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How To Configure Or Disable Google Chrome Proxy Server Settings Independently?

Copyright © Walker 07 Nov 2008 01:46
Thanks God, the free public WIFI is still working in office. So, I’m happily using this free channel to stay connected with the World Wide Web, watching YouTube and other leisure browsing activities as much as I wish to have, but without worry of being “top surfer” in the weekly proxy server usage report (simply because I don’t have to go through corporate proxy server to surf Internet :-p).
Because of the insecure wireless network (thus I can connect to it so easily), I use IE7 to login to websites that require user authentication (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, MSN, etc) via corporate proxy server.

For all other sites that not require user login (e.g. Google News, blogs, Meta Cafe, forum, etc), I would like to use Firefox or Google Chrome to directly access Internet via the insecure, free public WIFI.

However, Google Chrome doesn’t provide an user interface (UI) to enable or disable proxy server settings. Indeed, Google Chrome is sharing Internet Properties settings (inetcpl.cpl, a Control Panel item that appears as Internet Options) with Internet Explorer.

I.e. Google Chrome uses proxy server if Internet Explorer is using proxy server; both IE and Google Chrome is sharing the same proxy server settings. If I disable proxy server in Internet Properties, I can’t use IE7 to read Gmail via proxy server too.

So, how to force Google Chrome to ignore proxy server settings defined for IE7?

How to enable or disable proxy server settings for Google Chrome without affecting IE7?

I thought I would have to download Google Chrome source code and customize it :-p. Luckily, there is an ready-made option switch called --proxy-server to define proxy server independently for Google Chrome, i.e. –proxy-server overwrites Google Chrome default behaviour of sharing proxy server settings with Internet Explorer.

So, I right click the Google Chrome shortcut and add --proxy-server= to chrome.exe in order to forcibly disable Google Chrome proxy server settings, while still allows Internet Explorer 7 to surf Net via corporate proxy server:

Independent Google Chrome proxy server setting.
Independent Google Chrome proxy server setting.

With reference:
Google Chrome Help – Independent Proxy Settings for Chrome
Google Chrome Command Line Switches.


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  1. Mette March 12th, 2009 12:05 AM

    Hello !

    Thanks for the hint – but how do you do it when it points to”ducuments and settings …” – it is in double qoutes.

    I have tried to make the –proxy-server= after the … chrome.exe” – it accepts it fine – but still I have the proxy from IE on my browser

    Any suggestions ….

    Thanks
    Mette, DK

  2. Walker March 12th, 2009 1:57 AM

    Hi Mette, I believe you want to disable the IE proxy in Google Chrome.

    In that case, you just have to append --proxy-server option switch (with an empty value) to the Chrome.exe in Target field will do.

    Why worry about the Document and Settings path?

    Please take note that you might have to close all Chrome windows and restart it, in order the new option switch to take effect.

  3. Stan March 25th, 2009 8:25 AM

    This is great, thank you so much!

  4. Prateek Gupta April 21st, 2009 6:09 AM

    Hi.. I tried this thing but it just shows a message that “the name in the target box is not valid” and asks to correct.

    Is there any other way it could be done to seperate the proxies of ie and chrome.

    my chrome version is 2.0.170.0 …. pls help me with it..

  5. Walker April 22nd, 2009 10:58 PM

    @Prateek, I just try to append --proxy-server="" to my Chrome browser of version 2.0.172.8 (the most updated at this time being), and it works correctly.

  6. Joe Dirt April 28th, 2009 10:29 PM 
    "C:\Documents and Settings\YOURID\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" "--proxy-server=000.000.000.000:1025"

    Put your IP and Port in for the Proxy server.

    That fixed my issue.

  7. Walker April 29th, 2009 12:30 AM

    Guys, to disable Google Chrome proxy, just append this to the chrome.exe shortcut:
    --proxy-server=""

    To specify a different proxy server for Google Chrome (i.e. to ignore IE proxy setting), specify the proxy IP and port number to to the --proxy-server option, as what Joe commented.

  8. Mitch Christensen May 1st, 2009 12:11 AM

    This simply doesn’t work for me (on 64 bit Vista). I’ve set up Firefox to use the proxy and that works fine. My PC is also the Proxy server so I am passing in the following,

    “–proxy-server=localhost:1080″

    When I launch Chrome, I can get to the internet fine, which means that the proxy setting didn’t take, since the proxy server should preclude me from accessing the internet (as it does when I launch Firefox).

    Any suggestions?

  9. Walker May 1st, 2009 5:01 PM

    Two options:

    1) Try --proxy-server and not -proxy-server (maybe replace localhost with 127.0.0.1 too)

    2) Try to set the proxy server in IE and don’t bother the Google Chrome proxy server option switch.

