Using a proxy

If your connection goes through a proxy, PDM can send every download — video downloads included — over the same route, so a site that is otherwise unreachable still downloads.

4 min read Updated 6 Aug 2026 Version 3.1 and later
Settings → Proxy — the three connection modes and the manual proxy fields A download in progress: its source and progress are shown in the details
Settings → Proxy — the three connection modes and the manual proxy fields
1

Pick a connection mode

Open Settings → Proxy and choose one of the three modes. "Follow the system" uses the Windows proxy settings and is the default. "No proxy" always connects directly, even when Windows has a proxy configured. Pick "Manual proxy" when you have a specific address and want only PDM to use it.

2

Enter the manual proxy address

Write the address in full, as scheme://host:port. Four schemes are supported: http, https, socks5 and socks5h. The last two differ in a way that matters: with socks5h, site names are resolved at the proxy and stay hidden from your own network; with socks5, the lookup happens on your machine.

socks5://127.0.0.1:1080
3

User name and password — only if the proxy asks

If your proxy requires authentication, fill in "User name" and "Password". The password is stored encrypted on this machine, is never shown back in the form, and clearing both boxes and saving removes it.

Do not fill in a password "just in case". Once a password is set, PDM only connects with authentication, and a proxy that wants none will refuse the connection.
4

Exceptions: connect directly for certain hosts

In "Connect directly for", list comma-separated hosts that should skip the proxy — localhost, or servers on your office network. The list only applies in manual proxy mode.

localhost, .example.com
5

Your downloads now use the proxy

Every download — and every video download — now travels through the proxy you configured. Open a download's details at any time to see its source and progress.

6

If a download fails

When the proxy is unreachable, the download error says so explicitly instead of blaming the link — so check that the proxy is running first. The one exception is the app's own update check: a proxy that requires a password cannot carry it, and the message points you to this website instead.

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