1. Prepare the app and a configuration
Start with the official release page and read the notes for your operating system and processor. Use the platform packages actually listed in that release. V2 is not available as a public download yet, so the workflow below is a guide to the current V2 design rather than an installation guide for V1.
Have one of these ready: a subscription URL from your provider, a supported local configuration file, or the connection details for a server you manage. Treat subscription links and node credentials as secrets. Avalon is not supported for use in mainland China.
2. Import your first profile
Open the profiles area and start adding a configuration. Choose the method that matches what you received. Importing saves the setup; it does not start a connection.
- Subscription URLPaste the complete URL, give it a recognizable name if you want, and save. Avalon downloads and validates the contents. Leave automatic updating enabled if you want it to fetch later changes from the provider.
- Configuration fileChoose a sing-box JSON or Clash YAML file. On desktop, you can also drag a supported file into the import area. Avalon saves the imported content as a local profile.
- QR code on mobileOpen the scanner, allow camera access when requested, and scan the code supplied by your provider. Check the recognized content before saving.
3. Check the imported result
After saving, check that the profile appears with a name and a node count. Read any import warnings: a file can contain an unsupported node, group, or rule even when other parts import successfully. If the form reports an error, keep the entered details and correct that specific issue before trying again.
Select the profile you want to use. The first profile is selected automatically when no profile was selected before. For a subscription that has not downloaded successfully, finish that download before attempting a connection.
If you have only a single server link, use the individual-node flow instead: paste and parse the share link, review the protocol and server fields, then save. Parsing fills the form; saving creates the node. Choose it in the proxy area afterward.
4. Choose the mode and proxy route
Begin in rule mode to use the imported routing rules. Open the proxy area and inspect the profile's groups. In a manual selection group, choose the node you want. If a group automatically chooses by latency, let it select a member instead of trying to make a manual choice.
Run a latency test if you want to compare the available routes. A result of “—” means there is no current measurement; a timeout or failure is a reason to check the node, not a speed ranking. While disconnected, latency tests measure the selected route and system traffic keeps its existing routing.
Keep the first connection simple: verify one working node before building a chain. For a chain later, add at least two distinct nodes, arrange them from entry to exit, save, select the chain, and test the complete path.
5. Connect and verify the result
Return to the dashboard and start the proxy. Approve the operating system's VPN or network permission when requested. Desktop TUN integration may also require the platform's network extension, service, or administrator authorization; follow the instructions for your release.
Wait for the application to report a connected state. Then open a website you expect to reach and inspect the dashboard's current outbound, traffic, and exit IP. An IP lookup can fail independently of the connection, so use it together with an actual request rather than as the only check.
For a specific destination, open the connections view and find its route and matched rule. This is the most useful check when a request goes direct unexpectedly or uses a different proxy group than you intended.
6. Update and switch deliberately
Refresh a subscription from its profile card, or update all subscriptions from the profiles area. A failed update preserves the last successful content. If your provider removes a node that a chain uses, review the chain and replace the unavailable hop.
Selecting a profile, changing a manual node selection, or switching modes saves the change immediately. When the ordinary proxy is running, these changes also affect the running setup. Stop the connection before inspecting and choosing another configuration.
Use direct mode when you deliberately want destinations accessed directly. Stop Avalon from the dashboard when you have finished using it; closing a desktop window can leave the app running in the menu bar or system tray, depending on your settings.
7. If the first connection fails
Start with the error shown at the operation that failed. Changing several unrelated settings at once makes it harder to tell what fixed the problem.
- Import or download failedCheck that the subscription URL is complete and still valid, or that the file is in a supported format. If there is an older successful subscription download, keep it while you investigate.
- The proxy cannot startConfirm that a downloaded profile is selected, then read the reported permission, service, configuration, or port error. Grant only the operating system permission actually requested by your installed release.
- Connected, but a site does not openCheck the selected node and test it. Inspect the destination in the connections view and read recent warning or error logs. Confirm that the intended mode and rule are being used before changing DNS or advanced routing settings.
- You need helpNote the Avalon version, operating system, attempted action, and exact error. Use the redacted log export if needed, review it, and remove private subscription links and credentials before sending it.
8. Save a backup of the working setup
Once the connection works, open basic settings and choose the backup export. Enter the backup password twice, then save the .avalonbackup file somewhere you control. Keep the password available separately for a future restore.
To restore, choose the file, enter its password, and read the confirmation. Objects with matching IDs are overwritten by the backup, local-only objects remain, and settings are replaced. Restoring does not connect automatically or restore system permissions and account sessions. Check the restored profile and route before starting the proxy again.