After going through user feedback, we noticed that most "mysterious" beginner problems actually boil down to the same handful of small issues. This article lists the 5 most common ones, along with a fix and the reasoning behind each — spending three minutes reading this before you start can save you a lot of frustration.
1. Downloading From a Random Site You Found in Search Results
Proxy software is a favorite target for bundled malware, and top search results aren't necessarily trustworthy. Some "modified" installers come with someone else's nodes baked in, or even steal clipboard data — in the worst cases they carry a remote-access trojan, and because this kind of software already handles network traffic, an infection can go unnoticed for a long time. Always stick to the official release channel or our download page — every file here is synced with the latest official release, unmodified, with no custom nodes or tracking code added.
2. Connected to a Node, But Never Turned On the System Proxy
This is the number one cause of "it says connected, but the browser still won't load anything." By default, the V2Ray client only opens a local proxy port — your browser's traffic doesn't automatically flow through it. You need to manually turn on system-level proxy forwarding:
- v2rayN (Desktop): right-click the tray icon in the bottom right → "System Proxy" → choose Auto-configure System Proxy — the icon needs to turn red to confirm it's active. If you left it on "Do Not Change System Proxy," the client itself connects fine, but none of your system traffic is actually routed through it.
- v2rayNG (Android): tap the connect button in the bottom right — the first time, it'll ask for VPN permission, which you must allow. You're only truly connected once a key icon appears in the status bar. If you denied the permission request, the icon might still show "connected" even though no traffic is actually being routed.
3. Always Using "Global" Mode
In global mode, even domestic sites get routed through a server abroad — it gets slower the more you use it and wastes bandwidth, and long-term use of this mode can make people wrongly assume "the proxy is just slow" and end up switching providers unnecessarily. If you're in mainland China, use Bypass Mainland (Whitelist) mode instead: domestic sites connect directly, foreign sites go through the proxy, and both stay fast. If that preset doesn't apply to you, Global mode is fine to keep — just make sure you're on a reasonably fast node. See Routing Modes Explained for setup steps, and if you want finer control over which sites use the proxy, check out the routing rules guide.
4. Never Updating the Subscription After Importing It
Proxy providers change server addresses periodically, and old nodes will gradually stop working — this is just how the service normally operates, not a sign anything's wrong. If everything suddenly stops connecting one day, update your subscription in the client and re-test latency first — that fixes it in most cases. It's worth turning on the client's scheduled auto-update feature (usually found in subscription settings, letting you update every few hours or daily) so you don't have to do it manually every time — see Subscription Links Explained for details.
5. Assuming Installing the Client Alone Gets You Online
The client is just a tool — it doesn't provide any connection on its own, and this trips up a lot of first-time users. You still need a node: set up your own server, or get a subscription URL or single node link from a provider. This is covered in detail in Step 1 of the 5-Minute Quick Start. If you're not sure how to get a node, you can start with a free trial from a subscription provider to confirm your client is set up correctly before committing to a paid plan.
These 5 issues cover most of the pitfalls beginners run into, from download through everyday use — and none of them are actual software bugs, just habits or settings that need a small tweak. Spend a few minutes getting these right and you likely won't run into them again.
Bonus Tip: Don't Run Multiple Proxy Tools at Once
Some users end up with more than one proxy tool installed at the same time — say, v2rayN running alongside some other VPN app — and both try to take over the system proxy settings, causing conflicts. This shows up as intermittent connectivity or total loss of internet, often without any clear error message, so it's easy to mistake for a node or subscription problem. If you've recently used another proxy tool, fully uninstall or quit it first and keep only one running — that way, troubleshooting is much clearer, and you avoid the odd behavior caused by two apps fighting over the system proxy setting.