Using the extension
Everything happens in the extension’s popup: click the Shifter icon in your browser toolbar to open it.
Connect with your API key
Section titled “Connect with your API key”-
Copy your API key
Open your Shifter profile and copy your API key.
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Paste it into the extension
Open the extension and paste the key. It is stored only in this browser and sent only to Shifter’s own API, as the
X-Api-Keyheader. -
Pick a plan
The extension lists every active Residential Proxies and ISP Proxies plan on your account, with the traffic left. A plan close to its end is marked Expiring soon, and a trial shows when it ends (Trial ends). Use Switch membership to move to another plan at any time.
Once connected, the extension routes the browser through the Shifter gateway, p.shifter.io:443 or the entry point you chose (see below), and answers the proxy login for you. Only traffic from this browser goes through Shifter.
Choose a location
Section titled “Choose a location”What you can target depends on the pool of your Residential Proxies plan. See Geo-targeting for how the pools differ.
| Pool | Location picker |
|---|---|
| Full Geo | Country, state, city and ASN (carrier). Type in Search country, state, city or ISP. |
| Country Geo | Country only. State, city and ASN targeting come with Full Geo. |
| Non-Geo | Random location: random worldwide IPs. Picking a location needs Country Geo or Full Geo. |
Strict location
Section titled “Strict location”With Strict location on, the extension only uses IPs from the exact state, city or ISP you picked and never falls back to a wider area. If no IP is free there, the connection fails with No IP is available for this location right now. Try a wider area. Leave it off unless the exact location matters more than getting connected.
IP session
Section titled “IP session”The IP session setting decides how often your exit IP changes.
| Option | Behaviour | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sticky IP | Keeps the same exit IP for a while. | Logins, carts and anything with a session |
| New IP per request | A fresh exit IP on every request. | Scraping and price checks |
The session length (TTL) of a sticky IP defaults to 10 minutes (600 seconds). Pick another length, or enter a custom number of seconds. When the TTL runs out, the next request gets a new IP.
Click Get a new IP to rotate right away without waiting for the session to end.
See Sessions for how sticky sessions work on the gateway.
ISP Proxies
Section titled “ISP Proxies”On an ISP Proxies plan, use Choose an IP to pick one of the static ISP IPs on your plan. The browser keeps that IP, with its city and ISP, until you choose another. Place and manage the IPs themselves in the panel, see Managing IPs.
Entry point
Section titled “Entry point”The Entry point is where your browser connects to Shifter, not where your exit IP is.
- Automatic (Nearest region): the extension connects to the region nearest to you.
- A fixed region: Amsterdam, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, New York, Singapore, Sydney or Toronto.
A fixed region keeps a sticky IP even when your own network changes, for example when a laptop moves from office Wi-Fi to a phone hotspot.
WebRTC leak protection
Section titled “WebRTC leak protection”WebRTC lets web pages open direct connections that can reveal your real IP even behind a proxy. WebRTC leak protection stops sites from seeing your real IP through WebRTC while you are connected. It is on by default.
If it shows “Not active”, another extension or a browser policy controls WebRTC. See Troubleshooting.
Bypass list
Section titled “Bypass list”Addresses in Bypass proxy for skip Shifter and use your own connection. The list starts with localhost, 127.0.0.1, *.local and private networks, so your router, printer and local development servers keep working. Add any domain you want to reach directly, such as an internal company site.
Private windows
Section titled “Private windows”The extension works in private windows (Incognito in Chrome) once you allow it in your browser’s extension settings. The steps for each browser are on the install page.
Verify your exit IP
Section titled “Verify your exit IP”After connecting, the extension checks your exit IP and its country on IP Info, Shifter’s free IP lookup, and shows the result in the popup. To double-check, open ip-info.com in a tab: it shows the IP, city and ISP that sites see. See IP Info for details.