How to set up a proxy on macOS

Which proxy to use

Residential proxies with a sticky session are the usual choice for browsing, because the IP address looks like a home connection and stays the same while you work. For heavy use such as video, a time-based Unlimited Datacenter plan avoids paying by the gigabyte.

• Residentialfrom $2.64 per GB
• Mobilefrom $2.64 per GB
• Unlimited Datacenterfrom $0.24 per hour

What to enter

A PiratProxies plan gives you four things: a host, a port, a username and a password. These are the values for Residential; the username and password are on your plan page.

The country and the session are chosen in the username, not in a separate setting. The generator on your plan page writes the username for you, and Targeting and sessions explains each part.

Steps

1. Open System Settings, then Network, and select the connection you use, such as Wi-Fi.
2. Click Details, then Proxies.
3. Switch on the web proxy (HTTP) and the secure web proxy (HTTPS). For each, enter the server resi.piratproxies.com and the port 8080.
4. Switch on the option that the proxy requires a password, and enter your username and password for each.
5. Click OK, then open an IP-check page.

Menu names can differ a little between versions of macOS. The four values to enter are always the same.

Rotating or sticky

A device or browser that sends everything through the proxy is acting as one visitor, so a sticky session is usually what you want: the IP address stays the same while you work. Remember that gigabyte plans count all traffic, so video and large downloads use a plan up quickly.

A sticky username looks like this:

USERNAME-country-us-time-600-session-a1b2c3d4

If it does not work

• Set both the HTTP and the HTTPS entries. Nearly every site is https, so with only the first one nothing appears to change.
• The setting belongs to one network. If you move from Wi-Fi to cable, set it again there.
• A 407 error means the username or password was not accepted. Copy both again from your plan page, and check that nothing added a space or cut the username short.
• If the IP address is in the wrong country, look at the username: the country code is part of it. More fixes.

Questions

macOS is a product of its own makers. PiratProxies is not affiliated with it; the name is used here only to say what this guide is about. Use it within the rules of the sites you work with and our acceptable use policy.