Cannot connect to proxy server - what to do?

What to do if the connection to the proxy server cannot be established? In this practical tip we show you possible causes and solutions.

You can do this if a connection to the proxy server cannot be established

If you cannot establish a connection to the proxy server, this can have several reasons. Follow the steps below:

• Check that you have entered the server's IP address correctly and that no typing errors have crept in.
• Also make sure that the data, such as the IP address and port and possibly the access data of the proxy server have not changed.
• The server may also be offline. If you know the administrator, contact them for more information.
• With many requests from the network, the proxy server can also be overloaded and therefore temporarily unavailable. So try again later.
• In order to still be able to connect to the Internet, you should remove the proxy from your browser. We have created instructions for the most common browsers Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Check the "No proxy" checkbox in the respective settings.
• If the settings are obtained automatically, a connection could perhaps be established. To do this, switch to the settings of your browser as described above and tick the "Automatically detect proxy settings for this network" option under Firefox.
• For Internet Explorer and Chrome, switch to the settings as described above. In the "Settings for local network" window, check "Automatically detect settings".
• Sometimes viruses can also cause proxy problems. To ensure that you have not caught a virus, you should run a full scan with an antivirus program. For example, we recommend avast Free Antivirus 2014.

This practical tip is based on Microsoft Windows 7. We will introduce you to the best proxy tools in the next practical tip.