This article explains how to import nodes into sing-box. It covers importing subscription links, configuration files, and individual node links, and explains why your IP address, DNS, and browser environment may behave differently after connecting. The steps vary across operating systems and graphical clients. Before you begin, check which import formats your app supports. Don’t use another client’s subscription as if it were a sing-box configuration.
1. Check Your Client and Link Type Before Importing
Install the app from a source linked to by the official sing-box documentation, or from the official release page for your graphical client. The sing-box core and third-party graphical clients are not the same thing: graphical clients may offer extra features such as subscription updates, node selection, and format conversion.
- Subscription link: Usually an HTTPS address, but the content it returns may be sing-box JSON, Clash YAML, or a collection of node links.
- Configuration file: Usually JSON. In addition to nodes, it may include DNS, routing, and inbound settings.
- Individual node link: For example, vless://, vmess://, or trojan://. Whether it can be imported directly depends on the client.
Support for the sing-box core does not mean support for every subscription format. If the interface has no “Add node” or “Import share link” option, ask the provider for a compatible configuration rather than simply changing the file extension.
2. Choose an Import Method Based on Your Node Source
- Open the client and go to “Configuration,” “Profiles,” or a similar page, then click to add a new profile. If this is your first time using the app, you can keep the default settings.
- If you have a compatible subscription, choose “Import from URL” or “Remote configuration,” paste the full address, and save it. If the provider offers a client-type option, select the sing-box format.
- If you have a local JSON file, choose “Import from file” and open it using the system file picker. Some apps also let you paste configuration text. After saving, check for validation errors.
- If you only have an individual node link, look for an “Import from clipboard” or QR code option. If the client doesn’t support it, switch to a client that explicitly supports that format, or ask for a complete configuration.
- Select the new profile, update it if needed, then start the connection. If the system asks for VPN or network extension permissions, allow them only after confirming that the app is from a trusted source.
- If the configuration provides a node selection group, open the group and select a node, then test by visiting a website. Not all configurations show a list of nodes you can switch between.
Subscription addresses may contain access credentials. Don’t share screenshots publicly or submit them to unfamiliar conversion websites. If you use a free node from this site, check the indicated format and compatible clients first.
3. Troubleshooting Import or Connection Issues
If you see a parsing error, first check that you copied the full link and that it doesn’t return a login page. Then verify the configuration format and the client core version. If you see an unknown field or unsupported option error, update the client first and ask the provider for a compatible version. Don’t delete fields at random.
If the configuration saves but won’t connect, check the device time, your network connection, and whether the node has expired. Temporarily turn off other VPN or proxy tools to avoid conflicts over network control. Then check the logs for DNS resolution failures, timeouts, or certificate errors, and follow the specific guidance for each message.
4. How to Check Your IP, DNS, and Browser After Connecting
“Connected” does not mean all traffic is going through the proxy. Split-routing rules may send domestic websites directly and route other websites through the proxy, so different sites may see different exit IP addresses. Use an IP lookup website to check your exit IP, then check the client logs to confirm how requests are routed.
DNS handling depends on the configuration and how the system routes traffic. Being able to open websites does not prove that there are no DNS leaks. Browser cache, Secure DNS, extensions, or separate proxy settings may also affect the results. If something seems wrong, compare results in a private window with proxy-related extensions paused, then check DNS and routing settings against the client documentation. Avoid changing multiple settings at once.