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How to Set Up Mobile Proxies in Google Chrome

How to set up mobile proxies in Google Chrome

Setting up mobile proxies in Google Chrome comes down to one fact: Chrome has no proxy fields of its own. It either uses the proxy settings of the operating system, takes a proxy from a launch flag, or hands the job to an extension. Which way to choose depends on whether the proxy should apply to the whole computer, to one browser window or to selected sites only.

Before you start, have the connection details at hand: address, port, protocol (HTTPS or SOCKS5), login and password. LTESpace mobile proxies support both protocols, and the details are shown in your account after you choose a plan.

Option 1: system proxy settings

This is the built-in way. Chrome opens the operating system settings, and the proxy then applies to every program that follows them — Chrome, Edge, Opera and many desktop apps.

  • open Chrome, click the three dots in the top right corner and choose Settings;
  • go to System and click Open your computer’s proxy settings;
  • on Windows, turn on manual proxy setup, enter the address and port and save;
  • on macOS, open the network connection details, go to Proxies, tick Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS) and enter the address and port.

When the proxy requires a login, Chrome asks for the username and password on the first request. Step-by-step screens for Windows are in proxy settings in Windows.

The downside is scope: the proxy affects the whole system, not just the browser. For work with several profiles or GEOs this is inconvenient.

Option 2: a launch flag for one Chrome window

Chrome accepts a proxy at startup. This leaves the system settings untouched and applies the proxy only to the Chrome instance started this way:

  • for an HTTPS proxy: chrome.exe --proxy-server="http://ADDRESS:PORT";
  • for SOCKS5: chrome.exe --proxy-server="socks5://ADDRESS:PORT".

It is convenient to create a separate shortcut with this flag and a separate profile via --user-data-dir, so the proxied browser keeps its own cookies and history. Keep one limitation in mind: Chrome does not support SOCKS5 with a login and password. For a proxy with authorisation use the HTTPS endpoint — Chrome will ask for the credentials itself — or an extension.

Option 3: an extension

An extension is the most flexible way. It stores several proxies, switches between them in two clicks and can send only selected sites through the proxy while the rest go direct. It also handles SOCKS5 with authorisation, which Chrome itself cannot.

Two popular options are described in separate guides: Best Proxy Switcher for quick switching between proxies and FoxyProxy for rules by site.

How to check that the proxy works

After setup, open any IP checker in the proxied window. It should show:

  • the address of the mobile carrier, not your home provider;
  • the country and city of the chosen GEO;
  • the connection type of a mobile network.

If the old IP is shown, the settings did not apply: check the port, the protocol and whether another extension or a VPN overrides the proxy. It is worth checking one more channel as well — WebRTC can reveal the real address even with a working proxy. How to close it is explained in how to disable WebRTC.

Changing the IP

A mobile proxy changes its address by rotation. On an LTESpace private channel you change the IP by opening a special link or set it to change on a timer; a shared channel changes the address on its own, on a timer. Chrome does not need to be restarted, only the session may need to reconnect. How rotation works is described in mobile proxies with rotation.

How to turn the proxy off

Undo the option you used: switch off manual proxy setup in the system settings, start Chrome without the launch flag or disable the extension. With the system option, remember that the proxy stays on for other programs until it is switched off in the system settings.

Which option to choose

  • one browser and one GEO for all work — system settings;
  • a separate proxied window next to the usual one — a launch flag with a separate profile;
  • several proxies, quick switching or rules by site — an extension;
  • many accounts, each with its own IP and fingerprint — an antidetect browser, see Dolphin Anty with mobile proxies.

Summary

Chrome relies on the operating system, a launch flag or an extension for its proxy. For simple tasks the system settings are enough, for separate work a launch flag with its own profile fits, and for switching and rules an extension is the most convenient. After setup, check the IP and WebRTC, and pick the proxy itself in the LTESpace plans.

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