How to set up a proxy in Firefox

Why Firefox is handy for proxy testing

Firefox keeps its proxy settings inside the browser, in Settings under Network Settings. That means you can send only Firefox through a proxy while the rest of your computer connects normally. Many people keep Firefox for this and use another browser for everyday browsing.

You need a host, a port and, depending on your provider, a username and password or an IP authorization. This page uses the placeholders PROXY_HOST, PROXY_PORT, PROXY_USER and PROXY_PASS. Replace them with the values your provider's dashboard shows. Any provider works the same way. Only use proxies for lawful purposes and within the terms of the websites you visit. A proxy is not a cloak: the proxy provider and the sites you visit can still see activity, so do not treat a proxy as making your traffic anonymous.

What Webshare's documentation says about connecting

We use Webshare as the example because it is a common starting point and has a free plan. We have not tested it. The details below come from Webshare's help center article on the rotating proxy endpoint and its API documentation on proxy connections, as read on October 31, 2026. Your own dashboard shows your real values, so copy them from there and not from this page.

Rotating endpoint: the help center says the domain name is p.webshare.io, the default port is 80, and the alternative ports are 1080, 3128, or any port between 9999 and 29999. It describes this method as rotating proxies randomly within your list for each request. Direct connections are different: the API docs say they use the proxy address and port fields from the Proxy List API, so each proxy in your list has its own address and port.

Authentication: the API docs describe two ways. With username and password authentication you provide the username and password along with the proxy address and port. With IP authorization only the address and port are needed, with no credentials, because Webshare recognizes the IP address you connect from.

Username options: for backbone connections the API docs say you can add parameters to your username with hyphens, for example a two-letter country code, a numeric session ID for a sticky session, or the word rotate for a new IP on every request. We have not checked which of these your plan includes, so check your dashboard before relying on them.

Set the proxy in Firefox, step by step

Mozilla's support article on connection settings describes the Manual proxy configuration option: each proxy requires a hostname and a port number, and if the same proxy and port are used for all protocols you check Also use this proxy for HTTPS. Menu wording can change between Firefox versions, so use the names below as a guide.

• Open Firefox and go to Settings (the menu button, then Settings).
• In the General panel, scroll to Network Settings and select Settings.
• Choose Manual proxy configuration.
• In HTTP Proxy, enter PROXY_HOST. In Port, enter PROXY_PORT.
• Tick Also use this proxy for HTTPS if your provider's proxy handles both, which an ordinary HTTP proxy does.
• Select OK, then open a new tab and visit any website.

To turn the proxy off later, return to the same window and choose No proxy, or Use system proxy settings if that is what you used before.

Entering your username and password

If your proxy needs a login, Firefox normally shows a sign-in window the first time it needs one, and you enter PROXY_USER and PROXY_PASS there. We could not verify Firefox's exact prompt wording from Mozilla's support pages, so if you see something different, that is normal. Do not tick any option to save the password on a shared computer.

If you would rather skip the prompt, use IP authorization if your provider offers it. Webshare's API docs describe it as needing only the proxy address and port, with no credentials. It depends on your IP address staying the same, so it can stop working if your home or office address changes.

If you do not have a proxy yet, Webshare has a free plan you can try (Affiliate link) and shows your host, port and login in its dashboard. Check its current plan limits and terms on its own site first, as they can change.

Check that it worked

Compare your public IP address with and without the proxy. Open our what is my IP tool in a normal browser tab and note the address, then run the same check through the proxy. The two addresses should differ if traffic really goes through the proxy. You can also run your proxy through our proxy checker, or look up the address you see with the IP lookup tool to see its country and network. For a clean comparison, open a private window before and after changing the setting.

If the address did not change, the proxy is probably not being used. If you get an error instead, see the troubleshooting section.

HTTP proxy or SOCKS?

The Network Settings window also has a SOCKS Host field. Webshare's documentation mentions that proxies can be used over HTTP, and the review we wrote notes SOCKS5 as an option, but we did not verify SOCKS settings for this guide. For a first test, stick with the HTTP Proxy field and the host and port your provider gives you.

If it does not work

• Firefox says the proxy server is refusing connections: the host or port is probably wrong, or the proxy is not active in your provider's dashboard.
• You keep getting a login box: the username or password is wrong, or IP authorization is set for a different address.
• Pages load but the IP did not change: check you chose Manual proxy configuration and not Use system proxy settings.
• A particular site fails while others work: some sites block known proxy addresses. Try another site, and respect the site's terms.

What to try next

For code instead of a browser, see Python requests, Puppeteer or Scrapy. If you use Chrome, the same idea applies; see setting up a proxy in Chrome.

Once your proxy works, the next step is choosing a plan that fits your use. See Webshare's current plans (Affiliate link) or compare other providers; the setup above stays the same either way.