What you need

  • A hostname such as proxy.example.com, or an IP address.
  • A port such as 1080.
  • A username and password if the service requires authentication.
  • An HTTP or HTTPS test URL you trust.

ProxyFox does not supply a SOCKS5 server and cannot judge whether a provider is trustworthy.

Configuration steps

  1. Add a profile and select SOCKS5.
  2. Enter only the host or IP—do not include socks5://.
  3. Enter a port from 1 through 65535.
  4. Add credentials only when required.
  5. Add direct-bypass rules for local or enterprise hosts.
  6. Run the connection test, save, then activate.

DNS and browser boundaries

A browser proxy is not an OS-wide tunnel. Other applications do not inherit the SOCKS5 profile. Name-resolution behavior can depend on Chrome, the operating system, and proxy capabilities. If you require strict system-level DNS or leak control, use a network tool built for that purpose rather than treating an extension as a VPN.

If authentication fails

  1. Confirm the protocol is SOCKS5, not HTTP or SOCKS4.
  2. Recheck the host and port; authentication matching depends on both.
  3. Confirm the server supports username/password authentication.
  4. Remove accidental whitespace from credentials.
  5. Use Direct mode to verify the base connection.
Credential export is off by default.Exported JSON contains plaintext usernames and passwords only after explicit opt-in.

Test and restore

The connection test briefly applies the candidate profile and restores the current setting on completion or failure. A failed activation also attempts to restore both Chrome proxy settings and the local active state.