ScrapeBox proxy configuration: safe settings and best proxy types

Visualization of ScrapeBox at the center with proxy and settings icons around it, showing different proxy usage for harvesting and commenting tasks.

 ScrapeBox proxy configuration is one of the most important parts of running ScrapeBox safely in 2026. With the right proxy setup, you can harvest, comment, and check at scale without burning your main IP or getting instant bans from Google and other search engines.

Why proxies are critical for ScrapeBox

ScrapeBox is a powerful SEO tool used for harvesting URLs, scraping search engines, posting blog comments, checking backlinks, and running many other tasks automatically. All of these actions generate a high volume of requests in a very short time.

If you run ScrapeBox without proxies, every request comes from a single IP, which is extremely easy for search engines and websites to detect and block. Proxies allow you to spread these requests across many IPs, reduce the risk of bans, and safely increase the number of connections and tasks you run in parallel.

If you don’t have your own list, you can grab a free fresh proxy list from our live tool and import it directly into ScrapeBox for testing and warm‑up.

Types of proxies for ScrapeBox (public vs private vs rotating)

Not all proxies are equal. The type of proxy you choose should match the ScrapeBox module and how aggressive your scraping or posting will be.

• Public (free) proxies: Found on public lists, unstable, slow, and heavily abused. They get blocked very fast by Google and most sites. OK only for learning the interface or low‑value spam, not for serious SEO.
• Private dedicated proxies: Only you use these IPs. They are the best option for Google harvesting, comment posting, and checking because they are fast and clean.
• Semi‑dedicated / shared proxies: Shared with a few other users. Cheaper than fully private and usually fine for harvesting and checking if you pick a reputable provider.
• Rotating / backconnect proxies: A gateway that automatically rotates IPs after each request or time period. Excellent for massive harvesting, scraping SERPs, and index checking when you want constant IP change.

A practical 2026 setup is to use rotating or cheaper shared proxies for heavy harvesting and index checking, and keep a smaller pack of private proxies reserved for posting, comment blasts, and delicate tasks where success rate matters most.

Step‑by‑step: ScrapeBox proxy configuration

How to add proxies to ScrapeBox

The exact labels can vary slightly by version, but the workflow is the same. Here is how to load your proxies into ScrapeBox:

1. Launch ScrapeBox.
2. On the main window, locate the Manage Proxies or Proxies section (usually in the bottom‑right area).
3. Tick the checkbox Use Proxies so ScrapeBox knows it should route requests through them.
4. Click the Manage Proxies button to open the proxy manager window.
5. In the proxy manager, click Import Proxies, then choose one of:
   • From File – load a .txt file with one proxy per line.
   • From Clipboard – if you have copied a list of proxies, paste them directly from the clipboard.
   • From URL – if your provider gives you a URL that outputs a live list.
6. Make sure your proxies are in a supported format, such as:
   • IP:PORT
   • IP:PORT:USERNAME:PASSWORD (for user/pass authenticated proxies)
7. Click OK or Save in the proxy manager so ScrapeBox remembers your new list.

If you want to manually test a few proxies in a browser before loading them into ScrapeBox, you can follow our guide on how to use proxy in Chrome, Firefox and Edge to quickly check whether an IP:PORT pair works and changes your visible IP.

On the machine where ScrapeBox is installed, some users also configure a system‑wide proxy or VPN for baseline protection at the OS level. If you want to do that, see how to use proxy on Windows 11.

How to test and remove bad proxies

ScrapeBox has a built‑in proxy tester that can check speed and whether a proxy passes Google or other targets.

1. Open Manage Proxies again.
2. Click the Test Proxies button.
3. Choose the test type, for example:
   • Test Google – checks if the proxy can successfully query Google without instant bans or captchas.
   • Test against custom URL – useful if you want to test against a specific site or your own server.
4. Let the test run. You will see results such as:
   • Passed Google – safe for Google harvesting.
   • Failed or Timed Out – usually too slow, banned, or dead.
5. Click Remove Failed or highlight the bad entries and use Delete Selected to clean your list.
6. Optionally sort by Latency or Speed so the fastest proxies are at the top for harvesting.

For public or rotating lists, retest at least daily or whenever you notice your Google harvest or comment posting slowing down. For high‑end private proxies, testing every few days is usually enough.

