Shadowrocket Subscription Import: 4 Methods with Subscribe, Add Server, QR Code, and Clipboard

First, distinguish server subscriptions from Config files

In Shadowrocket, Home is where you select servers, manage server subscriptions, and connect. Config is for managing rule configuration files, while Settings is for adjusting app preferences. Server subscriptions provide connection entries; rule configurations determine how requests are routed. An HTTPS URL alone does not tell you which type of content it contains.

Subscribe on the Config page is for remote configuration files. If you have a server subscription URL from your provider, go to Home, tap “+” in the upper-right corner, then open Add Server and set Type to Subscribe. Importing a server subscription as a rule configuration may cause a parsing error, or leave you without the expected server list.

To identify the format, first check how the provider describes the URL, then inspect the response. Don’t rely on the file extension alone. An HTTPS URL may return a login page, an error, or an expiration notice—none of these can be parsed as a server subscription. Subscription tokens usually act as access credentials, so redact the full URL, passwords, and UUIDs when troubleshooting.

Method 1: Create an updatable subscription with Subscribe

To keep server entries in sync, create a subscription with Type set to Subscribe. The entry stores the subscription URL and fetches the server list again when updated. Unlike saving server details individually, this preserves a source that can be requested again.

1. Copy the URL

   Copy the complete subscription URL from your provider’s information, including https://, the path, and query parameters. Don’t include explanatory text, line breaks, or trailing punctuation.

2. Choose the type

   Go to Home → “+” in the upper-right corner → Add Server → Type → Subscribe. Make sure you haven’t selected a single-server protocol type.

3. Enter the URL

   Paste the subscription URL into URL and enter a recognizable name in Remarks. Check that the token is complete, then save the entry.

4. Update the list

   Return to Home and pull down to update the subscription. Wait for the request to finish, then expand the subscription group and check that server entries were added—not just an empty group.

5. Check the entries

   Open an entry’s details and check that its Type, server address, and Port match the information you have. Then select the server on Home. Verify that it works before changing automatic update settings.

For a remote rule configuration URL, go to Config → Subscribe to add and fetch the configuration. Review its contents in Config before selecting it. Updating a remote configuration and updating a server subscription are separate actions; updating one does not sync the other.

Method 2: Enter server details manually in Add Server

If you have a server address, port, and authentication details but no import link, go to Home → “+” → Add Server. Choose a Type first, then fill in the fields for that protocol. Changing Type also changes the required authentication, transport, and TLS settings. A manually added entry is a single connection, not an automatically updatable subscription.

For example, enter 443 as the Port only if your details explicitly specify 443. Don’t change the port to this value just because TLS is enabled. The connection IP, SNI, and HTTP Host can serve different purposes; enter each as shown in the original configuration. If TLS verification fails, first check the device time, server name, and certificate details. Disabling verification is not a general-purpose fix.

• Before saving, check the Type. The same server address and port do not imply the same authentication protocol.
• After saving, return to Home and select the entry. Seeing it in the list does not mean it is selected as the connection target.
• After changing any settings, reconnect and test again. Don’t mistake the previous connection status for the result of your changes.

Methods 3 and 4: Scan a QR code or import from the clipboard

QR codes and the clipboard are ways to transfer data, not connection protocols. A QR code can contain a single-server URI or a subscription URL; clipboard content can do the same. Whether an import creates a subscription group depends on the parsed content, not the import method.

Scan a QR code

1. Display a QR code you already have on another screen or on paper, then open the scanner from Home. Allow camera access when prompted the first time.
2. Keep the full QR code in frame and make sure it’s clear. After scanning, review the parsed result. For a single server, check the Type and Port; for a subscription, check the URL.
3. Confirm and save, then return to Home to check for the new entry or subscription group. If the QR code only opens a regular webpage, obtain the actual connection details instead of saving the webpage URL as a subscription.

If the QR code is displayed on the same device, use the corresponding text link where possible instead of repeatedly capturing and sharing an image that may contain credentials. A QR code may include a password, UUID, or subscription token; protect it like any other connection credential.

Import from the clipboard

1. Copy only the complete link text, such as a single-server share link beginning with ss://, vmess://, vless://, or trojan://. Don’t copy an entire chat conversation.
2. Return to Shadowrocket and follow the clipboard detection prompt to import. If iOS asks for paste access, allow it only for this action you initiated.
3. If no detection prompt appears, first check that the original text is still on the clipboard. For a regular HTTPS subscription URL, you can go to Home → “+” → Type → Subscribe and paste it into URL instead of relying on automatic detection.
4. After saving, check the number and names of the entries. Importing after copying the same link multiple times may create duplicates; review them individually and keep the entries you need.

Example format for a server subscription URL:
https://example.com/sub?token=xxxx

Example format for a remote configuration URL:
https://example.com/profile.conf

Common prefixes for single-server share links:
ss://
vmess://
vless://
trojan://

The domain and token above are format examples, not usable connection details. Don’t manually edit the encoded content in a share link. In particular, if characters such as +, /, =, or % are replaced or truncated by a messaging app, the original parameters may not be recoverable.

After importing, check Global Routing and the connection

Importing only gets the details into the app. Next, select a server on Home, check Global Routing, turn on the connection, and allow the VPN configuration when prompted by iOS. Then run Connectivity Test and test the destinations you actually need. A successful single test only confirms that the request received a response that time.

In Config mode, use the rules below to understand first-match behavior. This is not a complete configuration. The policy referenced by PROXY must be available in the actual configuration; pasting in a few rules does not complete the setup.

[Rule]
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,PROXY
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT,no-resolve
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT
FINAL,PROXY

DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches a domain and its subdomains; IP-CIDR matches an IP range; GEOIP matches using an IP geolocation database; and FINAL catches requests that did not match earlier rules. Rules are evaluated from top to bottom, so specific rules should come before broad ones. While testing, check Settings → On Demand for automatic connection conditions to avoid a condition reconnecting after you disconnect manually.

Troubleshoot import failures and update issues

First, distinguish three cases: no entries were created, which points to a fetch or parsing issue; entries were created but won’t connect, which points to server settings or the connection path; or some destinations fail after connecting, which is when to check rules and DNS. Troubleshooting by stage helps avoid attributing every issue to a “broken subscription.”