How to Turn Off Proxy [Explained + Screenshots]

close Artem Minaev

Updated · May 09, 2023

Artem Minaev
Joined May 2023 |

Entrepreneur and online business supporter with more than 10 years experience in SEO and content mar... | See full bio

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A proxy is great for protecting your privacy online, unlocking blocked sites, web scraping, etc. Once activated, however, it can be difficult to turn it off.

But don’t worry.

This step-by-step guide will show you multiple ways to disable your proxy across different platforms. Moreover, I will share helpful tips on when to leave it active or deactivate it.

Ready? Let’s go!

How to Turn Off Proxy?

Turning off your proxy is easy. Here are the detailed instructions:

Windows

Windows is the most popular operating system (OS), with a 75% market share. So it’s very likely that you use it to browse the internet. To turn off its proxy, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Click Start and select Settings on your Windows PC.

Step 2: Choose Network and Internet.

Network and Internet option selected

Step 3: Scroll down and click on Proxy.

Proxy option selected

Step 4: Switch Automatic Detect Settings to ON.

Automatic Detect Settings set to On

Step 5: Click Set up under Manual Proxy Setup.

Set up option selected

Step 6: Set Use a Proxy Server to OFF under the popup options and click Save

Setting the Use a Proxy Server option to OFF

Easy-peasy!

MacOS

MacOS is another popular operating system. Here’s what you need to do to turn off proxy settings on your Mac:

Step 1: Click on the Apple icon on the menu bar.

Apple icon on the menu bar selected

Step 2: From the dropdown list, select System Preferences.

Step 3: Choose Network.

Network option selected

Step 4: Select the preferred network from the list of options on the left pane. Next, click on Advanced.

Advanced option selected from the menu

Step 5: Locate and select the Proxies tab.

Selecting the Proxies tab

Step 6: Uncheck all the options under Select a protocol to configure.

Options under Select a protocol to configure unchecked

Step 7: Click Ok on the bottom right of the window to save.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a popular browser for users across different platforms. The following procedure should help you disable its anonymous proxy:

Step 1: Click on Menu on Chrome’s toolbar.

Menu on Chrome’s toolbar selected

Step 2: Scroll down and select Settings.

Step 3: Choose System from the left pane options. Some Google Chrome versions display Show Advanced Settings instead. 

System option selected

Step 4: Hit Open your computer’s proxy settings.

computer’s proxy settings open

From here, follow instructions from Step 5 under Windows or macOS above to turn off proxy in Chrome.

Mobile Phones

Over 52% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. If you’re using a proxy by default, here’s how to disable it based on your platform.

iOS (iPhone/iPad)

Disabling proxy from your iOS device is a piece of cake. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Locate and tap Settings from the apps drawer.

Step 2: Go to Wi-Fi and select the active network.

Step 3: Scroll down, locate the HTTP Proxy, and tap Configure Proxy.

Configure Proxy option selected

Step 4: Check Off to disable the anonymous proxy tool on your device.

Checking Off to disable the anonymous proxy tool

Some iOS versions have all the options available under Configure Proxy listed right below HTTP Proxy.

HTTP Proxy option selected

In that case, all you need to do is tap Off to disable proxy.

Android

Disabling proxy on Android devices is similar to iOS but with some minor differences:

Step 1: Open your app drawer and select Settings.

Step 2: Choose Connections or Network & Internet in some Android versions.

Step 3: Tap Wi-Fi.

Step 4: Long press on the active Wi-Fi network to see more options.

Long pressing on the active Wi-Fi network

Step 5: Tap Manage Network Settings.

Managing Network Settings

Step 6: Choose Show Advanced Options.

Choosing Show Advanced Options

Step 7: Scroll down and tap Proxy.

tapping on the Proxy option

Step 8: Tap None and hit Save to disable the proxy server on your Android.

Disabling the proxy server on your Android

Now to the elephant in the room.

Should You Turn Off Proxy?

Proxies, sometimes referred to as anonymizers, help shield your privacy online while enabling you to bypass firewalls and web filters. Unlike VPNs, not all proxies use encryption, so it’s important to choose a good one. Here’s what a proxy can help you with:

  • Browsing the internet privately
  • Conducting sensitive tasks online
  • Unlocking geo-blocked websites
  • Gathering data through web scraping
  • Improving your company/institution’s security

That said, you should turn off your device’s proxy server unless you need it for any of the abovementioned functions. Many programs will not update correctly while the proxy settings are on. Moreover, sometimes a proxy may slow down your bandwidth speed.

What is the Best Proxy?

Best for: Best overall
Smartproxy

Smartproxy

Smartproxy is a top-rated proxy provider trusted by many. Its 40 million+ proxies from 195+ locations help bypass CAPTCHAs, geo-blocks, and IP bans. It offers a free trial and has a high rating of 4.7 on Trustpilot with 89% 5-star ratings, making it one of the best in the industry.

Visit Website

Wrap Up

A proxy is a handy feature for browsing the internet. It protects your online anonymity, unlocks blocked sites, etc.

While that sounds good, you mostly don’t need it for day-to-day web surfing. So whenever it’s not in use, it’s always advisable to disable it.

You now know how to turn off the proxy on your device. All it takes is just a few steps.

FAQ.


What does a proxy do?

A proxy server serves as a gateway between you and the internet. It retrieves data on your behalf whenever you use the web. This way it protects your privacy by hiding your IP address, unlocks geo-blocked content, helps with data mining, etc.

What does it mean to turn off proxy?

It simply means disabling the application that acts as an intermediary between you and the internet. By turning your proxy off, you’ll be able to directly access the web.

Is it safe to turn off proxy?

It’s safe to disable a device’s proxy unless you want to hide your IP address from the sites you’re visiting.

How do I turn off proxy on my phone?

Identifying your device type is the first step in disabling your device’s proxy service. Next, take the relevant steps depending on your phone’s operating system (OS):

For iOS:

Step 1: Locate and tap Settings from the App Library.

Step 2: Go to Wi-Fi and select the network that’s active.

Step 3: Scroll down and locate HTTP Proxy.

Step 4: Tap Off to disable the anonymous proxy tool on your device. 

Step 5: Some iOS versions have an extra step where you must select Configure Proxy first. Next, choose Off to disable it.

For Android:

Step 1: Open your app drawer and select Settings.

Step 2: Choose Network & Internet (Connections in some Android versions).

Step 3: Tap Wi-Fi.

Step 4: Long press on the active Wi-Fi network to show more options.

Step 5: Tap on Manage Network Settings

Step 6: Choose Advanced Options.

Step 7: Scroll down and tap Proxy.

Step 8: Tap None and hit Save to disable it on your Android.

That’s how easy it is to turn off proxy services on your mobile phone.

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Artem Minaev

Entrepreneur and online business supporter with more than 10 years experience in SEO and content marketing. Building a portfolio of digital assets: Websites, Blogs, NFTs & Crypto. Currently, working on the Web3 educational resource and knowledge base CryptoDose (https://cryptodose.net/).

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