Clash is an open-source, cross-platform network proxy client developed by the official team in Go. It is renowned for its extremely low memory footprint and flexible rule-based split-routing system, trusted by developers and technical users worldwide. This is the official Clash beginner configuration guide, systematically covering every step from installing the client to completing your first proxy setup — estimated time: about 10 minutes.
Step 1: Choose and Install a Client
Clash itself is a command-line core, but most users prefer a graphical client built on top of it. Choose the right version for your operating system:
- Windows: Recommended: Clash for Windows or Clash Verge Rev — download the installer and double-click to run.
- macOS: Recommended: ClashX Pro or Clash Verge — supports both Intel and Apple Silicon.
- Linux: Recommended: Clash Verge or the command-line version paired with the Yacd dashboard.
- Android: Use ClashMeta for Android (CMFA) — download the APK from the GitHub releases page.
- iOS: Use Stash or Shadowrocket (available on the App Store).
On first launch after installation, some clients will request administrator or network extension permissions — this is required to configure the system proxy. Please allow it.
Step 2: Obtain and Import a Subscription Link
Clash itself does not provide proxy servers. You need to purchase or obtain a free subscription from a proxy service provider (subscription service). The subscription link is typically a URL beginning with https:// that contains configuration details for all available nodes.
The steps to import a subscription vary slightly by client. Using Clash for Windows as an example:
- Open the app and click Profiles in the left navigation.
- Paste your subscription link into the input box at the top of the page.
- Press Enter or click the download button and wait for the config file to download automatically.
- Once downloaded, click the config card to activate it (it will be highlighted in green).
Step 3: Understand the Three Proxy Modes
Clash offers three operating modes. Understanding the differences helps you switch between them based on your situation:
- Rule Mode: The most commonly used and recommended mode. Clash automatically determines whether each domain or IP should go through the proxy or connect directly, based on rules defined in the config file. For example, accessing Google goes through the proxy while local websites connect directly — ensuring remote services are accessible without affecting local network performance.
- Global Mode: All traffic is forwarded through the selected proxy node. Suitable for situations where you temporarily need all traffic to go through a proxy, but may slow down access to local websites.
- Direct Mode: All traffic connects directly to the target server without going through any proxy. Equivalent to disabling the proxy — useful for diagnosing network issues.
For everyday use, it is recommended to stay in Rule mode and let Clash's intelligent split-routing handle traffic routing decisions.
Step 4: Enable System Proxy
Find the System Proxy toggle on the client's home screen and turn it on. Once enabled, the operating system will automatically forward network requests from browsers, download tools, and other applications that support system proxy settings to Clash for processing.
You can verify the proxy is working by visiting ipinfo.io or ip.sb — if the displayed IP address belongs to the region of your proxy node, the configuration is successful.
Note that system proxy does not cover all applications. Some programs (such as command-line tools like curl, or certain game clients) bypass system proxy settings and establish network connections directly. For these cases, you need to enable TUN Mode to achieve true global proxying. Refer to this blog's TUN Mode article for detailed configuration instructions.
Step 5: Select the Right Node
Open the Proxies page to see all nodes retrieved from your subscription. When selecting a node, consider the following guidelines:
- Latency: Generally, under 100 ms is ideal; 100–200 ms is acceptable; over 300 ms will feel noticeably laggy.
- Geography: For region-locked services (e.g. Netflix, ChatGPT), select a US node; for services specific to other regions, choose the corresponding regional node.
- Load: If your subscription service provides node load information, prioritize nodes with lower load.
Most clients support a "Speed Test All" feature — clicking it sends a speed-test request to all nodes and displays real-time latency, making it easy to quickly find the best node.
FAQ
Q: The browser works fine, but other apps don't?
This is because system proxy only applies to applications that respect proxy settings. The solution is to enable TUN mode, or manually configure the proxy in the relevant application (address: 127.0.0.1, port: typically 7890).
Q: Node latency shows "timeout" — what do I do?
First check whether your subscription has expired, then try clicking to refresh the config. If most nodes are timing out, there may be a local network issue — try restarting your router.
Q: Speed is still slow after switching nodes?
Try nodes in different regions, prioritizing ones that are physically closer and have lower load. Also check that the current mode is Rule mode — having all traffic go through the proxy causes unnecessary latency.
