How to redirect network traffic to one or more Proxy using ProxyCap

Every time we surf the Internet, we leave a digital trail. To gain privacy, in many cases you are opting for the use of a proxy or a VPN. What we are looking for is that our personal or company data is not in danger. In this case, we are going to talk about a software to work with a proxy and that can offer us multiple possibilities. In this tutorial we are going to see how all Internet traffic is redirected through a proxy using ProxyCap.

The first thing we are going to do is find out what ProxyCap can offer us. Then we will see how it is installed and we will take the first steps with the program. Finally, we will explain the main options that this program can offer us.

redirect network traffic to one or more Proxy using ProxyCap

What is ProxyCap and what are its main features

We can define ProxyCap as a program that will allow us to redirect our computer’s network connections through proxy servers. Thanks to this software we will be able to choose which applications will connect to the Internet through a proxy and in what situations. We can carry out these actions through an easy-to-use interface and without the need to reconfigure any of our Internet clients. In addition, ProxyCap has native support for the SSH protocol, this means that it will allow you to specify an SSH server as a proxy server.

Among the main features of the program we find:

  • Support for SOCKS, Shadowsocks and HTTPS proxy servers. It allows tunneling applications through SOCKS4, SOCKS5, Shadowsocks and HTTPS proxy servers.
  • It has built-in support for SSH tunneling.
  • In addition to support for pure HTTP proxy, it can also work with TCP and UDP-based network protocols.
  • Supports flexible routing rules that allow us to define our own routing rules.
  • Support for proxy chains that will allow us to create a chain of proxy servers of up to 16 proxies. In this aspect, it supports mixing proxies of different types.
  • It works with 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems.
  • Proxy-side DNS support, which supports remote DNS name resolution (proxy-side) with SSH and proxy servers.
  • It has IPv6 support and SSO single sign-on.
  • It has a built-in proxy checker, thanks to which, it allows to perform a series of tests on a proxy or proxy chain. There we can check if the proxy is available and also perform performance tests.

As for the program, it has a support section that can help us take the first steps.

Regarding ProxyCap, it should be noted that it is not a free program. However, it can be tried in its 30-day trial version, which includes most of its functions. In the case of wanting to buy a full version, the price is approximately 32 euros.

Program installation and main menu

To carry out this tutorial we are going to work with the trial version of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. The first thing we have to do is go to the download section of the program . Then a screen like this will appear, with the options available to install the program:

As can be seen, it supports 3 operating systems:

  • 32-bit or 64-bit Windows.
  • Mac OS.
  • Windows Mobile.

The next thing we have to do is download the version that corresponds to us. In our case, the version chosen has been Windows 10 64-bit. Next, we run the installer of the ProxyCap program, we are going to put the most important screens for you.

The first thing we are going to see is the welcome screen of the program wizard.

We then accept the license agreement.

Then we can change the path where we want the program to be installed. If there is no special reason, it is best to leave it as it comes by default. At the moment the installation is finished we will see the following.

Then it asks us to restart and we do it like that, since otherwise ProxyCap will not work well until we do it. The first time we run it, we will get a configuration screen like this:

Before we start doing anything, let’s see the options offered by the ProxyCap Windows taskbar icon. This is important because from here we switch to the different sections of the program.

We have these options:

  1. Disable ProxyCap : to disable the program. Then we click on the same place but it will put “Enable” to activate it again.
  2. Configuration : the most important screen and in which we will make all our configurations.
  3. Status and Logs : here we will see the status and logs of the program.
  4. Help : a help is displayed with a table of contents in English that can help us to carry out some specific tasks.

Once we have seen how to install it and the main options, we are going to see how to add a new proxy server to this program.

How to add a proxy to ProxyCap

Now it is time to add a proxy to the program. Since most will not have their own that they can use, we are going to use a free one. One of the most popular and used services is Free Proxy . What it does is offer us a list of free proxies with the characteristics that we request. In that sense, you can classify the results according to the country, protocol and anonymity. I have opted for a list of Spanish servers:

Here, marked with red arrows, we have the sections that we need to add the proxy to the program. In the ” Configuration ” section of ProxyCap , in the Proxy section is the place where we have to add it.

Thus, in the upper right corner we have a series of buttons that from left to right will allow us:

  1. Add a new proxy.
  2. Delete a proxy (X icon).
  3. View proxy properties.
  4. Test the proxy server (lightning bolt).
  5. Choose a default proxy.

As we are going to create a new proxy, we will click on the button on the left and we will see a screen like this:

Then we put a name, in Type the protocol it uses (there are several), in Hostname its IP and we add the port. Below you could add a username and password if it were private.

Once we have added the Proxy server, we can see in the list of Proxies that it has been added correctly, and we can click on the lightning bolt icon, so we can check if it is active.

To check if it is active or not, click on the Check now button and if it is successful the test will show you a result like this:

Chains, Rules and DNS sections

Just below the Proxies section you have Chains . In this case it would allow us to create a chain of proxy servers of up to 16 proxies. Here’s an example where we are creating one:

It is required at least that we add 2 servers, and it also allows to do checks by test using the lightning bolt icon.

Now we go to Rules and click on the button marked with a red arrow to add a new rule for the traffic tunnel. In the Proxy field we specify the proxy that we created earlier.

Thus, we can create with ProxyCap custom rules for the proxies you use. Finally, we have the DNS section:

Here the program supports remote DNS name resolution (proxy side) with proxy and SSH servers.

As you have seen, we have been able to verify how ProxyCap is a useful tool that will allow us to work with several proxy servers simultaneously, managing the traffic that we want to pass through a specific proxy, or directly go to the Internet with our connection without using these proxy servers.