Archive · Setup Guide
Clash Setup Guide: Import Subscription, Choose Mode, Connect and Verify
Four steps, about 10 minutes. Based on the Clash Verge Rev interface, with notes on Windows, macOS, and Android differences — each step spells out where to click, what you'll see, and what comes next.
This guide uses Clash Verge Rev as the reference interface. Other clients (FlClash, Clash Meta for Android, etc.) use slightly different menu names — "Subscription" might appear as "Profiles" or "Config," and "System Proxy" might be tucked inside Settings — but the order and logic of the four steps stay the same, so just look for the equivalent option by name. Haven't picked a client yet? Check the client comparison first.
STEP 00Before You Start
The entire process needs just two things: a client already installed, and a subscription link. Once you have both, the four steps that follow are pure clicking — no need to understand how anything works under the hood.
Client: If you haven't installed one yet, head to the download page and grab the installer for your OS. Windows and macOS users should double-check the CPU architecture (x64 / ARM64, Intel / Apple Silicon) — each file on the download page is labeled with its supported platform. Installation works like any other app; once it's done, come back here.
Subscription link: a long URL starting with https://, provided by your service in its user dashboard. The client pulls its node list and routing rules from this address periodically. It's not a webpage — opening it directly in a browser usually just shows a block of encoded text, which is normal and doesn't mean the link is broken. For a fuller definition, see the "Config & Subscription" section of the glossary.
One heads-up: your subscription link is essentially an account credential — it contains an identifier tied to you. Don't post it anywhere public, and blur it out in screenshots.
STEP 01Import Subscription: Hand the Link to the Client
Start in your provider's user dashboard and find a "Copy Subscription" button (or similar), then copy the link to your clipboard. Use the provided copy button rather than manually selecting the text — a manual selection often misses trailing parameters and causes the import to fail.
Open the client and click "Profiles" in the sidebar (some clients label it "Subscription" or "Config"). There's an input field at the top of the page — paste the link you just copied and click the "Import" button next to it.
The client then downloads the profile from the subscription URL, usually within a few seconds. Once it's done, a profile card appears in the list showing the profile name and last-updated time; if your provider includes usage data in the subscription, the card will also show data used and expiration date.
Here's the step that matters most: click the card to set it as the active profile. The selected card will show a clear border or highlight. Only the active profile actually takes effect — "imported it but forgot to select it" is the single most common mistake in first-time setup, so if nothing works later, come back and check this first.
While you're at it, open the card's right-click menu (or the menu button in its corner) and turn on "Auto Update," keeping the default update interval. That way, when your provider updates nodes or rules, the client picks up the changes automatically without a manual re-import.
If the import throws an error, or the node list is empty afterward: an expired link, exceeded data cap, or a format mismatch with the core are all possible causes. Self-check steps are covered in the FAQ, under "Setup & Configuration" and "Troubleshooting" — not repeated here.
STEP 02Choose Proxy Mode: Rule, Global, or Direct
Once the profile is active, go back to the client's home screen — you'll see a mode switcher, usually with three options. The difference between them boils down to this:
- Rule mode: traffic is routed request-by-request according to the rules in your profile — local sites go direct, sites outside China go through the proxy. This is the default choice for everyday use.
- Global mode: all traffic goes through the proxy node, no exceptions. Useful for temporary troubleshooting, but leaving it on long-term sends even local traffic on a needless detour.
- Direct mode: nothing goes through the proxy — effectively disables routing while keeping the client running.
Unless you have a specific reason not to, go with Rule mode. After picking a mode, open the "Proxies" page in the sidebar to choose a node: nodes are listed by proxy group, with common group names like "Proxy Selector" or "Auto-Select." In manually selectable groups, click a node to switch to it; clicking the lightning bolt or speed-test icon next to a group's name runs a latency test on the whole group — lower numbers mean a faster connection, and nodes shown in gray or marked as timed out are currently unavailable, so skip those for now.
How proxy groups nest, and what order routing rules match in, is explained in the "Routing & Rules" section of the glossary; what protocol names like Trojan or Hysteria2 in a node's name actually mean, and how to choose between them, is covered in the protocol guide. You don't need to understand any of that at this stage — just pick a node with normal latency and move on.
STEP 03Connect: Enable the System Proxy
The first two steps just get the pieces ready — this is the step that actually routes your device's traffic through the client. The process differs slightly by platform, so jump to the section for your OS.
Windows / macOS: back on the client's home screen, find the "System Proxy" toggle and turn it on. This points your OS-level proxy settings at the local port the client is listening on, so browsers and most apps immediately start sending traffic through it. On Windows, if "Service Mode" or TUN is also enabled, a User Account Control (UAC) prompt will appear the first time — click "Yes" to allow the service to install. On macOS, the first activation will ask for permission to change network settings — enter your login password to confirm; if enhanced mode is enabled, you may also see Network Extension and Keychain Access prompts in sequence — just allow each one. Authorization is only needed once; after that, the toggle works instantly.
Android: tap the start button on the client's home screen. The system will show a prompt like "App wants to set up a VPN connection" — tap "OK." A key-shaped icon appearing in the status bar confirms the local tunnel is up, with no extra setup required.
The client also has a "TUN Mode" toggle, which intercepts all traffic at the system level — useful for apps that ignore the OS proxy setting (some games, command-line tools). It requires higher permissions, though, and is trickier to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. It's best to get the whole flow working with System Proxy first, then explore TUN later if you need it — see how it works in the protocol guide, and common permission issues in the FAQ.
Finally, it's worth turning on "Launch at Startup" in the client's settings so it starts automatically with your system. Otherwise, after a reboot you might forget to launch it manually and end up thinking "the proxy is configured but isn't working" when it's simply not running.
STEP 04Verify: Confirm the Proxy Is Actually Working
Having every toggle switched on doesn't guarantee it's actually working. Run through these three checks, from simplest to most thorough, and the setup is genuinely complete.
Check 1 — just try loading a site: open a new incognito browser window and visit a site outside China that you normally can't reach directly. If it loads, the proxy chain is basically working. Using incognito avoids cache interference — a regular window sometimes caches a failed page load, leading to a false read.
Check 2 — look at the Connections panel: back in the client, open the "Connections" page. It shows a live, scrolling list of every connection passing through the client, along with the destination domain, the rule that matched, and the node actually used. If the domain you just visited shows up here routed through a proxy node rather than direct, the routing rules are working as expected. This panel is also the most useful tool for troubleshooting down the road, so it's worth getting familiar with now.
Check 3 — compare exit IP: visit any IP-check page and note the exit IP and region, once with the system proxy on and once with it off. In Rule mode, checking from a service outside China should show the node's region; if it still shows your local region, traffic isn't going through the proxy — go back to Step 3 and check the toggle and authorization.
If pages still won't load: first confirm "System Proxy" is still switched on — some security software and system updates silently reset proxy settings — then go back to the "Proxies" page and try a node with normal latency. Still not working? Work through the "Troubleshooting" checklist in the FAQ item by item; if you run into unfamiliar terms like DNS leak or Fake-IP along the way, look them up anytime in the glossary.
That's it — your first setup is complete. From here on, just keep the client running in the background, update your subscription occasionally, and switch nodes based on latency test results as needed. No need to repeat any of the steps above.