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ARC Proxies

Integration · Browsers & operating systems

How to set up a proxy on Windows

Windows keeps its proxy in Settings → Network & internet → Proxy. Under Manual proxy setup, click Set up next to Use a proxy server, turn it on, enter the gateway's host and port, and Save. The dialog has no username or password fields, so browsers such as Edge and Chrome ask for the credentials when the gateway requests them. Services that use WinHTTP follow a separate setting, managed with netsh winhttp.

Reviewed 30 Oct 2026

your proxy, as a URL
http://USERNAME_pool-arcfast_country-de:PASSWORD@proxy.arcproxies.io:8000

The short answer

  • The Settings dialog takes an address and a port only; credentials are entered in the browser's prompt.
  • One proxy entry covers HTTP and HTTPS. Separate exceptions with semicolons and keep Don't use the proxy server for local (intranet) addresses ticked.
  • netsh winhttp set proxy is for Windows services and WinHTTP apps, not browsers, and it has no credential option either.
  • Test with curl.exe or PowerShell's -ProxyCredential; neither depends on the system setting, so they isolate credential problems.

Setup

Set up Windows with a proxy, step by step

  1. 01

    Open the manual proxy dialog

    Start → Settings → Network & internet → Proxy. Under Manual proxy setup, select Set up next to Use a proxy server.

  2. 02

    Enter the gateway

    Turn on Use a proxy server, fill in the address and port, add exceptions, and select Save. The exception list matches the end of a website address and accepts * as a wildcard.

    Edit proxy server
    Use a proxy server:   OnProxy IP address:     proxy.arcproxies.ioPort:                 8000Use the proxy server except for addresses that start with the following entries:  localhost;127.0.0.1;*.internal.example[x] Don't use the proxy server for local (intranet) addresses
  3. 03

    Sign in when the browser asks

    Open a website in Edge or Chrome. The browser asks for the proxy's username and password; enter the ARC credentials. A sticky username keeps the exit stable while you browse.

    Sign in
    Username: USERNAME_pool-arcfast_country-de_session-k3f9a1x2_sesstime-10Password: PASSWORD
  4. 04

    Test the gateway from PowerShell

    Invoke-RestMethod takes the proxy and a credential object directly. Get-Credential opens a prompt for the password, so it never appears in the command or the history.

    PowerShell
    $cred = Get-Credential -UserName 'USERNAME_pool-arcfast_country-de_session-k3f9a1x2_sesstime-10' -Message 'ARC proxy password'Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'https://api.ipify.org?format=json' `  -Proxy 'http://proxy.arcproxies.io:8000' -ProxyCredential $cred
  5. 05

    Or test with curl.exe

    Windows 10 and 11 include curl. Type curl.exe, not curl: in Windows PowerShell 5.1, curl is an alias for Invoke-WebRequest and does not accept these flags. See the curl guide for more.

    Command Prompt or PowerShell
    curl.exe -x http://proxy.arcproxies.io:8000 -U "USERNAME_pool-arcfast_country-de_session-k3f9a1x2_sesstime-10:PASSWORD" https://api.ipify.org
  6. 06

    Set the WinHTTP proxy for services (optional)

    Some services and command-line tools use WinHTTP instead of the user setting. Run these in an elevated prompt. WinHTTP has no way to store the gateway's password, so only use this for software that can answer a proxy challenge itself.

    Command Prompt (Administrator)
    netsh winhttp set proxy proxy-server="proxy.arcproxies.io:8000" bypass-list="localhost;127.0.0.1"netsh winhttp show proxyrem back to a direct connectionnetsh winhttp reset proxy

User proxy settings or WinHTTP on Windows?

BehaviourSettings → Network & internet → Proxynetsh winhttp
Used byEdge, Chrome and apps that follow the user's settingsWindows services and WinHTTP-based tools
ScopeThe signed-in userThe machine
CredentialsPrompted by the appNone stored
Needs admin rightsNoYes
Copy one to the other—netsh winhttp import proxy source=ie

Firefox follows the system setting by default (Use system proxy settings) and can be given its own instead; see the Firefox guide.

