for added security.
How it works: The proxy will only accept connections from your authorized (“whitelisted”) IP. If your provider has given you a new (dynamic) IP, the old binding will stop working.
What to do: Go to your proxy provider’s dashboard and update the binding to your current IP address.

✅ 8. Could the issue be on the target website’s side?
Sometimes the proxy works fine, but the website you’re trying to visit blocks it.
How to check: Try accessing another neutral site (like ipinfo.io or browserleaks.com/ip) via the proxy. If it opens and shows your proxy IP, then the proxy works, and the issue is with the destination site’s security policy. Possibly, your proxy IP has been blacklisted.

**Step 3: If nothing helped — contact support**

If you’ve gone through all the steps and still can’t connect, it’s time to reach out to your proxy provider’s support. To get a quick and useful response, prepare your request properly.

What to include in your ticket:
– The proxy data with issues (IP and port). No need to include your password.
– Your real IP address (you can find it at browserleaks.com/ip with the proxy disabled).
– A clear description of the problem: “Cannot connect,” “Low speed,” “Site X returns an error.”
– A screenshot of the error, if available.
– A list of troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried. This saves time and shows support that you’ve done basic checks.

**Conclusion**

Proxy connection issues are routine, not a catastrophe. The key to solving them is a consistent, methodical approach. By moving from simple to complex using this checklist, you’ll likely find the root cause on your own. And if not — you’ll be able to write a competent support request that speeds up the solution significantly.