---
title: "407 Proxy Authentication Required — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "You need to authenticate with a proxy server before your request can go any further. What causes an HTTP 407, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/407/
site: "At One Place"
---

# HTTP 407 — Proxy Authentication Required

**HTTP 407: Proxy Authentication Required**

You need to authenticate with a proxy server before your request can go any further.

## What 407 actually means

Structurally identical to 401, but the challenge comes from a proxy between you and the site rather than from the site itself. The response carries `Proxy-Authenticate` instead of `WWW-Authenticate`, and you answer with `Proxy-Authorization`. Almost everyone who meets this is on a corporate or school network whose outbound proxy wants credentials.

## Common causes

- A corporate or school proxy requiring sign-in for outbound traffic
- Proxy credentials stored in the OS or browser have expired or changed
- An application configured to use a proxy without credentials
- An ISP or captive proxy demanding authentication

## If you're just trying to view the page

1. Enter your network credentials when the proxy prompts you
2. Check your proxy settings in the operating system or browser; a leftover proxy from another network is a common cause
3. On a work device, contact IT — the proxy password may have expired with your domain password
4. If you are not meant to be behind a proxy at all, turn the proxy setting off

## If it's your site

1. Command-line tools need the proxy configured explicitly: set `HTTP_PROXY` and `HTTPS_PROXY` with credentials, and `NO_PROXY` for internal hosts
2. Build agents and containers behind a corporate proxy need the same environment variables, plus the proxy's CA certificate if it inspects TLS
3. Do not confuse this with 401 in error handling — the headers and the party challenging you are different

## Reference

- **Status code:** 407
- **Reason phrase:** Proxy Authentication Required
- **Category:** 4xx — Client Error
- **Defined in:** RFC 9110 §15.5.8

## Common questions

### What does HTTP 407 mean?

You need to authenticate with a proxy server before your request can go any further. Structurally identical to 401, but the challenge comes from a proxy between you and the site rather than from the site itself. The response carries `Proxy-Authenticate` instead of `WWW-Authenticate`, and you answer with `Proxy-Authorization`.

### How do I fix a 407 error?

Enter your network credentials when the proxy prompts you

### Is 407 a client error or a server error?

407 is in the 4xx range, which means client error. The request itself was the problem, so retrying it unchanged will usually return the same code.

## Related pages

- [404 Not Found](https://atoneplace.net/error/404/)
- [403 Forbidden](https://atoneplace.net/error/403/)
- [401 Unauthorized](https://atoneplace.net/error/401/)
- [429 Too Many Requests](https://atoneplace.net/error/429/)
- [400 Bad Request](https://atoneplace.net/error/400/)
- [413 Content Too Large](https://atoneplace.net/error/413/)
- [422 Unprocessable Content](https://atoneplace.net/error/422/)
- [405 Method Not Allowed](https://atoneplace.net/error/405/)
- [409 Conflict](https://atoneplace.net/error/409/)
- [415 Unsupported Media Type](https://atoneplace.net/error/415/)
- [408 Request Timeout](https://atoneplace.net/error/408/)
- [410 Gone](https://atoneplace.net/error/410/)

## Sources

- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Status Code Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/)
- RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics — IETF (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)