How to set up a proxy on a Mac

Setup guide · Last revised Oct 19, 2026

Set it up

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Network in the sidebar.
2. Click the connection you use (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), click Details, then click Proxies (you may need to scroll down).
3. Turn on the proxy type your provider sells:
   • Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS) for an HTTP proxy: turn on both, with the same server and port, so http:// and https:// pages both go through it;
   • SOCKS proxy for a SOCKS5 proxy.
4. Enter the server address and port from your provider’s dashboard (for example proxy.example.com and 8000).
5. If the proxy takes a login, turn on Proxy server requires password and enter the proxy username and password.
6. Under Bypass proxy settings for these hosts & domains, list sites that should connect directly, separated by commas.
7. Click OK.

The setting belongs to that connection only: if you switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet, set it there too.

Check that it works

Open https://api.ipify.org in Safari. It should show the proxy’s address, not your own; https://ipinfo.io/country shows where it is. In Terminal, curl does not read this setting; it reads its own -x option and environment variables (curl).

What this setting does not cover

• Firefox has a proxy setting of its own, which can differ from the system’s.
• Command-line tools and many apps connect directly. Set the proxy inside them: curl, wget, Python Requests.

What it costs to leave it on

Everything that follows the system setting goes through the proxy, including software updates, iCloud and streaming. On a plan billed by the GB, that is traffic you pay for: turn the proxy off when you finish, or bypass the services you do not need it for. What a GB costs today: residential proxy prices.

Next

How to test a proxy. If pages fail: proxy errors, by who sends them.