1 Before you start

Quick context on how Firefox handles proxies:

• Firefox has its own proxy settings, independent from the operating system. Setting up a proxy here only affects Firefox
• HTTP proxy with username/password works natively — Firefox shows an auth pop-up
• SOCKS5 with username/password does not work natively. This is a long-standing limitation in Firefox (Bugzilla 122752, open since 2002). For SOCKS5 you need IP whitelist authorization
• If you use SOCKS5, also enable "Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5" to avoid DNS leaks

What you'll need

• Active GeekProxy package (residential or datacenter)
• Proxy credentials from your dashboard: Host, Port, Username, Password

2 Manual proxy configuration

Same procedure on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Firefox keeps proxy settings inside the browser, not in the OS.

Step-by-step

1. Open Firefox, click the menu icon (three lines) in the top-right, pick Settings
2. In the General tab, scroll all the way down to Network Settings
3. Click Settings…
4. Pick Manual proxy configuration
5. Fill in the fields based on your proxy type:
   • For HTTP/HTTPS: enter your Host and Port in the HTTP Proxy field. Tick Also use this proxy for HTTPS
   • For SOCKS5: enter your Host and Port in the SOCKS Host field, select SOCKS v5
6. If you use SOCKS5, tick Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5
7. Click OK

3 Authentication

HTTP proxy: pop-up dialog

The first time you open any site, Firefox shows an authentication dialog. Enter your username and password, tick Use Password Manager to remember this password, and Firefox will store the credentials so you don't have to retype them.

SOCKS5: IP whitelist required

Firefox doesn't show an auth pop-up for SOCKS5. Username and password aren't supported in the browser at all. The workable option is to switch GeekProxy to IP whitelist authorization:

1. Go to your dashboard
2. Open the package settings
3. Switch authorization to Restricted by IP
4. Add your current IP address (the dashboard can detect it automatically)
5. Save

Now SOCKS5 will work in Firefox without any credentials.

4 SOCKS5 specifics

Always proxy DNS

By default, Firefox sends DNS queries directly even when using SOCKS5 — meaning your real provider sees which sites you visit, even if the traffic itself goes through the proxy. This is called a DNS leak.

Fix it by ticking Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5 in the Connection Settings. Or, for advanced users, set network.proxy.socks_remote_dns to true in about:config.

HTTP vs SOCKS5: when to pick which

• HTTP — works with username/password in Firefox, easier to set up, suits most use cases (browsing, scraping, multi-accounting)
• SOCKS5 — handles more protocols (not just HTTP/HTTPS), needed for some specific tools, but requires IP whitelist for auth

For typical Firefox use, HTTP is the simpler choice. Pick SOCKS5 if you specifically need it.

5 Verify it's working

Quick check:

1. Open any site that shows your IP address
2. The displayed IP should match the Host value from your GeekProxy dashboard
3. Match the country too — if you bought a US proxy, you should see a US city

For SOCKS5 specifically, also check for DNS leaks. Open dnsleaktest.com and run the standard test. The detected DNS server should be in the same country as your proxy, not your real location.

6 Separate profile (advanced)

Firefox supports multiple profiles, each with its own settings. Useful if you want one Firefox window with a proxy, another without — both running simultaneously.

How to create a proxy-only profile

1. Close all Firefox windows
2. Run Firefox with the profile manager:
   • Windows: firefox.exe -P
   • macOS: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -P
   • Linux: firefox -P
3. Click Create Profile, give it a name like "Proxy"
4. Tick Don't ask at startup if you want the chooser every time, otherwise leave it
5. Open the new profile, set up the proxy as described above

How to launch a specific profile

Create a desktop shortcut with the profile flag:

• Windows: firefox.exe -P "Proxy" -no-remote
• macOS: open -n -a Firefox --args -P "Proxy" -no-remote

The -no-remote flag lets you run multiple Firefox profiles at the same time.

7 Common issues

Sites load without the proxy

Open Connection Settings again and verify Manual proxy configuration is selected (not "No proxy" or "Use system proxy settings"). If everything looks right, check if a Firefox extension is overriding the settings.

Authentication pop-up keeps appearing for HTTP proxy

Firefox should remember credentials if you ticked Use Password Manager. Check Settings → Privacy & Security → Logins and Passwords to verify it's saved. If the pop-up still keeps showing, switch to IP whitelist authorization.

SOCKS5 doesn't connect

Most likely cause: you're using login/password auth but Firefox can't pass it through. Switch to IP whitelist in your dashboard, or use HTTP proxy instead.

Slow page loads

If pages load slowly, check that Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5 is enabled — without it, DNS queries can take longer. For HTTP proxy, this option doesn't apply.

Some sites block you / CAPTCHAs everywhere

Datacenter IPs get flagged by Google, Facebook, and streaming services more often than residential. Switch to a residential package for better success rates.

"The proxy server is refusing connections"

Three things to verify:

• Package is active and not expired (check the dashboard)
• Host and Port are correct (no typos)
• Your firewall isn't blocking the proxy port