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How to Configure Proxy Settings in Windows 10 and 11

5 min read

Configure proxy settings in Windows 10 and 11 for system-wide, per-app or WinHTTP. Set proxy via Settings, PowerShell and registry. Fix proxy-related connection issues.

Windows proxy settings control how network traffic is routed through a proxy server. Here's how to configure them at every level.

Configure System Proxy via Settings

Win + I → Network & Internet → Proxy

Manual proxy setup:

  • Toggle Use a proxy server On
  • Address: 192.168.1.100
  • Port: 8080
  • Exceptions: localhost;*.internal.company.com

Configure Proxy via PowerShell

# Set system proxy (Internet Explorer / WinINET proxy)
$proxyAddress = "http://proxy.company.com:8080"

Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyEnable" -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyServer" -Value $proxyAddress
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyOverride" -Value "localhost;*.local;<local>"

# Verify
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" |
  Select-Object ProxyEnable, ProxyServer, ProxyOverride

Configure WinHTTP Proxy (System Services)

WinHTTP is used by Windows Update, Windows Defender and system services — separate from WinINET (browser/app proxy):

# Set WinHTTP proxy
netsh winhttp set proxy "proxy.company.com:8080" bypass-list="localhost;*.local"

# Import proxy from WinINET (IE/system settings)
netsh winhttp import proxy ie

# View current WinHTTP proxy
netsh winhttp show proxy

# Reset WinHTTP (no proxy)
netsh winhttp reset proxy

Configure Per-App Proxy

# Set proxy for PowerShell web requests
$proxy = New-Object System.Net.WebProxy("http://proxy.company.com:8080", $true)
$proxy.Credentials = [System.Net.CredentialCache]::DefaultCredentials
[System.Net.WebRequest]::DefaultWebProxy = $proxy

# Test
Invoke-WebRequest "https://google.com" -UseBasicParsing

Set Proxy with Authentication

# Proxy with credentials
$proxyUri = "http://proxy.company.com:8080"
$cred = Get-Credential -Message "Proxy credentials"

$proxy = New-Object System.Net.WebProxy($proxyUri)
$proxy.Credentials = $cred.GetNetworkCredential()
[System.Net.WebRequest]::DefaultWebProxy = $proxy

PAC File (Proxy Auto-Configuration)

# Set automatic proxy via PAC URL
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "AutoConfigURL" -Value "http://proxy.company.com/proxy.pac"
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "AutoDetect" -Value 0 -Type DWord

Remove / Disable Proxy

# Disable proxy
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyEnable" -Value 0 -Type DWord

# Remove proxy address
Remove-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyServer" -EA 0

# Full reset
netsh winhttp reset proxy
Set-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" `
  -Name "ProxyEnable" -Value 0 -Type DWord

Troubleshoot Proxy Issues

# Check current proxy settings at all levels
Write-Host "=== WinINET (User) ==="
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings" |
  Select-Object ProxyEnable, ProxyServer, AutoConfigURL

Write-Host "=== WinHTTP (System) ==="
netsh winhttp show proxy

Write-Host "=== Environment ==="
[System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("HTTP_PROXY", "User")
[System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("HTTP_PROXY", "Machine")

Summary

System proxy via Settings or ProxyEnable/ProxyServer in HKCU registry. WinHTTP via netsh winhttp set proxy (affects Windows Update and system services). Per-app via [System.Net.WebRequest]::DefaultWebProxy. Always check both WinINET and WinHTTP when troubleshooting.

Frequently Asked Questions

My proxy setting is enabled but apps bypass it — why?

Many modern apps (Chrome, Slack, VS Code) have their own proxy settings separate from Windows. Configure proxy in each app's settings, or use WinHTTP which they respect.

Windows Update won't work behind a proxy — how to fix?

netsh winhttp import proxy ie

This copies your IE/WinINET proxy settings to WinHTTP which Windows Update uses.

How do I check if traffic is going through the proxy?

Check from inside the network: look at proxy server access logs. Or use Fiddler to intercept traffic and verify the proxy is routing it correctly.

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