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60 practical guides - from first install to writing routing rules and troubleshooting. Browse by category or search.
60 guides
What Is Clash for Windows: Features and How It Works
An introduction to Clash for Windows: what it does, its core concepts (core, profiles, rules, nodes) and how it relates to other proxy tools. For first-time users.
Getting startedDownload and Install Clash for Windows (Step by Step)
How to pick the right package (x64 / 32-bit / ARM64, installer vs portable), run the installer, handle the SmartScreen warning and verify the first launch.
Getting startedFirst Launch: A Tour of Every Page in the Interface
Page-by-page walkthrough of General, Proxies, Profiles, Connections, Logs and Settings - what each does and which operations you will use daily.
Getting startedImporting a Subscription URL: Your First Profile
How to import your provider subscription on the Profiles page, activate it, set up automatic updates, and what to check when the import fails.
Getting startedImporting a Local YAML Config File
Two ways to use a local config.yaml without a subscription (drag-and-drop and file import), plus editing and hot-reload tips.
Getting startedEnabling the System Proxy and Verifying It Works
Turn on System Proxy, then confirm traffic actually flows through Clash using three methods: browser, exit-IP check, and the Connections page.
Getting startedPorts Explained: Mixed Port 7890 and Controller Port 9090
What the Mixed Port, HTTP/SOCKS ports and the external controller port each do, how to change them, and how to point third-party apps at the proxy.
Getting startedUpdating Clash for Windows and the Clash Core
What end-of-maintenance means in practice, how to upgrade older installs to 0.20.39 in place, whether data survives, and how to check the bundled core version.
Getting startedStart on Boot and Silent Start
Configure Start with Windows plus Silent Start so Clash restores your proxy after every reboot, and fix autostart when it silently fails.
Getting startedUninstalling Clash for Windows and Cleaning Up
The correct uninstall order - restore system proxy and TUN, remove the service, uninstall, then clean leftovers - to avoid losing connectivity afterwards.
Getting startedVerifying the Installer: SHA-256 and Digital Signatures
After grabbing the package from an official download channel, use certutil or Get-FileHash to compute SHA-256, compare it against the publisher's value, and read the Digital Signatures tab.
Getting startedThe Profiles Page: Managing Multiple Config Files
Keeping several subscriptions and local configs side by side, what happens to proxy groups and node picks when you switch, where the files live on disk, and what to check before deleting a card.
FeaturesThe Proxies Page: Groups and Node Switching
Understand the group structure of the Proxies page, switch nodes, benchmark a group, and learn why "I switched nodes but nothing changed" happens.
FeaturesLatency Testing: Benchmarking Nodes and Reading Results
How to trigger latency tests per group or per node, what the test URL and timeout mean, interpreting green/yellow/red values, and why results can disagree with reality.
FeaturesRule, Global and Direct: Choosing an Outbound Mode
How the three outbound modes work, when each is appropriate, common misuse, and the connection-state gotcha after switching.
FeaturesTUN Mode Explained: Capturing All System Traffic
How TUN mode works, how it differs from the system proxy, the required Service Mode install, gvisor vs system stack, and common pitfalls.
FeaturesUWP Apps Not Using the Proxy? The Loopback Tool
Why Windows blocks Store (UWP) apps from loopback connections, and how the built-in UWP Loopback tool exempts them so they can use the proxy.
FeaturesThe Connections Page: Live Inspection and Debugging
Use the Connections page to see each connection's matched rule and proxy chain, find out why a site is not proxied, sort columns, and kill connections.
FeaturesThe Logs Page and Log Levels
How to read the Logs page, adjust log-level for more detail, and which keywords to look for when debugging.
FeaturesMixin: Injecting Global Overrides into Every Profile
Use Mixin to override DNS, TUN, ports and more without touching the subscription - YAML and JavaScript modes with worked examples.
