Install on Windows
Probe on Windows ships as a single signed installer. It’s code-signed with an Extended Validation (EV) certificate, so Windows trusts it natively — no separate bootstrap, no Root CA install, no manual trust step. Future releases install silently in the background.
System requirements
Section titled “System requirements”- Windows 10 (1809) or Windows 11. 64-bit only.
- Administrator account. UAC is required to install Probe under
Program Files. - About 250 MB of free disk space.
Install
Section titled “Install”-
Go to the Download page and click Download for Windows. You’ll get a file named
ProbeSetup-<version>.exe. -
Double-click
ProbeSetup-<version>.exe. -
If Windows SmartScreen warns you, click More info, then Run anyway. This only happens until the signature builds reputation; once enough installs have completed, SmartScreen recognizes it automatically.
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Accept the User Account Control prompt and step through the installer. The defaults are fine.
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When it’s done, Probe launches automatically.
Firewall prompts
Section titled “Firewall prompts”Right after install, Windows Defender Firewall pops up asking whether to allow Probe to accept incoming connections.
You’ll see two checkboxes:
- Private networks — your home or office Wi-Fi.
- Public networks — coffee shop, airport, conference Wi-Fi.
Tick both. Probe needs inbound access on:
9099for the proxy itself, so phones and other devices on your LAN can route traffic through it.9098for the CA certificate landing page, so devices can download the cert in a browser.
If you only allow Private and your Wi-Fi profile is set to Public (Windows often defaults new networks to Public), the proxy still works for traffic from this machine, but no other device can reach it. You can change the firewall rule later under Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Allow an app through firewall.
What you get
Section titled “What you get”After install, Probe is registered with Windows like any other app:
- A Start menu entry under Probe.
- A desktop shortcut (created by the installer; you can delete it).
- A Programs and Features entry for clean uninstall.
The installer is EV-signed, so future installers and auto-updates run without SmartScreen warnings. The MITM CA used to decrypt HTTPS traffic is a separate certificate — it’s generated locally the first time Probe runs and still needs to be installed into your trust store. See Install CA on Windows.
The first time you launch Probe, the proxy starts on 0.0.0.0:9099 and configures the WinINET system proxy automatically. You’ll see your machine’s IP and port in the toolbar.
When you click Stop, the system proxy settings are restored. If Probe crashes, the next clean launch restores them too.
Auto-update
Section titled “Auto-update”Every subsequent release installs silently in the background. There’s no SmartScreen prompt, no UAC dialog, and no banner asking you to restart.
The flow:
- Probe checks the release manifest at startup and once per hour while running.
- If a new version is out, it downloads the signed installer.
- The new build is staged and applied the next time you launch (or immediately if you accept the relaunch prompt).
A release flagged as a minimum version shows a non-dismissible update dialog at launch. This is reserved for protocol-breaking fixes and certificate updates.
Data directory
Section titled “Data directory”Probe stores its CA, sessions, scripts, environments, and settings under:
%USERPROFILE%\.probe\That’s a hidden folder by default. If you uninstall Probe and want to start clean, delete that directory by hand — the uninstaller leaves it in place so you don’t lose your work.
Uninstall
Section titled “Uninstall”- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Find Probe, click the ⋯ menu, then Uninstall.
- (Optional) Delete
%USERPROFILE%\.probe\to remove your CA and saved sessions.
The uninstaller removes the app and its WinINET proxy settings. If you previously ran Probe before the EV-signed release (when we shipped via ProbeBootstrap.exe), an unused Probe Internal Root CA certificate may still be in your Trusted Root Certification Authorities store. It’s harmless, but you can delete it via certmgr.msc if you want a clean trust store.