Proxy Switcher Setup: Step by Step

A proxy switcher keeps a list of proxies inside the browser and lets you change the active one, or turn it off, from the toolbar, without opening system settings. It changes only the browser's traffic; other apps on the computer keep their own connection.

The steps below fit the one-click extensions; the rule-based managers have their own pages.

Any provider's proxies load into a switcher: the extension only needs a host, a port and a way to sign in. Residential, mobile, ISP or datacenter is a property of the IP, not of the connection, so the switcher treats them the same. Two things decide whether a provider works in your browser:

Which type fits which job in a switcher:

• Residential for checking sites, ads and prices by country or city: 412M+ IPs, $2.95/GB for 1 GB down to $1.95/GB from 1,000 GB (residential proxies).
• Mobile 5G/4G for what phone users see: 10.2M+ IPs, $3.45/GB for 1 GB down to $2.45/GB from 1,000 GB (mobile proxies).
• Dedicated ISP for one fixed identity on an account you log in to daily: from $2.29 per IP per 30 days (ISP proxies).

Country figures, such as 61.2M+ residential IPs in the United States, are on the locations page.

1. Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store (or Firefox Add-ons) and pin its icon to the toolbar.

2. Open the extension and choose to add or edit proxies (the options page or the edit button in the popup).
3. Add a proxy: type HTTP, host gate.proxyfield.io, port 7000. If the extension has login fields, enter your ProxyField username and password; switchers that take a whole line accept gate.proxyfield.io:7000:<login>-country-us-city-new_york:<password>.

4. Add localhost, 127.0.0.1 to the bypass list, so local pages skip the proxy.
5. Save, open the toolbar icon and select the proxy you added.

6. Load https://api.ipify.org. If the extension has no login fields, Chrome asks for the proxy's username and password now. The page shows the proxy's IP, not yours.

To stop using the proxy, select Direct (or System, or Off, depending on the extension) in the same popup.

BP Proxy Switcher takes the login inside the proxy line, so Chrome never shows its sign-in box. Copy-paste lines, one per proxy (the part after the last colon is an optional name):

gate.proxyfield.io:7000:<login>-country-us-city-new_york:<password>:New York

Add one line per country or city you check; the configurator in your account generates each username. Then:

1. Click the BP Proxy Switcher icon and open the Proxy tab.
2. Select Edit next to the proxy list.
3. Choose the protocol HTTP(S).
4. Paste your lines, one per line: host:port:username:password, optionally :name at the end.
5. Optionally turn on country detection or Test proxies to check each line, then select OK.
6. Back in the Proxy tab, select the line to use it, and load https://api.ipify.org to confirm the IP.

Choose HTTP(S), not SOCKS5, for lines with a login: Chrome sends no SOCKS5 credentials. If your switcher syncs its settings through your Chrome account, the saved logins sync with them; if you don't want that, put your IP on the allowlist in your ProxyField account and save lines without the username and password, with the port you set up in the dashboard instead of 7000.

One gateway gives every location and session type; the username sets the location. Save one entry per location you check often:

Region, session and session time go in the same username: -region-<region>, -session-<id> and -ttl-<seconds> (30 to 129,600 seconds, 20 minutes by default), as in <login>-country-us-region-new_york-city-new_york-session-he9f2qga-ttl-600; every part after the login is optional. Residential is the default; add -mobile after the login for mobile IPs: <login>-mobile-country-us. All entries share one ProxyField balance: switching costs nothing, and you pay only for the gigabytes the browser uses.

Chrome's extension proxy API sets the server, not the password. Switchers handle the login in one of two ways:

• Login fields in the extension, or a line with the login (BP Proxy Switcher): the extension answers Chrome's sign-in request for you, so no box appears.
• No login fields: Chrome shows its own sign-in box on the first page; enter your username and password there. It may ask again after a browser restart.

If you would rather never type a password, add your IP to the allowlist in your ProxyField account and save the entry without credentials, with the port you set up in the dashboard instead of 7000. It works only from that network. With the IP allowlist, the product, location and session are set per port in the dashboard.

Vendor wording as published on proxyswitcher.com. On the ProxyField side, SOCKS5 runs on the same gateway; SOCKS5 with a username and password: yes, with the same username and password as HTTP. When SOCKS5 helps is covered on SOCKS5 proxies.

A switcher doesn't rotate IPs on a timer; the gateway does. With a username without a session, every request gets a new IP; with a session id, the IP stays for 30 s to 36 h. Switch entries when you want another country or a new session.

1. Select the entry in the switcher and load https://api.ipify.org: it shows the exit IP.
2. Load https://ipinfo.io/json to see the IP's city and country; it should match the entry.
3. Switch to Direct and reload: you see your own IP again.
4. To test proxy lines before you save them, use the proxy checker.

Gateway error messages: 407 Proxy Authentication Required for a wrong login or password, an IP not on the allowlist or a malformed location, 402 Payment Required when no traffic is left and 502 Bad Gateway when no exit could be connected; a restricted site gets no separate response, and a 403 comes from the site itself. Status codes are explained in proxy errors. Our 24/7 live chat helps with setup and integration.

An extension that controls the proxy can see where the browser goes. Install switchers from the official store, check the publisher and the permissions, and keep one proxy extension enabled at a time. The Chrome-wide picture, including system proxy and --proxy-server options, is on proxy settings in Chrome.

A proxy switcher is not a VPN: it moves only the browser's traffic and does not encrypt it by itself (proxy vs VPN). Use ProxyField for lawful work within our acceptable use policy.

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