Clash Setup Guide: Get Connected in Four Steps

Step 1: Import the Subscription

A subscription is a configuration file hosted by your provider, containing a node list and routing rules. The client fetches this file via the subscription link, and all node information is read from it afterward. For how subscriptions work and common questions, see the Installation & Setup category in FAQ. This section covers operation steps only.

Desktop (Windows / macOS / Linux)

1. Open Clash Verge Rev and click "Profiles" in the left sidebar to enter the subscription management page. There's an empty input field at the top with an "Import" button to its right.
2. Paste the full subscription link into the input field. Make sure you copy the entire URL from your provider's page — a truncated link is the most common cause of import failures.
3. Click "Import." The client will request the link and download the configuration. Within a few seconds, a profile card appears showing the subscription name, node count, data usage, and update time.
4. Click this card to select it — a selected card is highlighted with a visible border. Only the currently selected subscription is actually used, and this step is easy to miss.

Mobile (Android / iOS)

1. Open Clash Plus, go to the "Profiles" tab at the bottom or side, and tap the "+" in the top right to create a new profile.
2. Choose "Import from URL" (some clients label it "Download from link"), paste the subscription link, and save.
3. Once the download finishes, the profile appears in the list — tap it to set it as the active profile.

After importing, check two things: the node count shown on the profile card is greater than zero, and the update time matches when you just performed the import. If both check out, the subscription was imported successfully — move on to Step 2. If you get an error or the node count is zero, first check whether the link was copied in full and whether your current network can reach the provider's site directly. If it still fails, follow the subscription failure chapter in Troubleshooting Manual step by step rather than retrying repeatedly.

Step 2: Choose a Proxy Mode

With the subscription in place, you need to decide how traffic gets routed. Clash offers three modes:

• Rule mode: Each connection is routed as direct or proxied based on the rules built into the subscription. The most common setup routes sites in mainland China directly and sites elsewhere through the proxy. Use this for everyday use.
• Global mode: All traffic is routed through the proxy with no distinction. Useful for temporary rule troubleshooting or when you explicitly need full proxying — not recommended as a long-term setting.
• Direct mode: No traffic goes through the proxy at all, effectively pausing routing while the client keeps running.

For a fuller comparison of the three modes and common mistakes, see the Usage Tips category in FAQ. For first-time setup, just choose Rule mode.

Where to switch: in Clash Verge Rev, there are three mode buttons at the top of the "Proxies" page on the left — click to switch. Windows users can also right-click the system tray icon and change it directly from the menu. Mobile clients generally place the mode switch on the main screen, showing all three options when tapped.

Once the mode is set, choose a node. Go to the "Proxies" page and you'll see one or more policy groups, each listing all the nodes provided by the subscription. There are two approaches: in manual mode, click a node directly to select it; in auto mode (group names often include Auto or URLTest), the client periodically tests latency and picks automatically, with no manual action needed. Before selecting manually, it's worth clicking the latency test button (a lightning bolt or waveform icon) and waiting for a millisecond value to appear next to each node — lower is better, and anything under three digits is generally usable, while nodes showing timeout or greyed out aren't selectable for now. After testing, click a node with low latency; its name will highlight to confirm it's active.

Step 3: Enable the Connection

The first two steps are just preparation — at this point, system traffic still isn't passing through the client. This step actually plugs the client into the system. The mechanism differs between desktop and mobile, so they're covered separately.

Desktop: Turn on the System Proxy

In Clash Verge Rev, go to "Settings" on the left and turn on the "System Proxy" switch. Once enabled, the OS routes network requests from apps like your browser to the local port the client is listening on, which the client then handles according to the mode and node chosen in Step 2. Next to the switch, the current listening port (usually around 7890) is typically shown — remember this number, as it's useful for troubleshooting.

• Windows: Enabling this for the first time may trigger a firewall prompt — choose Allow. Some security software blocks changes to proxy settings, so if the switch flips back off right after being turned on, allow the client in your security software first. If you need to capture non-browser traffic (like command-line tools or games), the system proxy won't cover it — use TUN mode instead. Prerequisites and conflict handling for TUN mode are covered in Troubleshooting Manual, not here.
• macOS: The first time you change the system proxy, an authorization window appears — enter your login password to confirm. This authorization is only needed once; the switch can be toggled freely afterward.

Mobile: Authorize the VPN Tunnel

• Android: Return to the client's main screen and tap the prominent connect button. On first connection, a "Connection request" dialog appears explaining that the app will establish a VPN connection — choose "Allow." Once connected, a key-shaped icon appears in the status bar, indicating the tunnel is up.
• iOS: The first time you connect with Clash Plus, the system will ask to "Add VPN Configurations" — tap "Allow" and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. Once done, you can see the VPN entry in system settings showing as connected. After this, you can toggle the connection directly within the client without going back into system settings each time.

Worth noting: the switch turning on and the icon appearing only mean the tunnel is established — not that the proxy is actually working. A dead node or broken rules can leave the tunnel running with nothing going through it. Whether it's truly working is confirmed in Step 4.

Step 4: Verify It's Working

Verification involves three checks — the setup is only complete once all three pass:

• Access check: Open a site in your browser that was previously inaccessible. Under Rule mode, it should now load normally. At the same time, open a commonly used site in mainland China to confirm direct traffic is unaffected.
• Exit check: Visit any IP lookup site — the exit region shown should match the region of the node you chose in Step 2. If it still shows your local ISP's location, traffic isn't going through the proxy.
• Panel check: Go back to the client and open the "Connections" or "Logs" page. Under normal conditions, you should see connection records continuously appearing, each labeled with the target domain and the rule it matched. If the list stays empty long-term, traffic isn't reaching the client.

Once all three checks pass, the first-time setup is complete. For everyday use, just keep the client running in the background, and it's a good idea to manually refresh your subscription periodically (via the refresh button on the subscription page) to pick up node changes from your provider.

Further Reading

This page covers the "just follow along" main flow. The following resources are for reference as needed: