This walkthrough is for new v2rayN users who have received a subscription URL and want to turn it into a usable server list. You’ll create a subscription group, add the URL, update the group, and select a node. It also explains what to check when the list stays empty or an update fails. Subscription URLs can grant access to your account’s server configuration, so keep yours private and do not paste it into public posts or screenshots.
1. What a subscription does in v2rayN
A subscription is a link to server configuration data maintained by a provider. v2rayN uses that link to retrieve server entries and add or refresh them in a subscription group. The entries may describe different protocols, such as VLESS, VMess, or Trojan, along with the address, port, transport, and other connection parameters. You normally do not need to type those details into v2rayN individually.
There are three separate things to keep in mind: the subscription URL, the group that stores its imported servers, and the selected server used by the client. Adding a URL does not necessarily start a connection. Updating a group fetches its entries; selecting a server makes it the active configuration. After that, you may still need to start or restart the core and choose a system proxy mode before applications use the local proxy.
- Subscription URL: The provider-issued link used to retrieve a configuration list. It is often an HTTPS address, but use the exact URL and format supplied by your provider.
- Subscription group: A named container in v2rayN that associates a URL with the servers retrieved from it.
- Server node: An individual imported configuration. Selecting one is different from refreshing the group that contains it.
Keep the URL intact when copying it. A missing character, an extra space, or a line break inserted in the middle can cause a request to fail. Treat it like a password: anyone who can use it may be able to retrieve your subscription data, depending on the provider’s access controls. If it has been exposed, ask the provider whether it can be renewed or revoked.
2. Check the link and create a group
Before opening v2rayN, obtain the subscription URL from the provider’s account page or instructions. Some providers offer more than one link, such as a general subscription and a link intended for a particular client. Use the one specified for v2rayN or for a compatible V2Ray-style client. Do not substitute a server address, website login URL, or the local proxy address shown by v2rayN; these are different kinds of addresses.
Open v2rayN and look for Subscription group settings, commonly available from the Subscription group menu on the main window. Depending on the installed version and translation, wording or menu placement may differ slightly. The settings window typically contains a list of groups and controls for adding or editing a group. If you cannot find it, check the menus in the main window rather than changing core or routing settings.
Create one group for the provider and give it a recognizable name, for example Primary account or Work servers. If you use multiple providers, descriptive names make it easier to update the right list and identify where a node came from. Enter the provider’s URL in the group’s URL field. Some versions also provide fields for a remark, update interval, or subscription type; leave optional fields at their defaults unless the provider has given you specific instructions.
Group identity
- Remark
- A short provider or purpose name
- Group
- One subscription source
- Visibility
- Keep names distinct if you use several links
A clear remark helps you choose the intended group before updating or selecting a node.
Subscription address
- Value
- The complete provider-issued URL
- Protocol
- Use the supplied scheme, often HTTPS
- Handling
- Do not share it publicly
Do not replace the URL with a node address or a local port such as 127.0.0.1:10808.
Save or confirm the group after checking the name and URL. If the URL contains characters such as &, =, or a long token, make sure the entire value was pasted into the field and was not cut off. Avoid adding quotation marks unless the provider explicitly includes them. If the provider supplies several separate subscription links, create separate groups rather than combining their contents into one field.
3. Add the URL and update the server list
The update command is what makes v2rayN contact the provider and retrieve the current entries. In many builds, you can use the main-window Subscription group menu or right-click the group and choose an update action. Labels may distinguish updating through the proxy from updating without the proxy. For a first attempt, use the option that matches your network situation: if the provider’s site is reachable directly, an update without proxy is a reasonable test; if it is only reachable through an already working proxy, choose the proxied update option.
Follow the sequence below. The names in quotation marks describe common menu wording; check the installed interface if a label has changed between versions.
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Open settings
In the v2rayN main window, open Subscription group → Subscription group settings. If your build uses a different translation, locate the group-management window from the main menu.
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Add a group
Choose the add control, enter a short remark, and paste the full subscription URL into the URL field. Save the group, then confirm that it appears in the group list.
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Run an update
Select the new group or right-click it and choose an update command. Wait for the operation to finish; do not close v2rayN while it is still fetching data.
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Check the results
Look for server entries in the main list and review the update message or log if the list remains empty. A successful request can still return no entries if the link is invalid or the provider has no active configurations.
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Select a node
Choose one imported server in the main list and use the command to set it as the active server. Start or restart the core if v2rayN prompts you or the status does not update.
