Proxifier forces the network traffic of any Windows or macOS program through a proxy, including programs with no proxy setting of their own. Proxifier setup takes two dialogs: add your ProxyHive IP under Profile > Proxy Servers… (address, port, protocol, username and password), then decide under Profile > Proxification Rules… which apps and hosts use it. A proxified browser or curl hitting https://api.ipify.org confirms the exit IP.

Steps checked against the Proxifier v4 for Windows documentation on 2026-09-29. The current releases on that date were Proxifier 4.14 for Windows and 3.15 for Mac; both are paid software with a 31-day trial.

Before you start

  1. Buy an IP and open the order in the dashboard at https://app.proxyhive.io.
  2. Copy HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD. Each ISP or datacenter IP is its own endpoint, and the order lists HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5 ports separately.
  3. Pick username and password, or add your public IP to the order's IP allowlist and skip credentials.
  4. Turn off any proxy you set inside the apps themselves. If an app and Proxifier both proxy a connection, it goes through twice and usually fails.

Proxifier setup: add the proxy server

  1. Open Profile > Proxy Servers… (or the matching toolbar button) and click Add.
  2. Address: HOST from your order.
  3. Port and Protocol, as one of these pairs:
Protocol in ProxifierPort from your orderNotes
HTTPSHTTP portAn HTTP proxy that tunnels any connection. The usual choice
SOCKS Version 5SOCKS5 portAlso carries non-web traffic cleanly
  1. Under authentication, enable it and enter the Username and Password from the order. Leave it off if you use the allowlist.
  2. Click Check to run the built-in Proxy Checker, then OK.

Proxifier's naming trips people up. Its HTTPS protocol is an ordinary HTTP proxy that supports tunnelling (the CONNECT method), which is what browsers use for https:// sites. Its plain HTTP option only carries unencrypted web requests and is hidden until you enable it under Profile > Advanced > HTTP Proxy Servers; you do not need it. For the protocol trade-offs, see HTTP vs SOCKS5 proxies.

Rules per app

Rules decide what goes where. Open Profile > Proxification Rules…:

  • The Default rule catches everything no other rule matches. Set its action to your proxy to send the whole machine through it, or to Direct to proxy only what you list.
  • The Localhost rule keeps loopback traffic off the proxy. Leave it enabled.

To proxy one app, click Add and fill in:

  1. Name: anything meaningful.
  2. Applications: executable names separated by semicolons, for example chrome.exe; slack.exe. Wildcards work.
  3. Target hosts and Target ports: leave empty to match everything the app connects to, or narrow them.
  4. Action: the proxy you added (or Direct or Block).

Proxifier reads rules from top to bottom and uses the first match, so put narrow rules above broad ones.

Several IPs

Add each IP as its own entry under Proxy Servers, then write a rule per app or target host pointing at the right one. One IP per tool or account keeps traffic separated. Static IPs are made for this, and what an ISP proxy is explains when an ISP address is worth it over a datacenter one; both are sold from a single IP, see ISP proxies.

DNS through the proxy

Open Profile > Name Resolution…. By default Proxifier detects DNS settings automatically and only resolves names through the proxy when local DNS is unavailable. Switch the automatic mode off and enable Resolve hostnames through proxy if you want lookups to leave from the proxy instead of your network.

The cost: Proxifier gives apps placeholder addresses (in the 127.8.x.x range) instead of real ones, so any rule written against IP addresses stops matching. Write host-based rules if you turn it on.

Verify the exit IP

  1. Make sure a rule sends your browser to the proxy.
  2. Open https://api.ipify.org?format=json. The ip value should be the IP on your order.
  3. Watch the Proxifier connections window: each line shows the app, the target and the proxy or rule that handled it.

From a terminal, curl works too, as long as a rule covers it (on Windows the executable is curl.exe):

curl https://api.ipify.org?format=json

The curl guide shows the same check with the proxy passed to curl directly, which is useful for telling a Proxifier rule problem from a proxy problem.

Troubleshooting

  • The Proxy Checker fails authentication. Credentials are wrong, or the order is on the allowlist and your current IP is not on it.
  • Checker passes, apps still go direct. A rule above yours matched first, or the Default rule is Direct and your app is not listed.
  • Connections loop or time out. The app also has its own proxy set. Turn that off.
  • HTTPS fails, SOCKS5 works (or the reverse). The port does not match the protocol. Each protocol has its own port on the order.

Browser error pages and status codes are explained in the proxy error codes guide. If you only need the system proxy, the Windows and macOS guides need no extra software, and the Proxifier documentation covers chains and service mode. Proxifier for Mac has the same Proxies, Rules and DNS settings, but its own manual still points to the version 2 documentation, so some labels there may differ.