Clash Setup Guide: From Subscription Import to Verified Connection

Before diving in, you'll need two things: an installed client and a working subscription link. Grab the client for your platform from the download hub — Clash Plus is the top pick for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, while Linux desktop users should go with Clash Verge Rev. Installing it is just like any other app: run the .exe on Windows, open the .dmg on macOS and drag it into Applications, install the .apk on Android, or get Clash Plus from the App Store on iOS.

Copy your subscription link from your provider's dashboard — usually labeled "subscription URL," "Clash subscription," or "one-click subscription." It's a single line of text that looks like this:

https://example.com/api/v1/client/subscribe?token=xxxx-xxxx

Two things to watch out for: first, copy the entire line — even one missing character will break the import. Second, the link contains your account token, which is as sensitive as a password, so don't screenshot it into a group chat or public forum. If you don't have a subscription source yet, sort that out first, then come back — every step from here depends on this link.

Open the client and find the profile management page: in Clash Plus and Clash Verge Rev it's labeled "Subscriptions" in the sidebar (older versions call it "Profiles"); in FlClash it's the "Profiles" tab at the bottom; in Clash Meta for Android, tap "Profiles" from the main screen. This page has one job — managing the config files pulled from your subscription link.

Tap "New" or the "+" in the top corner, and set the type to URL (remote profile). Give it a name you'll recognize, like "Main Subscription," then paste the full subscription link you copied earlier into the URL field and save. The client will start downloading the config — this takes a few seconds to about ten, depending on your connection. Once it's done, the new entry appears in the list along with its node count and last-updated time.

Tap the entry to select it (making it the active profile), then switch to the "Proxies" tab. Seeing policy groups like "Overseas" or "Streaming" along with a node list confirms the subscription imported successfully. If you don't see any nodes, the profile probably isn't selected — go back and tap the entry again.

If it gets stuck downloading the profile, or shows an update failure or timeout, check two things: first, the link might not have been copied in full — go back to your provider's dashboard and copy the whole line again; second, your current network might not be able to reach the subscription URL directly — switch to a mobile hotspot or another network and try updating again. For more failure scenarios and fixes, see the setup section of the FAQ page.

Once the subscription is imported, don't rush to flip the main switch just yet — pick the right proxy mode first. The Clash core supports three modes, switchable at the top of the "Proxies" page: Clash Plus and Verge show them as three tabs side by side, FlClash puts them on the home page, and on the Android client they're on the main screen. Here's how the three modes differ.

Rule: the core checks each connection against the rule set — traffic matching overseas rules goes through the proxy, traffic matching domestic rules connects directly, and anything unmatched follows the default policy. This is all you need for everyday use: local sites load without detour or wasted proxy traffic, and overseas sites route through the proxy automatically.

Global: every connection goes through the proxy, regardless of destination. Use this only when rules aren't working as expected or you need to force everything through the proxy temporarily — leaving it on long-term routes local traffic through overseas nodes too, which usually makes things slower.

Direct: nothing goes through the proxy — this effectively pauses proxying, and is mainly useful as a baseline for troubleshooting.

In Rule mode, each policy group on the "Proxies" page can have its own node selected. Beginners don't need to adjust these individually — the default selection (usually "Auto" or the first node in the group) works fine for now; you'll pick nodes based on latency in the verification step. Writing your own rule sets and configuring split routing is more advanced territory — it's covered in full in the Beginner to Advanced guide, so we won't go into it here.

Once your mode is set, flip the main switch. On desktop (Windows / macOS / Linux), this is the "System Proxy" toggle, found on the home (overview) page in both Clash Plus and Verge. Turning it on points your system's proxy settings to the local core, so your browser and most apps get routed through it automatically — no need to configure each app individually.

The first-time authorization prompt varies by platform: Windows will show a firewall prompt — choose Allow; macOS asks for your login password the first time it changes system network settings; on Linux desktops, if the toggle doesn't seem to do anything, check whether the system proxy dependencies are installed — see the FAQ page for details.

On mobile (Android / iOS), it works through a VPN tunnel instead of a system proxy: on Android, tap the round toggle on the main screen, then confirm the system's "VPN connection request" prompt — a key icon in the status bar means it's running. On iOS, the first launch redirects you to system settings to add a VPN configuration — just allow it. After that, toggling on and off happens right inside the client.

Once the switch is on, go back to the client's home page — the status should change to running, with traffic stats starting to move, meaning the core has taken over your network traffic. A few apps (some games, some command-line tools) ignore system proxy settings and need TUN mode for full traffic capture — how TUN mode works and how to enable it is covered in its own section of the Beginner to Advanced guide; skip it for your first setup.

First, confirm a node is working inside the client: on the "Proxies" page, tap "Latency Test" (the lightning bolt icon) — a millisecond number next to each node means it's responding; nodes showing a timeout aren't working. Pick a node from the policy group with normal latency and the location you expect, then select it.

Next, run two checks in your browser: open a site that was previously unreachable and confirm it loads, then search "what's my IP" and check that the result matches the node's location rather than your local ISP's address. If both check out, your first setup is complete.

If it's not working, troubleshoot in this order: first, confirm the system proxy toggle is actually on (a switch that never got flipped is the most common cause); second, check your mode — Direct mode disables the proxy entirely, so you need Rule or Global; third, check whether the selected node's latency is timing out and try a different one; fourth, check whether your subscription has expired or run out of data — go back to the subscription page and try updating it. If all four checks come back clean and it's still not working, go through the troubleshooting section of the FAQ page item by item, or check the relevant section in the Beginner to Advanced guide.

Once verified, everyday use comes down to two things: flipping the main switch on, and switching nodes on the proxy page if one gets slow. Everything else can stay at its default setting.

Once your first setup is done, it's worth turning on two options you likely won't need to touch again: "Launch at Startup" on the settings page, so the client runs automatically when your system boots, saving you from starting it manually every time; and "Auto-Update Subscription" on the subscription page — set the interval to 24 hours so node info stays fresh without you having to remember to update it.

That covers everyday setup. Anything beyond this is advanced territory, all covered in the Beginner to Advanced guide: how rule-based routing and match order work, DNS configuration and leak prevention, TUN mode, and how to choose between Clash, Clash Meta, and the mihomo core. Check whichever section applies to you when you need it — it fits better there than crammed into this guide.