Although you cannot set proxy servers for all the programs in Windows, you can still set the global proxy server in Windows 10 for all the programs that use Internet Explorer’s proxy server settings. For example, Google Chrome browser in Windows uses the proxy server settings from Internet Explorer. But if a program has its own proxy server settings, then it will not be affected by the proxy server settings that you have set for Internet Explorer. Mozilla Firefox, for example, has its own proxy server settings and it will discard the global proxy servers you have set in Windows settings.
In Windows 10, you can actually set the proxy server settings from the new Settings panel instead of launching the Internet Explorer and making changes there. Here is how:
- Press the Windows logo key and when the Start menu shows up, click on the cogwheel icon to open Windows settings.
- In the Settings window, select Network & Internet category and then click on Proxy from the left side list.
- Scroll down and Use a proxy server for Manual proxy setup settings.
- Now you can enter the proxy server address and the port number. You can find a free proxy server from the www.xroxy.com website.
- If you do not want some websites to be routed through this proxy server, then type their domain names separated by a semi-colon.
- Click on the Save button and your proxy server is ready. You can check your new IP address by visiting a site like www.ipchicken.com in Google Chrome or Edge web browsers.
Using unknown proxy servers is not recommended as some of them could be malicious in nature and can attempt to capture your data being transmitted from and through the servers. The secure sites (that use HTTPS protocol) are not usually affected by the proxy servers set in this manner.