How to Set Proxy on your PC/Laptop

Are you looking to set up a proxy on your pc or laptop for school or work? Regardless of the reasoning, setting a proxy is an easy-to-follow process that can be completed in a matter of minutes.

In today’s article, we will go over how to set a proxy on your Windows or Mac OS machine, as they each have their own custom proxy settings.

If you aren’t familiar with what a proxy is and how it works, allow us to provide you with a brief introduction to proxies.

What are proxies?

When you’re online and surfing the Internet, your device directly communicates with each website that you visit. The website uses your device’s IP to identify you and provide you with the exact information you are looking for.

The problem with your IP being exposed is that some website content, such as games, are restricted based on location. With your IP, websites determine the location of your device and can then limit the content you are trying to access.

Another very real risk of an exposed IP is that hackers can use it to get access to your confidential information and use it however they see fit.

A proxy helps protect your data from all that and more.

When you ask anything online, all your information requests go to a proxy server that makes the request for you by assigning a different IP to mask your real one. The website then sends that information to the proxy server from where it is sent to your computer.

Proxies also help save bandwidth by compressing and caching files from the Internet, thereby increasing speed. Some even help to remove ads from a website before you view it on your device.

How to set a proxy on a Mac pc/laptop?

When learning how to set up a proxy on a Mac, you will notice that while each OS version may have a slight variation, almost all of them follow the same steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Click on the Apple main menu on the top right of the desktop.

Step 2: Open System Preferences

Step 3: Click on the Network icon. This is where you can adjust your custom proxy settings and connectivity settings.

Step 4: Choose either Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Step 5: Click on the Advanced button at the bottom right.

Step 6: Click on the Proxies tab on the top.

Step 7: Here, you will be provided with a few checkbox options to choose from:

–       Auto Proxy Discovery: Ticking this checkbox will allow your Mac to use the Web Proxy Auto Discover (WPAD) to evaluate if a proxy is necessary. This is likely used in a school or business setting.

–       Automatic Proxy Configuration: Ticking this checkbox will allow you to use an automatic proxy configuration script (.PAC file). You will then need to enter the script’s address in the provided URL box, which is usually given by the network admin or the proxy provider.

–       Web Proxy (HTTP): Ticking this checkbox will allow you to manually configure proxies. You will have to input the address and port number. If a username and password were provided, enable the ‘Proxy server requires password’ option to enter that information.

–       Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS): Same as Web Proxy (HTTP).

–       FTP Proxy: Same as Web Proxy (HTTP).

–       SOCKS Proxy: Same as Web Proxy (HTTP).

–       Streaming Proxy (RTSP): Same as Web Proxy (HTTP).

–       Gopher Proxy: Same as Web Proxy (HTTP).

Step 8: Once you’ve checked off one or more of the options above, click OK.

Step 9: The final step when learning how to set up a proxy on a Mac is to press Apply for the changes to take effect.

How to set a proxy on a Windows pc/laptop?

When learning how to set up a proxy server on Windows, it is important to know that Windows 10 automatically detects proxy settings. However, if you are connected to your company’s or school’s network, this may not be the case.

There are two ways to learn to set up a proxy server on Windows:

Automatic configuration script

Follow these steps to set up a proxy server on Windows using an automatic configuration script:

Step 1: Open Settings through the Start button on your desktop.

Step 2: Open the Network & Internet icon.

Step 3: Click on the Proxy option displayed on the left side menu.

Step 4: Toggle the switch under Use Setup Script to on. This switch will be in the Automatic proxy Setup section.

Step 5: Input the script address provided by the Network Administrator or company IT team.

Step 6: Click on Save. Close Settings.

Manual proxy setup

The other way to set up a proxy server on Windows is to input the IP address and port number manually. The IP appears in a string of numbers followed by full stops, such as 198.122.4.211. The port is usually 8080 but can differ. This information is provided by the IT department of the company or school.

While they are not much different to the automatic configuration script steps, here are the steps on how to set up a proxy manually on Windows:

Step 1: Open Settings through the Start button on your desktop.

Step 2: Open the Network & Internet icon.

Step 3: Click on the Proxy option displayed on the left side menu.

Step 4: Toggle the switch under Use Setup Script to on. This switch will be in the Manual Proxy Setup section.

Step 5: Input the IP address in the Address field.

Step 7: Input the port number in the Port field.

Step 6: Click on Save. Close Settings.

The changes should now come into effect.

Conclusion

Proxies are becoming more and more important to have in this day and age. In fact, it can be argued that a proxy has become more of a need than a want for people that choose to use the Internet, which is a lot of us.

Follow the steps mentioned above on how to set up a proxy on your Mac or Windows machine, and you can rest easy knowing your confidential information is protected while you freely use your computer