Proxy Settings — Fetchii Docs

Some videos are only available in certain countries. Others might be blocked on your network. Or maybe you're on a corporate network that requires all traffic to go through a proxy server. Whatever the reason, Fetchii makes it easy to route your downloads through a proxy when you need to.

When You Might Need a Proxy

The most common reasons people use proxies with Fetchii:

Geo-restricted content — A video says "not available in your country." A proxy server in the right region can bypass this restriction.

Network requirements — Your workplace or school requires all internet traffic to go through their proxy server.

Rate limiting — You've hit download limits and want to distribute requests across different IP addresses.

Privacy — You prefer not to connect directly to video servers.

Choosing a Proxy Protocol

Fetchii supports four proxy protocols. Here's what each offers:

Protocol	Connection to the Proxy	Best For
SOCKS5	Not encrypted by the proxy	General use (recommended)
HTTPS	Encrypted	Web-based proxies
HTTP	Not encrypted by the proxy	Simple setups
SOCKS4	Not encrypted by the proxy	Legacy systems

SOCKS5 is the best choice for most people. It's versatile and works with all types of content, and most local proxy apps offer it. HTTPS proxies are also good, especially if your proxy provider specifically offers them. Video sites themselves use HTTPS, so the video data stays encrypted with any of these protocols; only an HTTPS proxy also encrypts the connection between your Mac and the proxy.

Configuring a Proxy

To route all your downloads through a proxy:

Open Fetchii → Settings (⌘,)
Go to the Network page
Turn on Use proxy
Enter your complete proxy address in Proxy URL
Click Test to check it

The proxy URL should include the protocol, host, and port. If authentication is required, include username and password in the URL.

URL format examples:

socks5://127.0.0.1:1080
socks5://username:password@proxy.example.com:1080
http://proxy.example.com:8080
https://user:pass@secure-proxy.com:443

Supported protocols: socks5://, socks4://, http://, https://

Test sends one request to YouTube through the proxy and tells you whether it worked and how long it took — or why it didn't, for example that the proxy didn't answer or rejected the user name or password. https:// proxies can be used for downloads but can't be tested there.

If the field is empty or the address isn't valid, Fetchii says so under the field. Until you fix it, downloads stop with an error instead of quietly bypassing the proxy.

The proxy is used to analyze and download videos. App updates and model downloads use your Mac's system proxy instead.

Dealing with Geo-Restrictions

When a video is blocked in your region, the download fails with "Region blocked". To access it, you need a proxy server located in a region where the video is available.

A few important considerations:

Speed may vary. Downloads through proxies are typically slower than direct connections. The further the proxy server is from you (or from the content server), the more noticeable this becomes.

Some services detect proxies. Major platforms actively block known proxy IP addresses. If one proxy doesn't work, you may need to try another.

Respect licensing. Content is often geo-restricted for licensing reasons. Use good judgment about whether accessing it through a proxy is appropriate.

Network Optimization Settings

Beyond proxies, Fetchii offers several settings to fine-tune your download experience. Most of them are in Settings → Advanced → Download Engine:

Connection timeout controls how long Fetchii waits for the server before giving up. The default of 30 seconds works well for most connections, but you might increase it for slow proxies.

Download retries sets how many times a download is retried after a network error before it's marked as failed. The default is 10; Segment retries does the same for each piece of a segmented stream.

Multi-connection downloads can't use a SOCKS proxy. With a SOCKS proxy set, those downloads use the built-in downloader, which still goes through your proxy. Switch to an HTTP/HTTPS proxy if you want multi-connection downloads.

Speed limit per download lets you cap download speeds to preserve bandwidth for other activities. Set it in Settings → Network → Speed if you don't want downloads consuming all your available bandwidth.

Troubleshooting Proxy Issues

Connection failed: Click Test next to the proxy address — it tells you whether the proxy answered. Double-check your proxy hostname, port, and credentials, and make sure the proxy app or server is actually running. Downloads that can't reach the proxy fail with "Proxy unreachable".

Downloads are slow: Proxy servers add overhead. Choose a server geographically close to you, or close to the content server. Premium proxy services generally perform better than free ones.

"Forbidden" or access denied errors: The website may be detecting and blocking your proxy. Try a different proxy server, or consider a rotating proxy service that cycles through different IP addresses.

Authentication errors: Verify your username and password are correct, with no extra spaces. Special characters in a password may need to be percent-encoded in the URL (for example @ as %40).

A Note on Security

Free proxy servers are tempting but risky. They may log your traffic, inject ads, or worse. If you're using a proxy for anything beyond casual use, invest in a reputable paid proxy service. Look for providers with clear privacy policies and good reviews.

For sensitive activities (like downloading private videos that require your login), consider whether routing that traffic through a third-party proxy is appropriate. In some cases, a VPN might be a better choice since it encrypts all your traffic, not just Fetchii's downloads.