Microsoft Edge and proxies: a beginner's setup guide

In plain English: Microsoft Edge is built on Chromium, the same engine as Chrome, and like Chrome it has no proxy settings of its own. When you go looking for them, Edge opens your computer's network settings instead. So a proxy you add that way is shared by Edge and most other apps on the machine. That's fine if it's what you want. If not, the add-on and test-window routes below keep the proxy to Edge.

Quick start in 3 steps

1. Have your proxy host, port, username and password ready from your dashboard.
2. In Edge, open Settings → System and performance → Open your computer's proxy settings, and enter the host and port.
3. Load our IP checker in a new tab. The proxy's address on screen means it worked.

Have these to hand

• The proxy's host and port. The host is where the proxy lives online; the port is the numbered entrance on that host. Dashboards usually write them together as host:port.
• Your proxy username and password. You'll be asked for these after the host and port are saved.
• Edge on Windows 11 or a Mac.

Route 1: through Edge's settings (whole computer)

On Windows 11:

1. Click the three dots at the top right of Edge (the Settings and more menu) and choose Settings.
2. In the left-hand list, pick System and performance.
3. Select Open your computer's proxy settings, and the Windows Proxy page opens.
4. Under Manual proxy setup, click Set up next to Use a proxy server, switch it on, fill in the host and port, and save.
5. Open a website in Edge. When the sign-in box appears, enter your proxy username and password.

On a Mac:

1. Go to Edge's Settings → System and performance → Open your computer's proxy settings.
2. In System Settings → Network, select the connection you're on and click Details.
3. Under Proxies, turn on Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS).
4. Give each one the host and port, switch on Proxy server requires password and type your login.
5. Press OK, plus Apply if your macOS version shows that button.

From now on, the whole computer leans on that proxy, not just Edge.

Route 2: an add-on that keeps the proxy in Edge

Edge can install add-ons from its own Edge Add-ons store and from the Chrome Web Store. A proxy-switching add-on keeps the proxy inside Edge and lets you flick it on and off:

1. Install a well-reviewed, recently updated proxy manager.
2. Make a new profile in it, set the type to HTTP or HTTPS, and enter the host and port.
3. Add your username and password in the login fields.
4. Save it and switch it on from the toolbar button.

The add-on handles your traffic and your login, so only use one you trust. In return, everything outside Edge stays on your usual connection.

Route 3: a one-off test window

Want to try a proxy without saving anything? Start Edge from the command line (the text window where you type commands) with the --proxy-server flag. On Windows, in Command Prompt:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --proxy-server="http://HOST:PORT"

On a Mac, in Terminal:

open -a "Microsoft Edge" --args --proxy-server="http://HOST:PORT"

Put your own details in place of HOST and PORT. Edge can't take a username and password inside the flag, so it asks for them when the first page opens. Edge sometimes keeps running quietly in the background (a feature called Startup boost), and a running copy ignores new flags. Adding --user-data-dir with the path to an empty folder avoids that, because it always starts a separate, clean profile for the test.

Check the proxy is working

Visit our IP checker. The address and location there should be the proxy's. If they're still yours, the setting didn't stick, the login was rejected, or an add-on is overriding it.

A DNS leak test is worth a minute as well. DNS converts website names into numbers before a page loads, and those requests sometimes go out over your normal connection even while the pages use the proxy. Seeing your own internet provider in the results means the look-ups are leaking.

Which type should I pick?

• Normal browsing and research: datacenter proxies keep costs down and suit most sites that don't mind server traffic.
• Region-specific pages, or sites that turn datacenter addresses away: residential proxies route you through home internet connections.
• Phone-network testing: mobile proxies use 4G and 5G carrier addresses.
• The rare site that refuses residential too: residential premium, tried in a small amount first.

Compare them on the proxies page and see prices on the pricing page.

Common mistakes

• Endless password pop-ups. Usually a username missing its country or session part, or a password with a stray space. Paste both straight from the dashboard.
• "ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED". Edge can't reach the proxy. Recheck the host and port, then put them through the proxy checker.
• A leftover system proxy. Removing an add-on may leave a Windows or macOS proxy switched on. If browsing breaks afterwards, turn the manual proxy off in those settings.
• Testing flags while Edge runs in the background. Give the test its own empty folder so it starts fresh.

Is this allowed?

Using a proxy in Edge is legal in most countries and common on home computers. On a work or school device, check with whoever manages it first: they may already send traffic through their own proxy, and changing it can break access or go against their policy. The websites you visit keep their own terms either way, and your local law still applies.

Beginner questions

Is Edge's proxy the same as the Windows proxy?

With Route 1, yes. Edge reads the Windows (or macOS) proxy setting, so changing one changes the other.

Can I use Chrome extensions in Edge?

Yes. Edge accepts most extensions from the Chrome Web Store once you allow extensions from other stores, which Edge offers to do when you visit that store.

Why does a site still know roughly where I am?

Sites can also use your browser's location permission, your time zone or the account you're signed in to. A proxy only changes the IP address part.