When updating is complete, check that the group has populated the server list and that the selected entry belongs to the group you intended to use. If there are several groups, do not assume that selecting a group automatically selects a node. The active server is usually indicated in the main list or status area; use the context menu to set the intended entry as active if needed.
Updating is a refresh operation, not a speed test. It confirms that v2rayN could retrieve and parse configuration data, but it does not prove that every node is online or that a particular website will load. Test a node separately, and change only one variable at a time—for example, first confirm the core starts, then check the system proxy setting, then test the destination.
4. Select a server and verify the connection
After the list appears, select a node that is appropriate for your needs and set it as active. Names such as region labels or provider descriptions are supplied by the subscription and are not a guarantee of latency, availability, or routing behavior. A node can be present in the list but unreachable because the server is offline, the network blocks its connection, its configuration has changed, or the local core cannot use one of its settings.
Use v2rayN’s own connection or delay-test command if it is available in your version, but interpret the result carefully. A delay result is a quick connectivity check, not a promise of stable throughput. If one node fails, test another entry from the same group before concluding that the subscription itself is unusable. If every node fails, inspect the core log and verify the provider’s service status and network requirements.
Once a node is selected, configure how applications reach the local proxy. In common v2rayN setups, a local mixed inbound may use 127.0.0.1:10808, but ports and protocols depend on the client’s current settings. This example port is a local entry point on your computer; it is not the remote server port in the subscription and should not be copied into the subscription URL. Check the listening-port settings in v2rayN before entering a proxy address in another application.
- Browser test: If the browser follows the operating system’s proxy settings, enable the system proxy from v2rayN and try a reliable HTTPS page.
- Explicit test: If the browser has its own proxy configuration, compare its settings with the local address and port shown by v2rayN.
- Core status: If the node is selected but requests fail, check whether the core is running and whether its log reports a connection or configuration error.
- Routing mode: Direct, rule-based, or global routing can produce different results. A working proxy node does not mean every destination is routed through it in every mode.
Do not change a server’s protocol fields just because a connection test fails. Subscription entries are generated for a particular server configuration, and manually changing a UUID, transport, TLS setting, or flow value can make a valid node unusable. If the provider has published updated connection instructions, refresh the subscription first; contact the provider if the refreshed entry still does not work.
5. Troubleshoot an empty list or update error
If an update finishes without adding entries, first check whether the correct group was selected and whether its URL is complete. Then inspect the update result or v2rayN log for a concrete error, such as a timeout, DNS lookup failure, certificate issue, or HTTP response. The wording helps distinguish a network problem from an invalid link or a response that contains no usable configurations. Avoid repeatedly changing core settings before you know which stage failed.
I added the link, but the server list is still empty. What should I check?
Open Subscription group settings, verify the saved URL and group remark, then run the group’s update command again. Check the update message for a timeout or parsing error. If the request succeeds but returns zero entries, confirm with the provider that the link is active and intended for a compatible client.
The update times out. Should I change the node?
A timeout during subscription retrieval happens before the newly fetched node list can be tested. Try the alternative update option—through proxy or without proxy—based on whether the provider’s subscription host is reachable from your current network. If neither works, check DNS and network access to the provider, then ask whether the URL has expired.
The list updated, but websites still do not load. Is the subscription broken?
Not necessarily. Set a node from the updated list as active, check that the core is running, and verify the local proxy address and system-proxy state. Then test another node. If the core log reports a remote connection failure for every node, contact the provider with the error details, but redact the subscription URL and any account tokens.
For a parsing or format error, check that you copied the subscription URL rather than a browser page URL or a single node’s share link. Some providers issue different formats for different clients, and not every link can be imported as a subscription. Do not paste the URL into an online decoder or a public troubleshooting service: it may contain credentials or an access token. Use the provider’s documented client format and request a replacement link if necessary.
If the group updates successfully but old entries remain, check whether the provider intentionally retains multiple servers or whether your client version has a separate option for removing outdated entries. Do not delete the whole group until you have confirmed the URL is saved somewhere secure and can be re-added. Before resetting v2rayN, record the group names and settings you need; a client reset may remove local configuration even though it does not alter the provider’s account.
When asking for help, share the v2rayN version, the exact menu action you used, and the non-sensitive error text. You can also state whether the update was attempted with or without a proxy and whether the group produced any entries. Redact subscription URLs, UUIDs, access tokens, and other account-specific values. These details are usually enough to identify the failing stage without exposing the credentials that grant access to your subscription.
Get v2rayN
Use the download page to choose a suitable v2rayN package for your Windows system. After installing or updating the client, return to this guide to add the subscription group and refresh its servers.
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