Clash Client Guide: From Importing a Subscription to Verifying It Works

01Import the Subscription Link

A subscription link is an https:// address from your service provider. The client downloads the full node list and routing rules from it, then updates automatically on a set schedule. Before you start, confirm two things: first, copy the link completely, start to finish — some providers append parameters like &flag=clash at the end, and dropping them makes the server return a format the client can't read; second, the link should be in Clash format (providers usually label it "Clash" or "YAML") — plain Base64 node-list links aren't recognized directly by most Clash clients. See Subscription Format Explained for the format differences and how to convert.

1. Copy the link. Find the "Subscribe" or "Quick Import" section in your provider's user panel and click copy to get the full link. It's worth pasting it into a plain text box first to check it wasn't truncated and doesn't have stray spaces mixed in.
2. Open the config management page. Launch the client and go to the config management page in the sidebar (or bottom nav on mobile) — called "Profiles" in Clash Verge Rev, "Configs" in Clash Plus and FlClash. There's a URL input box at the top or top-right, or an "Import / New" button.
3. Paste and import. Paste the link into the input box and click "Import" or "Download." The client fetches the config from that address — on a normal connection, a new config card appears within seconds, usually showing the config name; some providers also show remaining traffic and expiry date.
4. Activate the config. Click the card to make it the active config. A successful activation is easy to spot: the card's border highlights or shows a selected marker, and proxy groups appear on the Proxies page. If the card stays greyed out and the Proxies page is empty, it hasn't been activated yet, or the config failed to parse.

The two most common import failures: first, a "parse error" or "invalid format" message almost always means a format issue — convert it using the guide mentioned above and try again. Second, the import button spins until it times out, which means the subscription address is unreachable on your current network — switch networks (like your phone's hotspot) and retry, or try again later. For repeated failures, and trickier cases like "import succeeded but no nodes," the subscription section on the Troubleshooting page has the full process.

Once the config is in place, the nodes don't start working automatically — the client still needs to know what policy to route traffic by and which node to use. That's the next step.

02Choose a Proxy Mode and Node

Every Clash-based client has three outbound modes, switchable from the "Mode" control on the main screen or in settings:

• Rule: each connection is matched against the routing rules in your config one by one — traffic hitting a direct rule goes over the local network, traffic hitting a proxy rule goes through a node. Direct access for local sites in mainland China and proxying everything else is the default behavior for most subscription configs, and the mode you should normally keep on.
• Global: all traffic goes through the proxy with no distinction. Only use this temporarily when you need to force every connection through a node — leaving it on wastes bandwidth and slows down access to sites in mainland China.
• Direct: no traffic goes through the proxy, effectively bypassing the client. Occasionally useful for troubleshooting.

Once Rule mode is confirmed, go to the Proxies page to pick a node. This page is organized by the policy groups in your config: click a node directly in a manual selection group; groups named "Auto," "URL Test," or similar test latency periodically and automatically lock in the fastest node — no manual action needed. Most clients have a lightning bolt or speed-test icon in the top-right of each group; clicking it shows a millisecond value next to each node. That number reflects a single HTTP handshake to a test address — useful for comparing nodes side by side, but not the same as real-world experience: an 80ms node can still stutter on video due to packet loss or bandwidth limits. See How Latency Numbers Can Mislead You for the reasoning. When choosing, favor nodes with stable, consistently low readings across repeated tests over whichever one is lowest on a single check.

At this point the client itself is ready: config activated, mode set, node selected, and the local listening port (visible on the settings page, commonly defaulting to 7890 or 7897) is waiting for traffic. But system traffic hasn't been routed to that port yet — that's step three.

03Enable the Connection

Each platform hands traffic to the client differently — jump to the section for your device.

Windows / macOS Desktop

Find the "System Proxy" switch on the main screen or settings page and turn it on. Once enabled, the client points your OS's HTTP/HTTPS proxy settings to the local listening port (the 127.0.0.1:7890-style address you saw in the previous step) — from then on, browsers and most apps that respect the system proxy route their traffic through the client. The switch turning an active color confirms it took effect; macOS may prompt a permission confirmation the first time — allow it. Turn this switch off before quitting the client, or the system proxy will point at a port that no longer exists, causing the classic "closing Clash breaks the internet" issue.

Android

Tap the large switch or start button on the main screen. The first time, a system-level "VPN connection request" dialog appears — choose Allow. The client uses VpnService to take over traffic on Android, and this authorization is required only once. Once connected, a key (VPN) icon appears in the status bar and the main switch shows as active.

iOS

The App Store version prompts you to add a VPN configuration the first time it launches — confirm with your unlock passcode or Face ID as prompted. After that, just tap the connect switch inside the app; the status bar likewise shows a VPN indicator once connected.

If the switch won't turn on and the logs show errors like bind or address already in use, the listening port is taken by another program — change the port in settings, or quit whatever's holding it (often a leftover process from another proxy tool) and try again.

04Verify the Proxy Works

The connection switch being on doesn't guarantee traffic is actually going through a node. Spend a minute on three checks to confirm the whole chain works:

1. Access test. Open a site in your browser that was previously unreachable and should go through the proxy per your rules. If it loads, the proxy chain is basically working; if not, don't switch nodes yet — the next two checks help pinpoint where things break.
2. Check connection logs. Switch to the client's "Connections" or "Logs" page. Under normal conditions, new connection entries keep appearing, each showing the destination domain, matched rule, and outbound node. A DIRECT entry in the rule column means that connection went direct; a policy group name means it went through the proxy. If this page shows nothing new at all, system traffic isn't reaching the client — the issue is in step three, so go back and check the system proxy switch or VPN authorization.
3. Check the exit IP. Visit any IP lookup page in your browser — the reported exit address should match the region of your selected node. Go back to the Proxies page, switch to a node in a different region, refresh the lookup page, and the reported location should change accordingly. This confirms traffic is actually leaving through the node, not just looping locally.

If the access test fails, work through these in order of likelihood:

• the system proxy switch is off, or got reset by another program (a download manager, another proxy tool);
• a proxy-switching browser extension is installed and its setting overrides the system proxy — set the extension to "follow system" first;
• the mode got switched to Direct by mistake — go back and check step two;
• all nodes are timing out — run a speed test on the Proxies page and try a node with normal latency.

These four cover over 90% of "not working" cases for new users. The rest — DNS pollution, TUN conflicts, an expired subscription, security software blocking the system proxy write, and so on — are covered symptom by symptom on the Troubleshooting page; no need to list them all here.