FeaturesParsers: Automatic Processing on Subscription Updates
Use Parsers to auto-edit specific subscriptions after each download: add or remove nodes, append rules, change ports - yaml shortcuts and code mode explained.
FeaturesWeb Dashboards and the External Control API
Meet the RESTful API on port 9090: connect a web dashboard, list the useful endpoints, and secure the API with a secret.
FeaturesSettings Reference: What Each Switch Actually Does
Every toggle explained by consequence - system proxy, TUN, Service Mode, Allow LAN, IPv6, log level, ports and the external controller - plus why a change sometimes appears to do nothing.
FeaturesThe Tray Menu: Everyday Actions Without Opening the Window
Right-click the tray icon to toggle the system proxy, flip TUN mode and actually quit the app - plus what to do when the icon disappears or stops responding.
Routing rulesClash Rule Basics: Types and Matching Order
The syntax of the rules section, top-down matching, a reference table of common rule types, and the role of the MATCH fallback.
Routing rulesDOMAIN Rules In Depth: DOMAIN, SUFFIX and KEYWORD
The exact differences between the three domain rule types, matching-scope comparison, false-positive risks, and why domain rules go before IP rules.
Routing rulesIP-CIDR and GEOIP Rules In Depth
A crash course in CIDR notation, how the GeoIP database works, what no-resolve does, and how IP rules combine with domain rules.
Routing rulesWriting Custom Rules: Six Real-World Examples
Need-driven rule recipes: force a site through the proxy or direct, block a domain, keep the intranet direct, route by process - plus how to insert rules persistently.
Routing rulesProxy Group Types: select, url-test, fallback, load-balance
Behavioral differences of the four main group types, when to use each, config samples, and tuning interval and tolerance.
Routing rulesRULE-SET and Rule Providers
Reference externally maintained rule collections with rule-providers: the three behavior types, update mechanics, and mixing with classic rules.
Routing rulesThe Classic Split: Domestic Direct, International Proxied
Build the standard "domestic traffic direct, foreign traffic proxied" ruleset from scratch: private ranges, domestic domain/IP sets, proxy fallback - complete working snippet included.
Routing rulesStreaming Rules: Netflix and YouTube via Specific Regions
Create a dedicated streaming proxy group bound to streaming rules - the fix for "the node works but Netflix says use of an unblocker detected" - with a ready domain list.
Routing rulesAd Blocking with REJECT and Blocklist Rule Sets
Block ads and trackers at the network layer with the REJECT outbound: wiring up a blocklist provider, diagnosing false positives, and comparing with browser extensions.
Routing rulesPROCESS-NAME Rules: Routing by Program
How to route by the originating process, why process rules can fail under the system proxy, and practical recipes for games and download tools.
Routing rulesDST-PORT and SRC-PORT: Routing by Port Number
How port rules are written, why putting one too high in the list silently disables every domain rule below it, and three cases worth using them for.
Routing rulesKeeping LAN Devices Direct: NAS, Printers and Router Pages
Why 192.168.1.1 stops loading once the proxy is on, the private-range rules that fix it, what no-resolve is for, and the extra wrinkle TUN mode adds.
AdvancedThe Clash YAML Config, Section by Section
Every top-level field of config.yaml decoded: ports, mode, DNS, proxies, proxy-groups, rules and the optional sections - understand each line of your subscription.
Advancedproxy-providers: Externalizing Node Subscriptions
Separate node lists from your main config with proxy-providers: merge several providers into one self-built ruleset, health-check parameters, and mixing with hand-written proxies.
AdvancedScript Mode: Routing Decisions in JavaScript
Getting started with the Premium core script feature: the main function context, dynamic routing by time/port/resolved IP, and the performance trade-off versus rules.
AdvancedCustom DNS: fake-ip vs redir-host
How Clash's built-in DNS works, choosing between fake-ip and redir-host, nameserver/fallback grouping, and fake-ip-filter exceptions.
