V2Ray Quick Start: From Subscription Import to Connection Verification

A subscription gives the client a set of node configurations to manage in one place. Once this step is complete, the main screen should show node names, protocol types, or group information. If the list is still empty, do not move on to proxy mode selection—there is no outbound node to connect to yet.

v2rayN Desktop Steps

Open v2rayN and find “Subscription Groups” or a similarly named subscription management option in the top menu. Choose Add, enter a recognizable remark such as “Daily subscription,” and paste the complete URL into the subscription field. The remark is only for local identification and does not affect the connection. Save it, return to the main window, open the subscription menu again, and choose “Update all subscriptions” or update the current group.

When the update finishes, check the main list. Normally, several nodes will appear, with details such as aliases, addresses, ports, protocols, or transport methods. At this point, only confirm that the list contains entries; do not edit fields one by one. If the client says the update completed but nothing changed, first make sure the group you saved is enabled, then check that you updated the correct subscription group.

v2rayNG Android Steps

Open v2rayNG, go to subscription settings from the top-right menu, tap Add, and enter a name and the URL. Save it, return to the main screen, and use the menu to choose “Update subscriptions.” After a successful update, selectable nodes will appear. If multiple subscriptions are configured, confirm that the new one is enabled and check whether the update applied to all subscriptions or only the selected one.

Some systems automatically add spaces before or after a pasted URL. If you see “Invalid address,” “Update failed,” or an empty list, reopen the edit screen and check both ends of the URL. You can also clean it up in a plain-text editor before copying it back. Do not manually change capitalization, slashes, or parameters, as they may be part of the subscription identifier.

Check These Three Things First When an Update Fails

1. Is the URL complete? Copy the subscription URL again and remove spaces or line breaks from both ends.
2. Is the subscription still valid? Confirm that your service provider has not changed the URL and that the subscription remains active.
3. Does the log show a cause? Check the client's status message or runtime log to distinguish parsing errors, connection timeouts, and unexpected response content. For help reading logs, see the common error troubleshooting guide.

Once the node list appears, stop changing subscription settings for now. The next step is deciding how the client handles device traffic: choosing a proxy mode. Checking subscription import and proxy mode separately helps distinguish “nodes were not imported” from “traffic is not going through the client.”

The node determines which outbound connection carries traffic; the proxy mode determines which requests are sent through it. These are often confused: changing nodes does not fix an incorrect system proxy, and global mode cannot revive a failed node. For a first setup, focus less on studying every routing rule and choose a practical, easy-to-troubleshoot mode.

Choosing a Mode on Desktop

In the v2rayN main window or system tray menu, find the option related to “Routing,” “System Proxy,” or “Proxy Mode.” Set the routing mode to rule mode first, then confirm that the client is set to manage the system proxy. Depending on the version, “Automatically configure system proxy,” “Clear system proxy,” and “Do not change system proxy” may appear in the same menu. For the first connection, choose the option that lets v2rayN set the system proxy, not “Do not change.”

Rule mode selects an outbound according to the client's existing routing rules. You do not need to add custom domains or import multiple rule files from unknown sources. The default rules are enough for a basic connection test. After confirming that the subscription, node, and system proxy work, refine the details in the routing and traffic-splitting section of the user manual as needed.

Choosing a Mode on Android

v2rayNG handles traffic differently from a desktop system proxy, but you still need to confirm the routing mode in the client. Open Settings or Routing Settings and choose rule mode or the default rule configuration provided by the client. For first use, do not enable per-app proxying, custom DNS, and layered routing at the same time; their interaction makes it difficult to identify why a particular app cannot connect.

Choosing a mode does not necessarily mean the client is connected. It only defines the traffic-handling strategy. Next, select the active server from the node list and start the service. Before connecting, note the current mode. If verification fails later, keep the mode unchanged and replace only one node for comparison, so multiple variables do not change at once.

Once the node list is populated and the proxy mode is set, begin the actual connection. For the first test, do not chase speed-test results; choose a node with a normal status and a clear name. The immediate goal is a basic working connection, after which you can compare the stability of other nodes.

Set the Active Node in v2rayN

Click the target node in the main list to select its row, then use the context menu or a shortcut to set it as the active server. Depending on the version, the active node may be shown with a highlight, check mark, or status-bar text. After setting it, check the bottom of the window or the tray menu to confirm that the active server name matches your selection.

Next, start the v2rayN service and choose automatic system proxy configuration from the system proxy menu. A successful start usually changes the tray icon status, while the log area shows messages such as a local inbound listener and completed configuration loading. If the core is running but the system proxy still says “Cleared” or “Do not change,” browser traffic may not enter the client, so verify both settings separately.

Start the Connection in v2rayNG

Select a node on the main screen so its name becomes the active configuration, then tap the connect button. The first time you start it, the system will show a connection permission prompt; read it and confirm. After authorization, a connection indicator appears in the system status area and the v2rayNG connection button changes state. If it immediately returns to disconnected, open the log to find the specific startup error instead of tapping repeatedly.

Wait a Few Seconds After Connecting

The client needs a moment to start the core, connect to the node, and prepare DNS handling. When the connection status first changes, wait a few seconds before opening a new browser page. Existing pages may retain old connections or cached results, so a direct refresh may not accurately reflect the current settings; a new tab is recommended for testing.

If the node list offers latency testing, run it once before or after connecting. Latency only describes the response to the test request and does not by itself represent page-load speed or route stability. Skip nodes that time out for now, but verify apparently available nodes through the next real-access test. Do not run multiple similar clients at once, as they may compete for the system proxy or local ports.

At this point, the client-side basics are complete: the active node is clear, the service is running, and the desktop system proxy or Android connection state is enabled. Do not change settings yet. Instead, use an ordered access test to confirm that traffic is being handled as expected.

Do not verify a connection solely by looking for “Connected” in the client. This usually means the local service has started; it does not prove that the remote node, DNS, routing, and browser proxy are all working. A reliable check tests each layer in order, observing one factor at a time and noting whether the mode or node changed.

Layer 1: Confirm That the Local Network Works

Open a new browser tab and first visit a regular website that normally loads directly. If every page fails immediately, check whether the system proxy points to a stopped client, whether the client has just exited, or whether rule mode was set to an unsuitable configuration. Do not blame the subscription first; an incorrectly applied local proxy can produce the same symptoms.

Layer 2: Test a Page That Should Use the Current Node

Leave the client running and open a page that should use the proxy under the current rules. If it loads normally and the client log records the connection, the browser request has entered the client and is being handled by the current node. If regular sites work but the target page repeatedly times out, try another node. If changing nodes fixes it, the original node or route was probably temporarily unavailable.

Layer 3: Compare the Results with a Mode Switch

If only a specific page fails in rule mode, briefly switch to global mode and open it again. If global mode works but rule mode fails, the connection path is broadly healthy; focus on routing rules and DNS. If both modes fail, continue checking the node, subscription validity, device time, and logs. Switch back to rule mode after the comparison so the test setting is not left active.

Layer 4: Read the Logs Closest to the Failure

Open the client log and find the lines added when the recent access attempt failed. Look for connection timeouts, DNS resolution failures, invalid user information, or refused connections. Do not copy a single isolated error; keep the target address, outbound tag, and timestamp before and after it so you can identify whether the failure occurred at the local inbound, route matching, DNS, or remote connection stage.

When both regular pages and pages requiring proxy handling open as expected, and the connection remains stable after switching back to rule mode, the basic setup is complete. Save the working node and subscription group; there is no need to keep changing core parameters. If verification still fails, fully exit other similar clients, restart the current client, and repeat the checks in this section.