Why Windows asks for the proxy password

The Windows proxy dialog stores only where the proxy is. When the gateway answers a request with 407 Proxy Authentication Required, it is up to the application to supply credentials, so each browser shows its own prompt and may offer to remember the password. Apps that cannot prompt, typically background services, fail with a 407 instead.

That is the main limit of a system-wide setup with a password-protected gateway, and the reason scripts are better served by passing the proxy in code, as in the PowerShell example, or per tool, as in the Python requests guide.

Rotating or sticky for a Windows machine

For browsing or testing an app through the system proxy, use a sticky username with a long hold, such as _sesstime-60, so pages and logged-out flows stay on one exit. Change the session handle to get a new IP. A rotating username suits scripted, independent requests, not interactive use. Rotating vs sticky sessions goes into the trade-off.

Everything that follows the system proxy, including updates for some apps, runs through the gateway and counts toward the balance. A separate Windows user or a test VM keeps that contained.

The problem

Common pitfalls

Typing curl in PowerShell 5.1

curl there is Invoke-WebRequest, which rejects -x and -U. Use curl.exe, or the Invoke-RestMethod -Proxy -ProxyCredential form.

Expecting WinHTTP to fix browser prompts

netsh winhttp changes a different proxy setting. It neither stores credentials nor changes what Edge or Chrome use.

Exceptions written with commas

The exception list is separated by semicolons. A comma-separated list is read as one long entry, and local addresses then go through the gateway.

A VPN with its own proxy settings

When a VPN connection is active, Windows uses that connection's proxy settings (Settings → Network & internet → VPN → Advanced options), not the main ones.

FAQ

Questions

Something not covered? Write to contact@arcproxies.io.

How do I set a proxy with a username and password on Windows 11?

Enter the host and port under Settings → Network & internet → Proxy → Manual proxy setup. Windows has no field for credentials; the browser asks for the username and password when the proxy requests them.

What is the difference between the Windows proxy setting and netsh winhttp?

The Settings page sets the proxy for the signed-in user, which browsers and most apps use. netsh winhttp sets a machine-wide proxy for services and tools built on WinHTTP. They are separate and can point to different proxies.

How do I check which IP my Windows proxy uses?

Open https://api.ipify.org in a browser that uses the system proxy, or run curl.exe -x http://host:port -U user:pass https://api.ipify.org. The address shown is the exit the site sees.

Does the Windows proxy setting support SOCKS5?

The Settings dialog has no SOCKS type, and browsers that follow it would not send SOCKS5 credentials anyway. Use the gateway as an HTTP proxy, which covers HTTPS sites too.

Sources & review

Last reviewed by the ARC Proxies team. Prices are read from the live catalog at build time.

  1. [1]Microsoft: Use a proxy server in Windows
  2. [2]Microsoft Learn: netsh winhttp
  3. [3]Microsoft Learn: Invoke-RestMethod: -Proxy and -ProxyCredential
  4. [4]Microsoft Tech Community: Tar and Curl Come to Windows!

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Integrations

Other browsers & operating systems

ChromeSet a proxy in Google Chrome: system settings, the --proxy-server flag and the sign-in prompt, plus why SOCKS5 with a password needs another route.FirefoxConfigure a proxy in Firefox: manual HTTP proxy, the password prompt, SOCKS v5 with Proxy DNS, and why SOCKS credentials need an extension.macOSSet an authenticated proxy on a Mac: System Settings → Network → Details → Proxies, the networksetup commands, bypass lists and which apps follow it.FoxyProxyAdd an authenticated proxy to FoxyProxy in Chrome or Firefox: stored username and password, Proxy by Patterns per site, SOCKS5 and per-port credentials.

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