Recommended ScrapeBox proxy settings for 2026

Exact numbers will depend on your hardware, connection, and proxy quality, but these are safe 2026 starting points:

• Connections (threads) per proxy: For aggressive Google scraping, keep it conservative – ideally around 1 connection per proxy, especially with public or cheap shared IPs. For posting or checking on high‑quality private proxies, you can push this to 2–3 connections per proxy once you see stable results.
• Global connections: In Settings → Connections, Timeout and Other Settings, start low (e.g., 20–50 connections total) and gradually increase while watching CPU, RAM, and error rates.
• Timeouts: For most harvesting and checking tasks, 30–60 seconds is a good window. Shorter timeouts can miss slow but valid sites; longer timeouts may cause too many hanging connections.
• Delays: When posting comments or sending requests to the same site repeatedly, add a few seconds delay between posts per proxy to avoid triggering anti‑spam systems.
• Rotation: If your provider supports rotation (backconnect or residential), configure ScrapeBox or your gateway to rotate IPs every request or every few requests for scraping modules, and use stickier (longer‑session) IPs for posting or login‑based tasks.

Remember that every ScrapeBox instance is different. Watch your error messages and success ratios, and then tune connections and timeouts instead of blindly copying someone else’s screenshot.

Avoiding bans and footprints with ScrapeBox proxies

ScrapeBox is powerful, but that also means it can leave strong footprints if misconfigured. Here are some practical tips to stay safer:

• Do not rely on public proxies for Google: They are almost always flagged already. Save them for low‑value spam or ignore them altogether.
• Use separate proxy groups: Keep one set for harvesting (where lots of bans are acceptable) and another cleaner set for posting and comment blasts.
• Rotate user agents and referrers: Do not send thousands of requests with the same “ScrapeBox” or default browser user agent.
• Avoid 24/7 maximum‑speed scraping: Burst in sessions, then pause or slow down. Real users do not hammer Google at 500 queries a minute from the same IP range.
• Combine with a VPN for privacy: Proxies change the visible IP to websites, but your ISP and VPS provider can still see traffic. Many advanced users combine proxies with a good VPN; see our guide to the best VPN for SEO and scraping.

If you plan to run ScrapeBox on remote servers or multiple VPSs, choose a reliable VPN provider with strong speeds and automation‑friendly policies; our Surfshark VPN review is a good starting point.

For a complete automation stack, many SEOs also use GSA Search Engine Ranker alongside ScrapeBox. If you want to keep your configuration consistent, see our GSA SER proxy setup guide for similar proxy best practices in GSA SER.

Troubleshooting common ScrapeBox proxy errors

Even with good proxies, you will run into errors from time to time. Here are some common problems and quick fixes:

• “Failed to connect via proxy” – Usually means the proxy is dead, banned, or entered incorrectly. Retest in Manage Proxies → Test Proxies; if it keeps failing, delete it.
• Instant Google bans or captchas – Reduce connections, increase delays, use higher‑quality or rotating proxies, and avoid sending all requests from the same subnet.
• All proxies suddenly fail – Check if your proxy provider has an outage. Try a small test with your normal IP (no proxies) to confirm ScrapeBox is working.
• ScrapeBox freezing or crashing – Too many connections for your hardware or too many dead proxies causing errors. Lower global connections and tighten timeouts.

If you also manage or verify accounts from your phone, consider using similar IP ranges or mobile proxies there as well to keep behavior consistent. Our tutorial on how to use proxy on Android and iPhone shows step‑by‑step mobile configuration.

FAQ: ScrapeBox proxy configuration questions

How many proxies do I need for ScrapeBox?

For light scraping or learning, 10–20 private or semi‑dedicated proxies is enough. For serious Google harvesting and comment posting, many users start with 50–100 high‑quality proxies, or combine a smaller private pack with a larger rotating pool for heavy harvesting.

Can I use free proxies with ScrapeBox?

Yes, but only for testing or throwaway projects. Free proxies are slow, unstable, and often banned on Google and major sites. They will give you a poor success rate and can waste a lot of time, so avoid them for money sites or client projects.

What timeout is best for ScrapeBox proxies?

A good default is 30–60 seconds. Very low timeouts (under 10 seconds) can miss slower sites, while extremely high timeouts cause threads to hang and slow the whole tool. Start around 30 seconds and adjust based on your connection and results.

Why is ScrapeBox showing “failed to connect via proxy”?

This means ScrapeBox could not reach the target through that proxy. Causes include wrong IP:PORT, wrong login details, provider downtime, or a firewall blocking the proxy. Retest the proxy, confirm the credentials, or test it in a browser to see if it works outside of ScrapeBox.

Do I need different proxies for harvesting vs commenting?

It is strongly recommended. Use cheaper or rotating proxies for mass harvesting where some bans are acceptable, and keep a cleaner, more stable set of private proxies for comment posting, contact form submissions, and checking, where consistency and deliverability matter more.

Can I run ScrapeBox without proxies?

Technically yes, but it is risky. Your single IP will take all the abuse and may get banned quickly, especially when scraping Google. For any medium or long‑term SEO work, running ScrapeBox without proxies is not recommended.