  10. Kaushik May 21st, 2009 1:46 PM

    Assuming the proxy requires authentication (as in my workplace), is there a way to provide this with command line arguments, I’m not worried about the password not being displayed in the encrypted form “–proxy-server=PROXYSERVER:PORT”, how would I provide a username/password@proxyserver command with this? Is it possible? thanks, issue is that each and every tab prompts for this, and is quite irritating. Chrome remembers the username and password but forces me to click the login button.

  11. Elendil May 27th, 2009 3:28 AM

    Hello Kaushik, what I did my workplace proxy is this:

    “–proxy-server=proxy:80″ I put the name of the proxy (which on this case is “proxy”) and then port that is using, so when I tried to connect open up a dialog box asking me for my info to log in and then it worked like a charm, let me know if it works for you.

  12. Michael June 9th, 2009 7:29 PM

    Thanks! It works!
    But do you know how to set exception for that?

  13. Walker June 9th, 2009 10:28 PM

    Good question, but I don’t have the answer :-(
    Anyone who read this can help?

  14. NewRsoul July 3rd, 2009 9:20 PM

    I think what people are trying to say is that when you include the –proxy-server= bit on the end it makes a name which is too long and that’s why windows wont let them save it

    Try some shortening with the ~1 file names?

  15. flux July 8th, 2009 11:34 PM

    Thanks! This worked for Google Chrome for Linux too… http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel#TOC-Linux

  16. Ranga July 13th, 2009 4:29 PM

    Instead of proxy if there is an automatic configuration script how should we modify the google chrome shortcut?

  17. jello July 15th, 2009 11:17 PM

    I tried all the proxy servers.but it just shows a message that “the name in the target box is not valid” and asks to correct. Ive been getting the error “Error 102 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED): Unknown error” for a while! would the proxy server help???

  18. Fylk July 28th, 2009 12:40 AM

    Mmmm,

    Thanks in advance for the first base explanation. Very usefull.

    I have a great response to the doubt : ” ¿how to set exception for that? ”

    Adding too the another command line option:

    –proxy-bypass-list=”*.google.com;*foo.com;127.0.0.1:8080″
    will use the proxy server “foopy” on port 8080 for all hosts except those pointing to *.google.com, those pointing to *foo.com and those pointing to localhost on port 8080.
    igoogle.com requests would still be proxied. ifoo.com requests would not be proxied since *foo, not *.foo was specified.

    (taked from Chrome developer site)

    See:
    http://dev.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/network-settings

  19. Joe August 25th, 2009 4:30 PM

    oh god, can someone please post the complete command line? Is there a space in between the .exe and the –? do i need two –? do I need the = behind it? i’m confused by all the replies so please enter the complete command line in a separate line without any extras or “” or something
    thanks

  20. Guest September 10th, 2009 5:35 AM

    I am using IE 6 and FF for internet browsing from work.

    and as far as I know Google Chrome uses the same proxy as IE but still its not working for me. I mean i am not able to open internet website on chrome, though intranet webiste is working fine on chrome.

    any idea ??

  21. Alex December 22nd, 2009 1:35 PM

    @Joe Dirt Thanks a lot , it works for me perfect.

  22. KD April 19th, 2010 12:11 AM

    any ideas how to do this on the mac???

  23. Alice May 11th, 2010 4:48 AM

    I LOVE YOU.
    Didn’t work until I realized I forgot the space between “.exe” and the proxy thing. Everything’s back to normal now.
    Thanks a bunch!

  24. Norika June 23rd, 2010 12:39 AM

    When I got “Error 102 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED): Unknown error”

    What I did is that I went to Options->Under the Bonnet->Change Proxy settings->click on LAN settings…->Then uncheck every box!

    Reload Google Chrome and it’s all working fine!

    That’s it!

  25. Gnug125 August 4th, 2010 12:33 AM

    Socks proxy example (tunneling to putty)

    “C:\Documents and Settings\clr9236\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” –proxy-server=socks5://localhost:3210

  26. Randy Guardado August 5th, 2010 3:55 AM

    Norika’s method worked! It was definetly easier, thanks for the help.

  27. Rickey M August 11th, 2010 4:30 AM

    I had the same error 102 message this am, after I was in the web. It all worked fine then shut down, the only page I can still open is my on lin banking page, I use google crome, also try opening internet explorer, wouldnt do, also redid my proxy settings, didn’t work

  28. Chandramohan August 12th, 2010 4:13 AM

    Amazing help…you are my savior. Thanks so much.