How to Fix The proxy server is refusing connections error in Firefox or Chrome on Windows 10

If you receive an error message saying, “The proxy server is refusing connections” while trying to open a website on your Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browser in Windows 10, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing this error.

This kind of error occurs when you have a wrong or dead proxy configuration or when you are using some VPN service. However, this kind of error could also mean that your computer might be infected by a malware which caused some changes in the internal settings. Whatever triggered the error, here are some suggestions that could help in fixing it.

Like other browsers, Firefox allows users to setup proxy in several ways. However, if you’ve made any changes recently which might have caused the error, the first thing you can do is to check the proxy settings in your Firefox browser. Follow the steps below to do so.

• • Open the browser and go to Menu and then click Options.
  • After that, go to the General tab and scroll down and click the Settings button under Network Settings.

• From there, make sure that the Use system proxy settings option is set. If not, you have to enable No proxy and then save the changes made.
• Now check if the “The proxy server is refusing connections” error is fixed or not.

Note: If you want to use a proxy in Firefox, you have to select the Manual proxy configuration and set it up properly. And if your network has a proxy setting and you want to grab that, you have to opt for the Auto-detect proxy settings for this network option.

If your PC was just attacked by some adware or malware as of late, it is possible that it has changed the network settings in the system and might display spam advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server for your LAN. To do that, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
  
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
  
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third party proxy service, you have to disable it.

In case you miss it, there is actually an option in the Settings panel that you can use to setup proxy in your Windows 10 computer. So if you encounter the “The proxy server is refusing connections” error, you should disable manual proxy for the meantime and check if it fixed the error or not.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
• Then go to Network & Internet > Proxy.
• And on your right hand side, ensure that the Automatically detect settings is enabled and that the Use a proxy server option under the Manual proxy setup is disabled.
• Now try to open any website again and see if the problem’s fixed.

If you are using a VPN application, there are times when it causes some issues like this error. If that’s the case, you can try to disable your VPN temporarily and see if the error is resolved or not and if turns out that your VPN is the culprit, you have to uninstall it and install a new one or its latest version. To uninstall it, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
• Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
• From there, look for the VPN service you are using, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.

• After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.

You actually have the option to Hard Refresh in order to clear the cache of your browser either pressing key combination Ctrl +F5.

As mentioned, the “The proxy server is refusing connections” might be caused by some malware in the system and so to eliminate the malware, you have to scan your computer using security programs like Windows Defender.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

In addition, if your computer is indeed infected with some malware that’s causing the problem with the Task Manager, aside from Windows Defender you need to run a reliable program like Restoro. This program helps in fixing not just a lot of system issues on Windows 10 but is also efficient in removing any malware in your computer that might be causing the HTTP Error 304 Not modified error. This program is a one-click solution that helps in fixing lots of system issues such as corrupted files, corrupted registries and it also helps in optimizing your PC’s overall performance as it cleans out any junk files in your computer and other system issues that causes your PC to slow down. To use this efficient tool, follow the instructions below.

1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot it.
2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

3. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
4. Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
5. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

6. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
7. Type in the URL address, https://errortools.com/download/restoro in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
8. After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
9. Once the installation process is completed, run Restoro to perform a full system scan.

10. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.