Proxy won't turn off on Windows 10/11

July 2024 · 6 minute read

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  • Many turn to proxy servers to protect their online privacy, but what if your proxy won’t turn off?

    Not being able to disable your proxy off could signal a serious underlying problem, and can even be a sign of malware.

    Time after time, various users reported proxy issues, such as:

    Proxy won’t turn off in Windows 10, what to do?

    As we briefly explained above, not being able to turn off proxy can be a sign of malware infection.

    This is by far the worst case scenario, so you’ll want to act quickly if you notice that your proxy won’t turn off.

    Therefore, a full system scan is in order. Even if it won’t detect anything, you can at least rule out this scenario and try other suggested methods.

    Here’s how to perform a full system scan with Windows 10’s built-in security software:

  • Press the Win key on your keyboard
  • Type security
  • Select Windows Security from the Start Menu
  • Go to Virus & threat protection
  • Click the Scan options button
  • Select the Full scan option
  • Click the Scan now button
  • Wait for the scan to come to an end
  • If you’re not entirely satisfied with Windows’ built-in security features, check out the best antivirus software for your Windows 10 PC.

    Some users also suggest making the following changes in the same location:

    Many users reported that this solution worked in their case.

    On the other hand, it’s worth mentioning that modifying the registry is a risky procedure, especially if you have no experience with the RegEditor.

    Apparently, other applications might be using port 8080 on your system, and this could sometimes cause proxy issues.

    For that reason, we’re going to do a quick check-up and see if there are any apps on your system running on port 8080.

    Here’s how you can do it:

  • Launch Command Prompt as administrator
    Windows 10 proxy settings keep changing
  • Type the following command: netstat -abno | findstr LISTENING | findstr :8080
  • Check if any apps on your system run on port 8080
  • Reportedly, ISUSPM.exe frequently uses port 8080. Thus, in order to fix your proxy issues, you need to disable it.

    It’s quite easy to do so, too. Just follow these steps:

  • Launch Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
  • Locate the ISUSPM.exe process
  • Right-click it and choose End task from the menu
    Proxy settings, server won't turn off
  • Navigate to this path on your PC: C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesInstallShieldUpdate
  • Locate ISUSPM.exe
  • Rename it to ISUSPM-old.exe
  • Now you just have to restart your PC and the problem with proxy should be gone.

    Sometimes your proxy not turning off problem may be caused by certain services on your system.

    To be more specific, WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service, or better yet, its absence, could be the one responsible for this issue.

    Naturally, in order to fix it, you just have to start this service.

    This is quite simple to do if you follow these steps:

  • Press Win Key + R on your keyboard
  • Type services.msc and press Enter or click OK
    Proxy server won't turn off
  • Locate WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service
  • Double-click it
    Proxy won't disable
  • Click the Start button, then the Apply and OK ones
  • Check if the issue is still present after starting the service.

    Obviously, if you notice that the service was already running when you arrived to it, this method doesn’t apply to you and you can skip it.

    In some instances, you might be able to fix this problem simply by disabling your proxy settings in your browser.

    This process is different for each browser, however it shouldn’t be too complicated, regardless of the browser you use.

    What you need to do is access open the Settings page in your browser, locate the Proxy section and make sure everything is disabled.

    Note that you may need to start your browser as an administrator in order to apply the changes.

    After disabling all proxy settings from your browser, check if the problem still persists. If it does, try restarting your PC and check once more.

  • Buy a premium VPN plan (we recommend PIA)
  • Download the VPN to your PC
  • Install and launch the VPN client
  • Log into your account
  • Connect to any server you prefer
  • Enjoy secure, anonymous browsing
  • Many times proxy servers are the preferred choice instead of VPNs, because, let’s face it, proxy servers are usually free.

    However, using a VPN could boost your connection in terms of privacy, security, and even speed if you’re lucky enough.

    Private Internet Access, for instance, has an outstanding network of over 22,000 servers (and counting) that you can choose from.

    More so, it won’t log any of your online activity details, so you can rest assured knowing that your privacy is in good hands.

    PIA also offers SOCKS5 and Shadowsocks proxy support, so you can always use those in addition to standard VPN features.

    On the downside, using a VPN won’t automatically disable your proxy, so you might want to try our suggestions above before installing a VPN.

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    Looking for a VPN to protect you as good as a proxy server? PIA can do it better.

    Conclusion

    As it turns out, sometimes your PC may refuse to turn off the proxy server connection, and that can happen from a bunch of reasons.

    However, we believe we managed to identify most (if not all) of them and offer effective methods to solve this issue, regardless of its cause.

    If you did manage to disable proxy on your system, it would be a wise decision to invest in a trustworthy VPN service such as PIA.

    It offers greater privacy and security features, minus all the hassle that a proxy server comes with.

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