v2rayN Subscription Groups: Organize Providers and Filter Servers

1. Subscription groups keep sources separate—they don't route traffic

In v2rayN, a subscription is a source of server configurations, while a subscription group is a container for managing those sources and their server entries. What users often call provider groups simply means creating a separate subscription group for each provider. This keeps updates, entry counts, and removal of outdated sources easy to manage.

Group names don't create network rules. Naming two groups “Primary” and “Backup” doesn't configure automatic failover, and naming one “Video” won't route video traffic through it. In normal use, selecting the active server and configuring routing are separate tasks.

• Subscription group: Shows where a set of entries came from, making updates and troubleshooting easier to handle separately.
• Server alias: The name of an entry. Search by keywords such as region, route labels, or intended use.
• Routing rules: Determine which outbound connection handles a request. Configure these separately in routing settings; group names are no substitute.

2. Create a group for each provider to keep updates separate

The example below uses three subscriptions to demonstrate the workflow. The counts are illustrative only; they don't represent provider capacity or test results. Suppose sources A, B, and C contain 40, 32, and 24 entries respectively, for 96 total. Searching the full server list mixes regions, similar aliases, and entries from different sources.

1. Open Subscription Groups at the top, then choose Subscription Group Settings. Add a group and enter a recognizable source name as its note, such as “A - Primary.” Button labels may vary slightly by version; use the subscription group editor as your guide.
2. Enter the source's URL in the group's subscription address field. When setting things up, put just one source in each group. Don't combine multiple providers in one group just to reduce the group count.
3. Save, switch to the group, and use the Subscription Groups menu to update the current subscription. Confirm that it imports correctly before adding groups B and C.
4. Note each group's entry count and the result of one update. Leave alias filters unset in new groups at first, so you can troubleshoot formatting issues separately from filtering rules.

Choose the update method based on whether the subscription URL is reachable. Update without proxy and Update through proxy are two ways to fetch subscription content, not long-term routing policies for server traffic. If you update through a proxy, first confirm that the current active server works; otherwise, you could end up in a loop where you need a working subscription to fix the subscription.

3. Search the list first; use subscription filters only when needed

“Server filtering” can mean two different things: searching the current list only changes what's displayed, while filtering aliases in subscription group settings can reduce the entries retained after an update. Before acting, check where the input field is. These features aren't interchangeable.

Start by selecting group A, then enter a specific keyword, such as Hong Kong. If there are no results, clear it and try HK, then check whether the actual aliases use English or other labels. Don't start with a long phrase like “Hong Kong fast dedicated line”: some fields match the entire string rather than treating spaces as separate filters.

Don't assume the search field supports regular expressions. Use regex syntax only if the field's help text in your version explicitly says it's supported. The safest check is to try a short word you know appears in an alias, confirm how filtering works, then add criteria gradually. An empty list only means nothing matches the current filter; it doesn't mean the subscription is broken.

• Find a region: Try one region keyword first, and check how it's actually spelled in the aliases.
• Find a route: Search for route keywords used by the source. Labels like “fast” aren't verified performance results.
• Check the protocol: Look at the protocol column first. An alias containing VLESS doesn't confirm the actual protocol field.
• Troubleshoot an empty list: Clear the search, switch to All Groups, check the subscription alias filters, then review the update log.

4. Use two group profiles to define primary and backup workflows

Keep group notes stable and adjust temporary search terms as needed. These two profiles are organizational examples, not importable core configurations. They separate sources, update scope, and test candidates so you don't have to rethink the workflow each time.

If you need to split one source by purpose, start with list filtering. Adding the same subscription URL to multiple groups can create duplicate entries and extra update requests; do so only if you need different import filters. Don't duplicate groups to make video traffic use a backup group—configure routing and outbound connections instead.

• Locally edited aliases may not survive subscription updates; behavior depends on the version and its update logic. Don't rely on manual aliases as your only way to organize entries.
• Don't use a subscription URL containing a token as a group name; a source label is enough to identify it.
• After updating subscriptions, check the active server again. If an entry was removed or its settings changed, select and verify it again.

5. Select candidates before sorting and batch testing

Filtering isn't testing, and sorting won't switch the active server. Narrow the list in the current group, select the entries you want to compare, then use the selected-item test command in the server list's right-click menu. Menu wording varies by version. Before running a test, confirm whether it applies to selected entries or all servers, so a small comparison doesn't turn into requests to every server.

1. Keep conditions consistent: Use the same network, test target, and test method. Pause large downloads during testing to reduce competition for local bandwidth.
2. Test a small batch: For example, select 6 candidates from 40 entries and run a real-connection latency test. Keep error details for failed entries instead of deleting them immediately.
3. Repeat the test: Test each of the two or three candidates you're considering 5 times. Compare success rates and variability instead of keeping only the lowest reading.
4. Compare by column: Sort by the relevant test-result header, keeping in mind where blank and failed results appear. Lower connection latency doesn't mean higher download bandwidth.
5. Confirm the active server: Set your chosen entry as the active server, then test access in the app you intend to use. Confirm that proxy mode and routing rules are also set as expected.

A real-connection test usually accesses a specified target through the proxy route; a TCP connection test focuses more on connectivity to the server port. They measure different parts of the connection and shouldn't be compared as if they were the same metric. Download speed tests also use data and depend on the test target, concurrency, and provider throttling. Run them only after the candidates are already working reliably.

6. Check entry counts and duplicates after updates

Keep a simple before-and-after record for each group: group name, count before the update, count afterward, and any error messages. If the count suddenly drops from 40 to 8, check alias filters and source content before concluding that configurations are missing. If it jumps to 80, look for duplicate imports before assuming the provider doubled its routes.

• Only a few entries are visible: Clear the list search, confirm you're in the right group, then check the subscription group's filter settings.
• All updates fail: Try updating one group by itself. If multiple sources fail at once, check your local network, system clock, and whether updates are going through a proxy that's no longer available.
• Duplicate names: Compare the source, server address, port, protocol, and transport settings. Matching names don't mean the configurations are identical, and the same address may use a different port or credentials.
• Deleted entries return: If the source still includes an entry, a subscription update may import it again. To exclude it long-term, first confirm which subscription filtering options your version supports.

Back up your configuration before deleting an entire group, and store the backup file securely. It may contain subscription URLs and authentication data. After moving to another desktop, check the groups and update results before changing that device's proxy and routing settings. Organizing groups doesn't enable the system proxy on the new device.

7. FAQ: Filtering, updates, and switching servers