When you get “The proxy server isn’t responding” error on your system, do not panic blaming your hardware for it. Normally, all of your devices – the router, modem, etc. – are fully functional and the root of the problems with proxy server lies in the malware that you had accidentally downloaded.
If you are reading this, you may be well familiar with the purpose of proxy servers, and you may already use them for concealing your IP for various missions online. While setting up and launching proxies in Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer (on systems running Windows 7 or Windows 8) you may encounter the configured proxy server is not responding error for several reasons, ranging from malicious extensions to improperly configured LAN settings.
In this article we will cover the most common reasons for proxy not working properly and ways for fixing such errors through a series of simple step-by-step actions. You should find these tips useful regardless of the type of proxies that you use: static or rotating proxies. So, what does it mean: “server stopped responding”, and why is the server not responding in some select circumstances? Read on to find out.
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Way 1 – Uninstall Potential Malware
One of the obvious ways to handle the “proxy server isn’t responding” error would be through deleting some of the recently installed applications that may have added malware to your system (such as an antivirus or some adware). Follow the steps below to identify and remove the apps from your computer.
1. Go to the Control Panel on your system and launch the Programs and Features menu.
2. Find the recently installed apps and remove them by clicking Uninstall.
Once these potentially harmful apps are removed, it is recommended to run a full scan of the system.
1. To run a full scan press Win + I and choose Update and Security.
2. Then open the Windows Defender tab and select Virus and threat protection.
3. Choose Scan options.
4. Mark Full scan and click Scan now to initiate the scanning process.
If you are still unable to connect to proxy server, proceed with the following steps described below.
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Contact UsWay 2 – Reset Proxy Settings
If you care to know about how to fix proxy server error through resetting your proxy settings, you need to proceed as described below. Sometimes, these settings on your system can be affected by a virus infection. To remove this possibility, try resetting the proxy settings manually (this relates both to datacenter and resi proxies). To do so:
1. Press Win + К and type inetcpl.cpl, then press OK to confirm.
2. In the Internet Properties window go to Connections and click on LAN settings.
3. Uncheck the “Use a proxy server for your LAN” box (if it is checked). Make sure that the Automatically detect settings box is checked.
4. Click OK to confirm changes.
5. Reboot the system for the changes to take place and check if the proxy server not working before is still down.
Way 3 – Reset the Internet Explorer’s Settings
Another way to resolve the proxy server error would be through resetting the Internet settings on your system. This should help resolve the “proxy server isn’t responding” Windows error. For a machine running Windows 10 the whole procedure will appear as follows:
1. Go to Internet Properties by typing inetcpl.cpl and pressing OK.
2. Select the Advanced tab in the Internet Options window.
3. Activate the Internet Explorer’s settings reset process by clicking the Reset button.
4. Restart the system and verify the availability of your proxy servers. If you still can’t connect to proxy server, proceed to the next way to resolve the error.
Way 4 – Reset the Google Chrome’s Settings
If you are one of the Google Chrome users, then you might want to consider resetting your browser’s settings to remove the proxy server not responding in Google Chrome error from your system. The sequence of actions in this case will be the following:
1. Click on the three dots (or three stripes) to go to Chrome’s main menu.
2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu that will appear.
3. A new window (or tab) will open with all your current Chrome’s settings.
4. Now, select Reset and clean up from the menu column on the left part of your screen and confirm the reset. This will reset your browser’s settings to the default values and the browser will restart.
Once this procedure is complete, set up your proxy settings in the browser and check for the proxy availability. It should fix the error that manifests itself like a website is online but isn’t responding.
Way 5 – Remove Malware from your Chrome’s Extensions
If you have any suspicion that the proxy server error is related to your Chrome’s extensions, we recommend you disable them to fix the problem. To do so:
1. Go to the extensions page by typing chrome://extensions/ and pressing Enter.
2. You will open a page with all currently installed Chrome extensions on your machine.
3. Disable all of them and restart the browser.
This should fix the proxy server error if the problem was in the extensions with malware in them.
Way 6 – Manual Reset of Network Settings
There may be a case of incorrect network settings resulting in the origination of the proxy error. To reset the network settings manually you should go to the Command prompt with your Administrator’s account and launch the following sequence of commands one after another.
- netsh winsock reset
- netsh int ipv4 reset
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
- ipconfig /flushdns
Reboot the system after completion. This will help return the network settings to their default values. Now, check if this procedure helped fix the proxy server error.
Way 7 – Deleting Malware from the Registry
And, finally, you can locate and delete any traces of virus from the Registry of your system. To do so:
1. Press Win + R, enter regedit and press OK to open the Registry editor.
2. Before you proceed, it is recommended to backup the registry.
3. Go to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Internet settings
4. Right-click the key and delete all of the following subkeys: Proxy enable, Migrate proxy, Proxy server, Proxy override.
Now, reboot your machine and check for the proxy server error status.
Choose Quality Private Proxies
In order to avoid the occurrence of the proxy server error in the first place, you can choose and buy premium proxies from reliable providers like PrivateProxy.
Normally, this sort of problems happen due to using free proxies capable of planting unwanted adware or malware onto your system. With paid residential or datacenter proxies you eliminate the possibility of such intrusion altogether. Plus, you will always have access to round-the-clock tech support to resolve any issues related to proxy errors.
We have been helping our customers with their online missions for over a decade now. So, we want you also to experience the joy of having a reliable proxy solution that you can rely upon. We supply the whole range of proxies to our customers from datacenter IPs, rotating servers to geo-targeted residential static proxies. Text us through the chat box below to find out how we can help you with all things proxy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read our Documentation if you have questions that are not listed below.
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What does a proxy server not responding mean?
If you are getting a “proxy server is not responding error”, it means that you either have some malicious software on your machine or improperly configured network settings. Normally, this error does not occur due to some hardware problems on your side.
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What to do if your proxy server isn't responding?
Start by removing all potentially malicious apps on your system that have been recently installed. Check your browser extensions that can also be malware. If the error persists, reset the network settings and clean your registry. Go through the steps described in detail in the article above.
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Why doesn’t your proxy server respond?
A proxy may not respond due to some adware or malware that prevents the system to operate properly. You will need to remove such apps or extensions before the normal operation resumes. Follow the steps described in this article to fix this problem.
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How to avoid having the “proxy server error” in the first place?
You would be much better off with a set of reliable private proxies from a trusted provider. Using free proxies from unknown sources increases the risk of gaining malware from the Net, thus increasing the probability of “proxy server error” occurrence.
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