Why I Always Recommend FoxyProxy Instead of Manual OS Settings
Configuring a proxy directly in your operating system's settings works, but it has a major drawback: it forces all your system's network traffic through that proxy. This slows down your other apps, and switching the proxy off means diving back into deep system menus. It is a slow, annoying process.
FoxyProxy is a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge that solves this issue. It lets you create different proxy profiles and switch between them with a single click. You can route only your browser's traffic through the proxy while your other applications use your normal home connection. In this guide, I will show you how to configure FoxyProxy with SOCKS5 proxies from our list.
Step 1: Get the Official FoxyProxy Extension
The first step is installing the extension. Make sure you get it from the official sources to avoid security issues. You can find it on the Chrome Web Store or the Firefox Add-ons Portal depending on the browser you use. Click the install button and wait for the FoxyProxy icon (a small fox head) to appear in your browser's toolbar.
Step 2: Get a Live SOCKS5 Proxy Address
Open the Connect Proxy Homepage and look at our live proxy table. Click the SOCKS5 filter chip. SOCKS5 is the preferred protocol here because it handles raw data packets much better than HTTP. Find a proxy that has low latency—look for the green numbers indicating latency below 200ms. Click the copy button next to the IP address to save it to your clipboard. Let's assume you copied 192.168.1.100:1080.
Step 3: Add the Proxy Profile in FoxyProxy
Now, let's configure the extension:
- Click the FoxyProxy icon in your browser toolbar and click **Options** (or **Settings** depending on your extension version).
- Click the **Add** or **Add New Proxy** button to open the configuration form.
- Enter a title that helps you identify it, like
Connect Proxy - US SOCKS5. - Set the **Proxy Type** to **SOCKS5**. Do not select SOCKS4 or HTTP.
- Pinch the IP address from your clipboard (e.g.,
192.168.1.100) and paste it into the **IP Address/DNS Name** field. - Enter the port number (e.g.,
1080) in the **Port** field. - Leave the username and password fields blank. The free proxies on our list do not require authentication, so entering anything here will break the connection.
- Click **Save** to store the profile.
Step 4: Enable the SOCKS5 Proxy Profile
To start using your proxy, click the FoxyProxy icon in your toolbar again. You will see a dropdown list containing the profile you just created. Click on your profile name to enable it. The fox icon will light up or change color, which confirms that your browser traffic is now routed through the proxy.
When you want to stop using the proxy, click the icon again and choose "Disable FoxyProxy" or "Use System Proxy Settings". This switches you back to your regular connection instantly.
Preventing DNS Leaks in SOCKS5
One security issue that many users overlook is a DNS leak. Even when your HTTP traffic is sent through the proxy, your browser might still send domain name queries to your local ISP's DNS servers. This leaks your real location to the websites you visit.
To fix this, open FoxyProxy's settings page, locate your proxy profile, and look for an option called **"Send DNS through SOCKS5 proxy"** or **"Proxy DNS"**. Check this box and save. This forces all domain name resolutions to travel through the SOCKS5 tunnel, keeping your browsing completely private. If you want to learn more about the technical details of the SOCKS5 protocol, read our SOCKS Proxy Guide.
Wrapping Up
FoxyProxy makes managing proxies simple and saves you from dealing with Windows or macOS network settings. Remember to always check your IP address on an IP leak checker site after enabling a new proxy to ensure the configuration is working.
If you need fresh, verified SOCKS5 proxies to load into FoxyProxy, check the live list on the Connect Proxy Homepage. We refresh the latency and status of every proxy on our list every hour.