How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies
This wikiHow teaches you how to stay anonymous while browsing the Internet. It also teaches you how to find online proxy sites, as well as how to enable proxies through Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari....
Method 1 of 3:
Using General Privacy Practices
-
Picture 1 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Use only secure networks when possible. As tempting as it can be to surf on unprotected public networks, doing so makes you incredibly vulnerable to other users on that network. Stick to your private home network or other protected networks when out and about.- Most public places like coffee shops and airports offer protected networks.
-
Picture 2 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Use a secure browser. Firefox, for example, has built-in security settings that prevent tracking and other security issues that you'll find in most other browsers. If you want to use a more dedicated browser, try Tor.- Another option is Opera, which includes a built-in VPN that you can enable to hide your browsing traffic.
-
Picture 3 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Delete tracker cookies. Deleting cookies that track your activity will cut down on the number of targeted ads and emails you see in your browsers.- The linked article also provides instructions for sending Do Not Track requests, which are messages your browser sends to sites to prevent them from using your information.
-
Picture 4 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Don't enter your email address on sites you visit. Aside from social media, keep your email address and other personal information off of the sites you visit.- If a site you want to access requires an email address, create a spam email address that doesn't use any of your real personal information and use it to log in.
Method 2 of 3:
Using Web-Based Proxies
-
Picture 5 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open your preferred browser. Chrome, Firefox, Edge (Windows), and Safari (Mac) are all strong, supported browsers. - Search for online proxies. Type free online proxies 2020 into your browser's search bar and press ↵ Enter. Some reputable proxy services include the following:[1]
- Anonymouse
- VPNBook
- FilterBypass
-
Picture 6 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open a proxy site. Click the site's link to open the proxy site.- Consider researching your chosen proxy before using it. If you do not trust the owner of the proxy, consider setting up a web proxy on your web host if possible (Note that proxies may cause heavy load on your web host).
-
Picture 7 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Type a site's name into the proxy's search bar. You'll typically see a search bar in the middle of the proxy's page; this is the proxy's search bar. -
Picture 8 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the "Search" or "Go" button. This button will usually be below the search field. Doing so will run the Facebook search through the proxy, which will cause it to avoid your school's network.
Method 3 of 3:
Using Your Browser's Proxy
Chrome
-
Picture 9 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open Chrome. It's a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere. -
Picture 10 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click ⋮. This option is in the top-right side of the Chrome window. -
Picture 11 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Settings. It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu. -
Picture 12 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Scroll down and click Advanced. This option is at the bottom of the Settings page. -
Picture 13 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Scroll down and click Open proxy settings. It's under the "System" heading near the bottom of the page. Doing so opens your computer's Internet Options window (Windows) or the Network window (Mac). -
Picture 14 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click LAN settings. This button is under the "Local Area Network (LAN) settings" heading near the bottom of the page.- On Mac, check the "Automatic Proxy Configuration" box.
-
Picture 15 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Check the "Use a proxy server for your LAN" box. It's below the "Proxy server" heading.- On Mac, enter your proxy server's address in the text box that appears.
-
Picture 16 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enter your proxy server's information. Fill out the following fields:- Address - Enter the proxy server's address.
- Port - Enter the proxy server's port number.
- On Mac, make sure the "Use Passive FTP Mode (PASV)" box is checked.
-
Picture 17 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click OK. This saves your proxy settings. -
Picture 18 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Apply. Doing so applies your settings. You should now be able to browse anonymously in Google Chrome, though you may need to restart your Chrome browser.- The Internet Options settings also apply to Internet Explorer, meaning your Chrome proxy will also work for IE.
- The Network settings on Mac also apply to Safari, meaning your Chrome proxy will also work for Safari.
Firefox
-
Picture 19 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open Firefox. It's a blue globe with an orange fox wrapped around it. -
Picture 20 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click ☰. This icon is in the top-right corner of the Firefox window. -
Picture 21 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac). You should see this gear-shaped icon near the bottom of the drop-down menu. -
Picture 22 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click General. General tab is on the top left side of the Firefox window. . -
Picture 23 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Scroll down to the bottom to find "Network Settings" Section. -
Picture 24 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Settings. It's to the right of the "Network Settings" heading. -
Picture 25 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the Manual proxy configuration circle. This option is the last radio switch below the "Configure Proxies to Access the Internet" heading. -
Picture 26 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enter your proxy information. You'll need to fill out the following fields:- HTTP Proxy - Your proxy server's address goes here.
