Have you seen this message on your computer before: "ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED"? It's perfectly normal to freak out and wonder what the problem is. After all, such internet connection errors never really specify the underlying cause.

Instead, they indicate a problem either on your device or the website that you are trying to access. And while several issues could be at play, incorrect proxy and firewall settings are definitely among the most common.

That being said, today's blog will walk you through the process of checking and troubleshooting proxy and firewall settings in Google Chrome and Windows. Keep reading below.

Below is a rundown of the situations when you should troubleshoot your proxy and firewall settings to streamline your internet connection.

We've all found ourselves looking at the address bar, rolling our eyes at the loading indicator while anxiously waiting for a new page to load. Sometimes, a misconfigured proxy or firewall could be the culprit blocking access to your target website.

So, don't punch the screen in frustration; a quick and easy fix is to check your device's firewall and proxy configuration.

If you didn't know, proxies and firewalls are versatile tools for content control. They can monitor how you use the internet and block access to specific domains.

So, when you see a message like "Access Denied" when using the internet on a public network, you might need to reconfigure your proxy server settings.

Imagine using a proxy only to find the new internet speed too slow to bear. Don't start cursing just yet. Your choice of proxy server affects the speeds you enjoy.

The farther the distance between your device and the selected IP addresses, the slower the internet connection. If you find yourself in such a situation, adjust your IP settings and switch to closer servers.

Firewalls and proxies can protect network users from malicious websites and networks—it is why cybercriminals configure malware to check internet properties.

If you are connecting via a proxy server or behind a firewall, these programs will modify your proxy and firewall configuration to allow access to harmful websites. Therefore, check proxy settings to ensure they are intact when your device shows signs of malware infestation.

Up to this point, you know the situations that warrant checking your proxy data on Google Chrome. What might still be unclear is how to change proxy settings on your browser. Here's how it's done.

Fire up your Google Chrome browser and click the three-dot menu at the top left corner of your screen (1). Doing this will reveal a list with many options, as you will see below. Now scroll to the bottom and find "Settings" (2).

Once you click on settings, the browser will direct you to a new page with a list of options. Navigate to the bottom and click "System" (3) to access Google Chrome Proxy Settings.

After clicking on "System," you will see three options. Ignore the first two and select "Open your computer's proxy settings" (4).

Google Chrome will now redirect you to your computer's proxy server settings. From here, you can adjust the system-wide proxy server configuration.

Adjusting firewall settings takes a slightly different approach because you must do it from your Windows settings, unlike proxies, where the process starts from Google Chrome. Here's how it's done:

Type "firewall" (1) into the search bar. Your device will return a list of applications matching your query.

Find the "Firewall and Network Protection" (2) option and open it.

Locate the "Allow an app through firewall" (3) option and select it.

Click the "Change Settings" (4) button so you can alter these settings. Locate Google Chrome from the list of apps arranged alphabetically and tick the checkbox (5), allowing it to connect via your system's firewall.

Click "OK" (6) to save your changes.

By following the steps above, you will have successfully configured your network's firewall to allow Chrome to connect, saving you a lot of trouble.

It's quite common to encounter disruptive errors like "Access Denied" or "Proxy Not Working " when working with Google Chrome. Situations that can trigger these prompts include proxy and firewall misconfiguration, restricted access, and malware.

To check these settings and eliminate the errors, navigate to the proxy settings on Google Chrome, which will redirect you to the system's settings. Then, adjust the proxy server configuration to eliminate the block that led you down this road.

If a faulty proxy setting is not to blame, consider changing the firewall settings on your Windows device to allow Chrome to connect. All you have to do is type Firewall into your computer's search bar, open the firewall settings, and tick the check box beside Google Chrome to allow the browser to connect via the Windows Firewall system.

We hope today's guide has helped you learn how to check proxy and firewall on Chrome. Say goodbye to unpleasant issues like websites not loading or slow speeds due to misconfiguration. Until next time.