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Proxy could not be reached (host/port/online)

You might be here because: “the proxy did not answer” · “proxy could not be reached” · “my proxy won’t connect” · “launch fails, proxy validation failed” · “it’s broken, says check host and port” · “reason unreachable” · “proxy not working” · “can’t connect to my proxy” · “session won’t start since I added the proxy”

Short answer

Before a session starts, Driftstack makes a real connection through your proxy. “The proxy could not be reached. Check the host and port, and that it is online.” means that host and port refused Driftstack’s connection, the host name does not exist or resolves to a private or local address, there is no route to that host, or what answered is not a proxy Driftstack can use. No session was created and nothing is billed. A proxy that gives Driftstack’s servers no answer at all does not get this message: the launch is not refused for that, because sessions connect from a different network.

Check first

  • Are you signed in to the desktop app, and is the app up to date? An old build can be refused for saves and launches — see ‘Please update Driftstack to keep editing’ (old desktop build refused).
  • Is the proxy saved and tested? Open Proxies, find the row, press Test (SOCKS5) or Check VPN (OpenVPN/WireGuard) and read the result.
  • If the app shows it is offline, reconnect and try again — proxy changes and tests need a connection.
  • Is a proxy actually chosen for the profile you are launching? Open the profile’s Edit and look at the Proxy picker.

Likely causes and fixes

  1. Typo in host or port. Open the proxy in Proxies → Edit and compare host and port against your provider’s dashboard character by character. Changing the address asks you for the password again — that is expected.
  2. The proxy is on your own machine or network. Addresses like localhost, 127.0.0.1, 10.x, 172.16–31.x, 192.168.x work from your desk and are unreachable from Driftstack’s servers. Use a proxy with a public address.
  3. The proxy is down or its address changed. For a VPN, the session-end reason may say “Proxy address not found” or “Proxy did not respond” — that side is the provider’s. Ask the provider.
  4. It was fine a minute ago. A retry with the same proxy fails the same way until the proxy answers again. Test it again after fixing the address; a green Test means the same thing as a successful launch for SOCKS5.

If it still fails

Press Talk to a person in this chat (or open Help) and include: the proxy’s label and host (never the password), the exact sentence shown, the time you tried, and whether Test in the Proxies tab passes. If a second proxy from another provider launches, the fault is with the first provider.