Whole device · System setting
Windows 11
Point your whole Windows computer at your private address using the proxy setting that's built into Windows. About 4 minutes.
- About 4 minutes
- Built into Windows
- HTTP
Before you start: grab your details
Log in to your IDNI account, open My Services, and click your Private Address. You'll see your address (IP), port numbers, username and password. Keep that page open.
Want this guide to show your own details instead of the yellow boxes? Type them here. We never ask for your password here.
What this does
This turns on Windows' own proxy setting, so the whole computer is pointed at your private address: Edge, Chrome, and most apps that follow Windows' settings, including Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook and Teams in most setups.
It's the setting Microsoft describes in its own guide, Use a proxy server in Windows.
Set it up (Windows 11)
Open proxy settings
Click Start, open Settings, then go to Network & internet → Proxy.
Set up a manual proxy
Under Manual proxy setup, next to Use a proxy server, click Set up.
Enter your address
In the Edit proxy server box:
Use a proxy server Turn On Proxy IP address YOUR-IP Port YOUR-PORT (the HTTP port) Don't use the proxy server for local (intranet) addresses Leave ticked Click Save.
Log in when asked
Windows has no box for a username and password here. Instead, the first time you open Edge or Chrome, a small window asks you to sign in to the proxy. Enter YOUR-USERNAME and YOUR-PASSWORD. Tick "remember" if it offers.
Check it
In Edge or Chrome, do the 30-second check. Then open your work apps and sign in as usual.
Notes about Windows
- The password pop-up. Browsers ask for your proxy username and password and remember it. Some apps can't show that pop-up, so they quietly fail to connect or skip the proxy. If an app says "no internet" or still shows your real location, use Proxifier. It logs in for every app automatically.
- Microsoft 365. Outlook, Teams and OneDrive generally follow Windows' proxy setting. Sign-ins usually work best after you've signed in once in Edge. Teams calls may send audio and video directly for quality; that's normal and doesn't change where you sign in from.
- Some apps ignore Windows' setting entirely (some games, some chat and VPN-style apps). Proxifier covers those too.
- Company laptops: if your company manages your laptop, it may lock these settings or use other location signals. Follow your company's rules.
- Windows 10 is almost identical: Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy.
To turn it off: go back to Settings → Network & internet → Proxy, click Edit and switch Use a proxy server off.
Use the same address every day. That steadiness is the whole point. Banks and online accounts are calmer when they see the same private address day after day. Switching it on and off a lot, or mixing it with a VPN, looks less like the usual you.
Good to know: IDNI changes where you appear to be. It isn't encryption like a VPN. Websites with the padlock (HTTPS) still protect what you send, which is almost all of them.