Shadowsocks Client Setup Guide

shadowsocks, a fast tunnel proxy that helps you bypass firewalls. A secure socks5 proxy, designed to protect your Internet traffic. shadowsocks-windows is one of shadowsocks clients for Windows.

Download

Windows

Download the lastest release of shadowsocks-windows from github release page.

macOS

Download the lastest release of ShadowsocksX-NG from github release page.

Requirements

Windows

Download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher (e.g. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2), Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable (x86).

macOS

No requirement.

Run

Windows

Choose a path (e.g. D:\Portable\shadowsocks\), extract the exe file from the zip package and run without install.

macOS

Extract the app file from the zip package, drag it to Finder → Applications, and run without install.

Setup

Surfing when using system

Windows

  1. Double click shadowsocks.exe (e.g. D:\Portable\shadowsocks\shadowsocks.exe).
  2. Find shadowsocks tray icon in the notification area.
  3. Double click the shadowsocks icon.
  4. Configure:
    • Server Addr: server ip or host.
    • Server Port & Password: server port and password.
    • Encryption: choose a encryption.
    • Remarks: fill something.
    • Click OK.
  5. Right click the shadowsocks icon → System Proxy → PAC.
  6. Do somethine more:
    • Right click the shadowsocks icon → Help → Verbose Logging.
    • Right click the shadowsocks icon → PAC → Update Local PAC from GFWList.
    • Right click the shadowsocks icon → PAC → uncheck Secure Local PAC.
  7. Visit Google and success. This means you can visit google through shadowsocks.
  8. Query ip in Baidu and show the same ip as before enabling shadowsocks. This means you can visit baidu directly.
  9. Now you could surf the Internet.

macOS

  1. Double click shadowsocks.
  2. Find shadowsocks icon in the menu bar.
  3. Click the shadowsocks icon → Proxy Auto Configure Mode.
  4. Click the shadowsocks icon → Servers → Server Preferences....
  5. Click the + icon and configure:
    • Address: server ip or host in the left and server port in the right.
    • Encryption: choose a encryption.
    • Password: server port and password.
    • Remarks: fill something.
    • Click OK.
  6. Click the shadowsocks icon → Turn Shadowsocks On.
  7. Do somethine more:
    • Click the shadowsocks icon → Update PAC from GFW List.
  8. Visit Google and success. This means you can visit google through shadowsocks.
  9. Query ip in Baidu and show the same ip as before enabling shadowsocks. This means you can visit baidu directly.
  10. Now you could surf the Internet.

Then only surfing when using browser (Windows)

Recommends: Firefox or Chrome.

You should do this step at first in Windows:

  1. Right click the shadowsocks icon → System Proxy → Disable.

Firefox

If you use Firefox, it is easy to configure.

  1. Due to technical limitations in the latest Firefox, it is not possible to enable PAC using add-ons. So you should delete or disable all add-ons about proxy in Firefox before the next steps.
  2. Find Open menu icon.
  3. Click the Open menu icon → Options.
  4. Find Network Settings.
  5. Click Settings....
  6. Choose Automatic proxy configuration URL: http://127.0.0.1:1080/pac.
  7. Click OK.

Chrome

If you use Chrome, it is easy to change your browser to Firefox.

Or if you have to use Chrome for some unreasonable reasons, follow this tons of steps.

  1. Install Proxy SwitchyOmega extension.
  2. Find SwitchyOmega icon.
  3. Click the SwitchyOmega icon → Options.
  4. Delete auto switch profile.
  5. Delete proxy profile.
  6. New profile... → Profile name: Shadowsocks All → check Proxy Profile → click Create.
  7. Configure:
    • Protocol: SOCKS5.
    • Server: 127.0.0.1.
    • Port: 1080.
    • Click Apply changes.
  8. New profile... → Profile name: Shadowsocks → check Switch Profile → click Create.
  9. Click Add a rule list and configure:
    • Rule List Format: AutoProxy.
    • Rule List URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gfwlist/gfwlist/master/gfwlist.txt.
    • Click Download Profile Now.
    • Switch rules → Condition Type → Rule list rules → Shadowsocks All.
    • Click Apply changes.
  10. Right click the shadowsocks icon → uncheck Enable System Proxy.
  11. Click the SwitchyOmega icon and check different profiles, test Google and query ip to see difference.
  12. Now you could only surf the Internet when using the browser.

Optional

Windows

  • Right click the shadowsocks icon → Start on Boot.
  • Right click the shadowsocks icon → Allow other Devices to connect.

macOS

  • Click the shadowsocks icon → Preferences.... → General → Choose Launch At Login.

Debug

If you have any problem while using shadowsocks, try the following method:

Turn off shadowsocks, surf the Internet and check network connection…

Right click the shadowsocks icon → Help → Show Logs....

If there are many timeout s, it means bad network connection.

If there are many System.Net.Sockets.SocketException s, please contact shadowsocks administrator.

More

Read shadowsocks-windows README.md.

Find clients for other platforms.