- Port - The server's port number goes here.
-
Picture 27 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Check the "Use this proxy server for all server protocols" box. It's directly below the "HTTP Proxy" field. -
Picture 28 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your settings.
Internet Explorer
-
Picture 29 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open Internet Explorer. It's a blue "e" with a yellow band on it. -
Picture 30 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click ⚙️. This option is in the upper-right corner of the Internet Explorer window. -
Picture 31 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Internet options. It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu. -
Picture 32 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the Connections tab. This is at the top of the Internet Options window. -
Picture 33 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click LAN settings. This button is under the "Local Area Network (LAN) settings" heading near the bottom of the page. -
Picture 34 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Check the "Use a proxy server for your LAN" box. It's below the "Proxy server" heading. -
Picture 35 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enter your proxy server's information. Fill out the following fields:- Address - Enter the proxy server's address.
- Port - Enter the proxy server's port number.
-
Picture 36 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Apply. Doing so applies your settings. You should now be able to browse anonymously in Internet Explorer, though you may need to restart the browser.- These settings will also apply to Google Chrome.
Edge
-
Picture 37 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open StartPicture 38 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies -
Picture 39 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click SettingsPicture 40 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies -
Picture 41 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies ClickPicture 42 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies -
Picture 43 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the Proxy tab. It's at the bottom of the column of options on the left side of the Network & Internet window.- You may have to scroll down on the left-hand column to see this tab.
-
Picture 44 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enable the proxy server. Click the switch below the "Use a proxy server" heading.- If you see "On" below this switch, your Edge proxy is already enabled.
-
Picture 45 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enter your proxy server's information. Fill out the following fields:- Address - Enter the proxy server's address.
- Port - Enter the proxy server's port number.
-
Picture 46 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Save. It's at the very bottom of the page. This will apply your proxy settings to Microsoft Edge, though you may need to restart Edge for the changes to take place.
Safari
-
Picture 47 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Open the Apple menuPicture 48 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies -
Picture 49 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click System Preferences. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu. -
Picture 50 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the Network icon. It resembles a globe in the System Preferences menu. -
Picture 51 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Advanced. It's in the middle of the Network page. -
Picture 52 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click the Proxies tab. You'll see it at the top of the window.- You may first have to click the lock icon and enter your administrator name and password.
-
Picture 53 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Check the "Automatic Proxy Configuration" box. It's under the "Select a protocol to configure" heading on the left side of the Proxies window.- If the box is already checked, click the Automatic Proxy Configuration text instead.
-
Picture 54 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Enter your proxy's address. Do so in the Proxy Configuration File URL text box. -
Picture 55 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Make sure the "Use Passive FTP Mode (PASV)" box is checked. If not, click the empty checkbox before continuing. -
Picture 56 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click OK. It's at the bottom of the page. This will configure your proxy server for Safari. -
Picture 57 of How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies Click Apply. Doing so applies your settings to Safari, though you may need to restart Safari if it's already open.- These settings will also be applied to Chrome.
Update 24 March 2020
You should read it
- Steps to configure proxy server settings in Windows 10
- How to set up a proxy server in Nox App Player
- What is SOCKS Proxy? How is SOCKS Proxy different from Proxy Server?
- How to fix Firefox error Proxy Server refuses to connect
- [Theory] What is Proxy Server?
- Ways to turn off Proxy settings in Windows 10
- How to bypass the proxy server on the LAN
- How to create your own online proxy server in minutes
- 5 reasons why you should avoid free proxy servers
- How to Find Proxy Servers for PS4 Consoles
- What is Web Proxy?
- How to set up using a proxy server for Wifi on Android
Maybe you are interested
Instructions on how to fix Windows Camera application problems Need to be careful when using kitchen utensils Experience of buying and using non-stick pans Star Wars Eclipse release date has been pushed back to 2027 How do websites protect your passwords? A Simple Guide To Abstractive Multi-Document Text Summarization And What It Can Do For You