AdvancedSharing the Proxy over Your LAN
Turn on Allow LAN so phones, TVs and consoles use your PC's proxy: firewall rules, per-device setup, and the security caveats.
AdvancedCommand-Line Proxying: curl and Environment Variables
The standard ways to route PowerShell, CMD, Git and npm through Clash, verify the chain with curl, and configure per-tool proxies.
AdvancedExternal Control API: Automation in Practice
Script the RESTful API: scheduled node switching, pick-lowest-latency, bulk connection reset and traffic monitoring - PowerShell and curl examples included.
AdvancedPerformance Tuning: a Practical Checklist
A checklist covering node choice, DNS, rule count, UI rendering and TUN stack selection - plus parameter tweaks for heavy-traffic use.
AdvancedThe CFW Data Directory: Backup and Migration
Where profiles, subscriptions and settings actually live, the full move-to-a-new-PC procedure, and what is worth backing up.
Advancedrelay Chains: Traffic Through Multiple Nodes in Sequence
Use a relay-type proxy group for "first through A, then through B" forwarding: the landing+transit pattern, configuration, and the latency price.
AdvancedTurning On IPv6: Config Fields, TUN and DNS Caveats
How the client toggle relates to the ipv6 field in the config, when enabling it helps and when it just adds latency, and how to confirm traffic really goes over v6.
Advancedskip-cert-verify and SNI: Fixing Nodes That Fail on Certificates
When the log mentions a certificate and a node drops instantly: what sni and servername do, what skip-cert-verify really turns off, and the price of leaving it on.
TroubleshootingNo Internet? The Layer-by-Layer Troubleshooting Flow
A systematic flow from physical network to rule config: find out in five minutes exactly which layer breaks when "Clash is on but nothing loads".
TroubleshootingWhy Subscription Imports or Updates Fail
Six failure modes of subscription downloads, one by one: blocked network, dead link, wrong format, certificate issues, rejected User-Agent, and the local proxy deadlock.
TroubleshootingAll Nodes Timing Out: What to Do
When every latency test shows Timeout: systematically separate local-network, subscription-status, test-URL and mass-blocking causes.
TroubleshootingSystem Proxy On, Yet Some Apps Bypass It
Why browsers obey the proxy while some clients don't: the system proxy's inherent limits, the four typical offender classes and their fixes.
TroubleshootingTUN Mode Won't Start, or Kills the Network
Scenario-based TUN debugging: missing Service Mode, the switch flipping back, no network after enabling, DNS failures, and virtual-adapter conflicts.
TroubleshootingHandling Port Conflicts (7890 / 9090)
Recognize bind: address already in use, find the occupying process with netstat, and choose between closing the conflict or moving Clash's ports.
TroubleshootingFixing a Blank or Garbled Window
Causes of CFW's white/blank window and mangled UI (Electron GPU rendering, corrupted caches) with ordered fixes, including disabling hardware acceleration.
TroubleshootingDiagnosing High CPU or Memory Usage
Separate core-process from UI-process usage and check the five usual suspects: log level, oversized rule sets, connection storms, rendering cost and error loops.
TroubleshootingDealing with Antivirus and Firewall Conflicts
Handling AV false positives, blocked service installs and quarantined core files: exclusion setup, why false positives happen, and habits that minimize friction.
TroubleshootingCommon Error Logs, Decoded Line by Line
A cheat sheet translating the most frequent errors and warnings on the Logs page into plain language: cause, blast radius, and links to the fixes.
TroubleshootingChecking for DNS Leaks in Three Steps
Confirm your lookups are not going to your ISP using a test site, the Connections page and the command line - how to read the results in fake-ip mode, and how to plug a leak.
TroubleshootingUDP Is Not Getting Through: Games, Voice and QUIC
Why a system proxy cannot carry UDP at all, how to add the udp field to a node, how TUN and SOCKS5 differ, and the order to check things when voice chat breaks up.
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