FIX: The Proxy Server Isn’t Responding

“The proxy server isn’t responding”, followed by a probable cause of the error and a couple of tips on dealing with it, is an error message that is displayed when a user affected by it attempts to access the internet through an internet browser such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

In many cases, if an affected user has two or more browsers installed on their computer, they observe that one of their internet browsers works perfectly fine. The “Proxy server isn’t responding” error message indicates that the proxy server that a person is using is not responding to the requests their computer is sending to it, and this is alarming for many users affected by this issue because most of them don’t even use a proxy server to begin with!

In most cases, the “Proxy server isn’t responding” error is simply caused by some kinks or issues with your registry and can be easily rectified. However, a suspicious or malicious program can also cause a harder to deal with version of this issue, which I will talk about later on. First things first, if you are seeing the “Proxy server isn’t responding” error every time you try to access the internet using a browser, go through the following steps in order to resolve the issue:

The Proxy Server Isn’t Responding

Check Internet Properties

Hold the Windows Key and Press R. Type inetcpl.cpl and Click OK. 

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Go to the Connections tab, and choose LAN Settings. Make sure “Use a Proxy Server for your LAN” is unchecked. If it checked, uncheck it, click OK / Apply and OK.

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Once done, reboot the PC and TEST. If it still won’t work, move to the Registry Editor Method below.

Change Proxy Settings via Registry Editor

It is important to back up your registry settings before changing it. Hold the Windows Key and Press R. Type regedit in the run dialog and click OK. To backup registry, after opening it, Click File-> Export, name the registry file, eg: backupreg and click Save. To import / restore from backup, open registry editor again, click  File -> Import, and select the file you exported earlier which is your back up. After it has been backed up; Navigate to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

In the right pane, locate the ProxyEnable string. Right Click on it and choose Delete. If there is a ProxyServer string, Migrate Proxy, and Proxy Override, right click on it and delete them as well.

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Now reboot the PC and TEST. If it still wont respond, then proceed with steps below.

Reset your web browsers

If you’re on Windows 10 and using Edge then follow steps here reset edge otherwise choose the tab for the browser you’re using.

To reset Internet Explorer; hold the windows key and press R.

This will open run dialog, in the run dialog type inetcpl.cpl and go to the Advanced Tab; from the Advanced Tab; choose Reset, and put a check on Delete Personal Settings, then hit the reset button again. This will not delete your bookmarks BUT you will need to get them back by doing CTRL + SHIFT + B or by going to the bookmarks menu

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Resetting Google Chrome usually doesn’t proves fruitful so what i’d recommend is creating a new Chrome Profile. Before we do this; take a back up of your bookmarks so they can be imported later. See this guide for importing/exporting chrome bookmarks.

Exit Google Chrome completely.

Enter the keyboard shortcut Windows key +R to open run dialog.

In the Run Dialog window that appears enter the following in the address bar.

Windows Vista/ Windows 7/ Windows 8/ Windows 10/ Windows 10%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\

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Locate the folder called “Default” in the directory window that opens and rename it as “Backup default.”

Try opening Google Chrome again. A new “Default” folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.

In the Firefox’s address bar; type about:support and choose Refresh Firefox; then Refresh Firefox again.

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Click Here to view Steps on Resetting Edge

If after resetting the browsers, it does start to work then this is most likely caused by a adware which must be removed in order to stop it from coming back. To do this, you can use AdwCleaner (google it) to download it and install it, and then clean the adwares. However, If it still shows proxy server isn’t responding error, then do a full scan using your antivirus software and remove any threats it finds, if it still won’t work, then uninstall antivirus/malware and vpn, or other security softwares temporarily to test. If it then works, you can put your security program back, doing this will reset the rules configured in the firewall/antivirus, etc.

Also check out Windows could not automatically detect this Network’s Proxy settings

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.