How to Disable Proxy Settings

Article’s Key Takeways

• Proxy servers can sometimes slow browsing, block logins, or interfere with streaming, making it necessary to disable them in certain cases.
• Disabling a proxy on Windows, Mac, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge usually involves turning off automatic detection, clearing manual host and port entries, and saving the changes to restore a direct internet connection. The process improves speed, restores access to blocked services like banking or streaming platforms, and resolves conflicts with restrictive firewall rules. 
• Even after disabling, users may need to flush DNS caches, adjust VPN or antivirus settings, or scan for malware to prevent proxies from being re-enabled in the background.

What is a Proxy Server?

Digital middlemen are what proxy servers do. It sends your web request online with its own address on the envelope. The delivery person quietly brings the package back after getting a message from the site. So, your real IP address never shows up. This middle layer helps companies keep track of their social media feeds, bandwidth use, and big downloads so they can get to them faster. People at home use proxies to get around region locks or to make their web browsing more private. A mistake in those gateway fields, on the other hand, can freeze all your tabs and stop normal pages from loading.

Common Reasons to Disable Proxy Server

1. Slow surfing. Heavy loads choke the gateway hardware, which processes each byte and drags down overall internet speeds. Turning it off brings back a low-latency path.
2. Problems with logging in. Banks and cloud dashboards don’t trust shared intermediary server IPs, so they either show captchas or don’t let you sign in. A clean, real IP addresses fix those problems right away.
3. Blackouts while streaming. Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming services block gateway ranges and say, “content not available in your region.” Disabling the gateway brings back the full catalogue when accessing content.
4. Disagreements over policy. Firewalls in schools and offices may add intermediary server rules. If you add a personal gateway to these rules, the connection will be broken until you take it off.

How to Disable Proxy Server on Windows

Disable Proxy in System Settings (All Browsers)

Windows 10 and 11’s Chrome and Edge don’t have the “master switch” inside the browsers themselves; it lives in Systems Settings. Press Win + I to open Settings, then click Proxy under Network & Internet.

Set up slides automatically Turn off Windows PAC script search automatically.

Manual setup — click Edit, delete hosts and ports, and after changing the Use a gateway server toggle to Off, press Save.

Check that both Automatically detect settings and Use a gateway now read Off before you close Settings.

That one action takes the gateway out of web browsers, launchers, and Steam. To feel the speed bump, close and reopen your favourite browser to check that your internet connection is back to full speed. Do the steps again if Group Policy or a sneaky script turns the gateway back on. Remove any leftover DNS information and lock the change by quickly restarting the computer.

Chrome-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

Configuring Chrome is simple:

1. Open Chrome and go to Settings System.
2. Choose Open your computer’s proxy settings; the Windows dialog opens instantly.
3. Turn off Automatically detect settings, delete manual host/port pairs, turn off gateway, and save.
4. To watch videos and get rid of captchas, restart Chrome.

Firefox-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

Firefox keeps a built-in switch for browser proxy settings.

• Click the menu that says ≡ and then Settings.
• Click on Settings and then Network Settings.

If you haven’t already switched the global switch, choose “No proxy” (or “Use system proxy settings”) and then click “OK.” Restart Firefox. No more loops or hops when accessing websites; every tab now goes straight to the web.

Edge-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

To change proxy settings on your computer, go to the ⋯ menu, then Settings, then System & performance, and finally tap Open proxy settings. In the Proxy window, click “Switch Proxy.” Turn off the gateway, remove the ports and address, click Save, close the window, and then restart Edge. There shouldn’t be any problems with proxies that make pages and sign-ins take a long time to load.

How to Disable Proxy Server on Mac

Disable Proxy in System Settings (All Browsers)

If you have a stray gateway rule, Safari might freeze or download slowly. To open System Settings (Ventura/Sonoma) or System Preferences (Monterey and older), click on the logo. In the sidebar, select Network, then the green dot, which could be Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Thunderbolt Bridge. Choose Details… (Ventura/Sonoma) or Advanced… then open the Proxies setup section to view every checkbox for HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS, and other options. After unchecking all the boxes and deleting the host-and-port pairs, click OK and then Apply. If macOS asks for your admin password, type it in, close Settings, and then open the browser again. Finally, check that the padlock icon in the Network panel turns solid to confirm your new, direct connection. There are no middlemen or delays; traffic goes straight to the internet across all your network connections.

Chrome-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

Chrome works by connecting to other computers on the same network. To change your computer’s proxy settings, go to Open Settings System. The Proxies panel shows every active proxy setup you might still have. To get full speed while streaming or browsing, empty all the boxes, click OK, Apply, and then restart Chrome.

Firefox-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

To adjust the settings in Firefox, go to ≡, then Settings, then Network Settings, and finally Configure. Select No Proxy or If you clear your proxy settings, use the system proxy settings. Click OK, restart the browser, and enjoy direct connections that don’t use caching.

Edge-Specific Steps to Disable Proxy Server

Edge is based on Chromium. In macOS’s proxy settings, go to Settings > System and Performance and then click Uncheck all proxy types. Click OK, then Apply, and then restart Edge. There shouldn’t be any problems with proxies that make pages and login take a long time to load.

Final Tips and Troubleshooting

Even after you turn off proxy settings, problems can still happen. In Command Prompt, type ipconfig /flushdns to reset your DNS. In Terminal, type sudo dscacheutil –flushcache. Your computer gets new DNS information. For now, turn off any antivirus or firewall software that has “web-shield” modules. A lot of them add gateway layers in the background. Are you using a VPN? You can turn off the tunnel for your browser by disconnecting it or turning on the split tunnel. Check that your router or corporate gateway isn’t injecting an automatic proxy via WPAD or PAC scripts—delete any URL that pushes those settings. Adware often hard codes a bad gateway, so do a quick malware scan and delete any rogue gateway setups you find in browser extensions. No luck yet? Get in touch with your network administrator and ask for a policy push or a cleanup of user profiles.