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ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED in Chrome: causes and fixes

Chrome shows ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED when it cannot open a connection to the proxy server: the proxy's name did not resolve, nothing answered on that host and port, or something on your computer or network blocked it. The website is not involved. If you did not set up a proxy, a VPN or proxy app has probably left a system proxy behind; turn it off.

Reviewed by John Hale. Last updated .

Run the free proxy checker All proxy checker error codes

What it looks like

Chrome
No internet
There is something wrong with the proxy server, or the address is incorrect.
ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED

The same failure in curl
curl: (7) Failed to connect to HOST port PORT after 21 ms: Couldn't connect to server
curl: (5) Could not resolve proxy: HOST

What does ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED mean?

Chromium's list of network errors describes it as a failure to create a connection to the proxy server, either while resolving its name or while connecting a socket to it. Its note adds that failures during the proxy's CONNECT step are not included; those show as ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED.

Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera and the anti-detect browsers built on Chromium all use the same code. The browser never got as far as asking for the website, which is why every site fails the same way at the same moment.

What causes ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED?

Most likely first.

  1. A system proxy you did not mean to set. Chrome follows the operating system's proxy settings. VPN clients, proxy apps, download managers, some security tools and malware set a system proxy, and leave it behind when they stop or are uninstalled.
  2. A wrong host or port. A typo, a host copied from another service, or the port of a different protocol.
  3. The proxy is down or out of reach. The proxy server is not running, or it listens only on another network, such as a company proxy that works only in the office or on the VPN.
  4. A firewall or security tool blocks the port. Local firewalls, antivirus web shields and office or school networks often block outgoing connections to proxy ports.
  5. The proxy's name does not resolve. A misspelled hostname, or a DNS filter on your network that refuses it.
  6. A broken automatic configuration. A PAC script or automatic setup address that points at a proxy that no longer exists.

How do you find the cause?

  1. See what Chrome is using

    Open chrome://net-internals/#proxy. It shows the proxy settings Chrome actually applies and lets you re-apply them. A proxy you do not recognise came from the system, a policy or an extension; chrome://extensions lists proxy and VPN extensions.

  2. Check the operating system's proxy

    On Windows, look in Settings, Network and internet, Proxy; WinHTTP keeps a separate setting that some apps use. On macOS, look in System Settings, Network, your connection, Details, Proxies.

    Show the system proxy
    # macOS
scutil --proxy
# Windows (Command Prompt)
netsh winhttp show proxy
# Linux with GNOME
gsettings get org.gnome.system.proxy mode

  3. Test the proxy port directly

    curl: (7) Failed to connect means nothing accepted the connection on that host and port from your network. curl: (5) Could not resolve proxy means the name did not resolve. Any HTTP answer, even a 407, means the proxy is reachable and the problem is in the browser's settings. In PowerShell, Test-NetConnection HOST -Port PORT does the same check.

    Reach the proxy host and port
    curl -v --connect-timeout 5 -x http://HOST:PORT https://example.com/ -o /dev/null
nc -vz HOST PORT

  4. Test from outside your network

    Run the proxy checker with the same host and port. It connects from our servers. If the proxy works there and fails on your computer, your computer or network is blocking it; a phone hotspot confirms it in one step.

How do you fix ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED?

  • If you do not use a proxy

    Turn off Use a proxy server on Windows or the proxy switches on macOS, quit or uninstall the app that set them, and disable proxy or VPN extensions. If netsh winhttp show proxy lists a proxy you did not set, netsh winhttp reset proxy in an administrator prompt clears it.

  • If you do use one

    Copy the host and port again from the provider and pair each protocol with its own port. Allow the browser through the firewall or security tool, and remove an automatic configuration address that no longer works.

  • If Chrome is started with --proxy-server

    Check the value for typos. Chrome ignores a username and password written into it; that shows up as a sign-in box or a tunnel error, not as this one.

If you use TrueProxies

Copy the connection host and ports from the service page. Residential IPv4, Datacenter IPv6 and Residential IPv6 listen on HTTP 8080, HTTPS 8443 (TLS to the proxy) and SOCKS5 1080, each on its own connection host. Sticky ports use SOCKS5 10000–10999 and HTTP 20000–20999, and each Static ISP IP has its own port.

Some networks block proxy ports. If the proxy checker reaches the gateway and your computer cannot, test from a phone hotspot; if that works, your network blocks the port. Try another of the three ports, and ask the network's administrator.

The anti-detect browser proxy errors guide covers the same code inside AdsPower, Dolphin Anty, GoLogin and the other Chromium-based browsers.

Test the proxy from outside your network

The free proxy checker connects from our servers and reports the failed stage as a code, so you can tell a proxy problem from one on your computer or network.

Run the proxy checker

Questions about ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED

Does ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED mean the website is down?

No. Chrome failed before it contacted the website. Every site fails the same way while the proxy is out of reach.

Why do I get this error when I don't use a proxy?

Something set a system proxy: usually a VPN client, a proxy app or an extension that did not clean up. Turn the system proxy off and remove the app.

Why does the proxy work in curl but not in Chrome?

Chrome may use different settings, such as a PAC script, an extension or a policy, or a security tool may block the browser but not curl. Check chrome://net-internals/#proxy.

What is the difference between ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED and ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED?

The first means Chrome could not reach the proxy. The second means it reached the proxy, asked for a tunnel to the site, and the proxy refused or failed.

Sources

Related errors

ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED

The proxy answered the browser's CONNECT with an error. The status it sent is the real cause.

407 Proxy Authentication Required

The proxy wants credentials it did not get or did not accept. The website never saw the request.

ECONNRESET through a proxy

Connection reset by peer in Node.js or Python: stale keep-alive sockets, the wrong port, or a cut route.

The proxy checker error codes page maps each checker code to the stage that failed, and proxy errors explained covers timeouts and slow connections.