How to Import a Clash Subscription Link: Formats and Conversion Explained

What a Subscription Link Is and Where to Get It

A subscription link is a URL generated by your service provider for your account. The client requests this address periodically to fetch a list of nodes along with rule configuration, saving you from manually entering servers, ports, and passwords one by one. One subscription usually covers every node under the account. When the provider adds, removes, or adjusts nodes, you only need to update the subscription once to sync—no re-import required.

Subscription links are usually found in the provider's user center, often labeled "Subscription URL", "One-click Subscribe", or "Copy Subscription". The same account often offers addresses in multiple formats—for example, a generic subscription and a Clash subscription shown side by side, or different formats selected through URL parameters. Before importing, confirm which format your client needs, then copy the corresponding link.

Where to Import on Each Platform

Importing only needs to be done once per client; afterwards, use "Update" to pull the latest content. Here is where to find the import entry on each platform.

Windows: Clash Verge Rev

Open the "Profiles" page, paste the link into the input field at the top and confirm; a profile card will appear in the list. Click the card to set it as the active profile, then go to the "Proxies" page to pick a node. The card's right-click menu lets you edit the note, adjust the auto-update interval, and choose whether to update the subscription through the proxy.

macOS: ClashX Meta

Click the menu bar icon and go to "Config → Remote Config → Manage", then add the subscription URL in the popup window and save. Return to the menu and run an update, then switch to this remote config in the "Config" list to apply it.

Android: Clash for Android and FlClash

Go to the "Profiles" page, tap the plus icon in the top-right corner, choose "Import from URL", paste the link, give it a name, and save; then tap the profile to activate it. Both apps support per-subscription auto-update intervals, and Clash for Android can also restrict updates to Wi-Fi only, avoiding mobile data usage.

iOS: Clash Plus

In profile management, choose "Add Subscription" or import from URL, paste the address and download it, enable the profile, then return to the home screen and turn on the proxy. Clash Plus is available on this site's download page—install it and follow the steps above to import.

Common Subscription Formats Compared

A subscription link itself is just an address; the real difference lies in the format of the content the server returns. There are three common formats, and mixing them up is one of the main reasons imports fail.

Base64 Node List

The content is several lines of node share links—one node per line, starting with ss://, vmess://, vless://, trojan://, and so on—with the whole thing Base64-encoded. This is the generic format of the V2Ray family, used directly by clients such as v2rayNG and Shadowrocket. Clash-family clients cannot parse this encoding; importing it directly throws a format error, so it must be converted first. The raw form before encoding looks roughly like this:

ss://[email protected]:8388#Node-A
vmess://eyJ2IjoiMiIsInBzIjoi5ri46J6HIiwiYWRkIjoi…
trojan://[email protected]:443?sni=example.com#Node-C

Clash YAML Config

This returns a complete Clash config file directly, with all three sections—proxies, proxy-groups, and rules—present. Clash clients and the mihomo kernel load it as-is. A typical structure looks like this:

proxies:
  - name: "Node-01"
    type: trojan
    server: example.com
    port: 443
    password: example-password
proxy-groups:
  - name: "Auto Select"
    type: url-test
    proxies: ["Node-01"]
    url: "http://www.gstatic.com/generate_204"
    interval: 300
rules:
  - MATCH,Auto Select

With a YAML subscription, the proxy groups and routing rules are determined by the provider's template; you generally only need to pick a node or switch proxy modes in the client.

Adaptive Responses

Many providers return different formats based on the request's User-Agent or URL parameters: YAML when a Clash kernel requests it, Base64 for generic subscription requests. As a result, the same link may behave differently in different clients. If you hit a format error, first check the user center for a Clash-specific address or a corresponding format parameter.

When to Use Subscription Conversion

Subscription conversion means a converter fetches the content of your original subscription, rearranges it according to a template, and outputs it in another format—most commonly converting a Base64 generic subscription into Clash YAML. The converted output is itself a subscription link: the client subscribes to this converted address, and future updates follow the original subscription automatically, with no need to convert again.

Scenarios where subscription conversion makes sense:

• The provider only offers a generic subscription, but you use a Clash-family client;
• You need to merge multiple subscriptions into one config for unified group management;
• You want to apply a custom rule template, replacing the default routing rules and proxy groups.

A conversion service handles your original subscription and all node information during processing, so prefer a self-hosted instance or a trusted converter. The converted link is also an account credential and deserves the same level of secrecy as the original subscription. In addition, the rules and groups in converted output follow the template—when troubleshooting routing issues, check the template first, then the subscription itself.

Subscription Updates and Troubleshooting Failed Imports

Every client provides a refresh button on the profile card or list, and most support auto-update intervals—keeping the default is fine. When nodes fail on a large scale or the provider announces node changes, manually update the subscription first before investigating other causes.

When importing or updating fails, work through the following checks in order:

1. Network unreachable: the subscription domain cannot be accessed on your current network. Switch networks, or enable "Update subscription via proxy" in the client settings and retry.
2. Link expired: after the provider resets a subscription, the old address returns 403 or empty content. Copy the new address from the user center and import it again.
3. Format mismatch: importing a Base64 generic subscription directly into Clash throws a parse error. Use the Clash-specific address instead, or run a subscription conversion first.
4. Abnormal account status: when your data is used up or the device limit is exceeded, the subscription returns error content. Check your plan's remaining data and the number of online devices.
5. System clock skew: an inaccurate local clock causes TLS handshake failures, showing up as an immediate error when downloading the subscription. Correct the system time and retry.

Importing a subscription is just the starting point. For advanced configuration such as rule-based routing, proxy groups, and TUN mode, continue with this site's usage guide and YAML handbook.