[[TOC]] = Support Portal = == Roadmap == == Resources == [https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/ Tor Browser Manual] [https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/community/glossary Glossary] [https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/org/teams/CommunityTeam Community Team Wiki] [https://gitweb.torproject.org/support-portal.git/ Support Portal Git] == Contact == Our synchronous medium of communication is IRC meetings that happen every other Wednesday at 1800 UTC [https://www.torproject.org/about/contact.html.en#irc in #tor-project on OFTC]. If you've never been on IRC before, [https://wiki.mozilla.org/IRC here are some instructions to get started]. These instructions are for a Mozilla IRC server, so instead of irc.mozilla.org you'll use OFTC. The OFTC server addresses are: irc.oftc.net:6667 (alternative ports: 6668-6670, 7000) or irc.oftc.net:6697 for SSL (alternative port: 9999) (SSL is recommended). Once you get connected and create a nickname, you can join the channel #tor-project. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160911070100/http://www.irchelp.org:80/irchelp/irctutorial.html More info on getting started on IRC.] and here's some info on [https://wiki.debian.org/GettingHelpOnIrc IRC conventions and etiquette.] Our asynchronous medium of communication is the [https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-community-team mailing list]. This list is public in the sense that anyone can subscribe, send emails and read archives. Feel free to subscribe and just listen if you want, and feel free to post if you you want to say something that you think is on topic. == QA == === Tor Browser === ==== Will people be able to tell which websites I visit? ==== Tor Browser protects your browsing activity and history from being seen by anyone who might be monitoring your network traffic. ==== Why is Tor Browser built from Firefox and not some other browser? ==== The Tor Browser is a modified version of Firefox specifically designed for use with Tor. A lot of work has been put into making the Tor Browser, including the use of extra patches to enhance privacy and security. Unfortunately, no other browser today is suitable for the modifications required for these privacy properties. While it is technically possible to use Tor with other browsers, you may open yourself up to potential attacks, information leakage, and so on, so we really don't recommend it. ==== My favorite website is blocking access over Tor! ==== Sorry to hear that you can't visit the website you wanted! Sometimes websites will block Tor users because they can't tell the difference between the average Tor user and some malicious or automated traffic. The best success we've had in getting sites to unblock Tor users is getting users to contact the site administrators directly. Something like this might do the trick: "Hi! I tried to access your site xyz.com while using Tor Browser and discovered that you don't allow Tor users to access your site. I urge you to reconsider this decision; Tor is used by people all over the world to protect their privacy and fight censorship. By blocking Tor users, you are likely blocking people in repressive countries who want to use a free internet, journalists and researchers who want to protect themselves from discovery, whistleblowers, activists, and ordinary people who want to opt out of invasive third party tracking. Please take a strong stance in favor of digital privacy and internet freedom, and allow Tor users access to xyz.com." ==== Our website is blocked. Can Tor Browser help users access our website? ==== Tor Browser can certainly help people access your website in places where it is blocked. Most of the time, simply downloading Tor Browser from https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en and then using it to navigate to the blocked site will allow access. In places where there is heavy censorship we have a number of censorship circumvention options available, including pluggable transports: https://www.torproject.org/docs/pluggable-transports.html.en. ==== Can I use Tor with some other web browser? ==== We strongly recommend against using Tor in any browser other than Tor Browser. Using Tor in another browser can leave you pretty vulnerable; you don't get nearly the same privacy protections that you get when using Tor Browser. ==== My antivirus/malware protection is blocking me from accessing Tor Browser. ==== Please open your antivirus or malware protection software and exclude the following processes: For Windows: 1. firefox.exe 2. tor.exe 3. obfsproxy.exe (if you use bridges) For OS X 1. TorBrowser 2. tor.real 3. obfsproxy (if you use bridges) Then restart Tor Browser ==== I downloaded and installed Tor Browser, but now I can't find it ==== The file you download and run prompts you for a destination. If you don't remember what this destination was, it's most likely your Downloads or Desktop folder (we do not create any shortcuts, since Tor Browser is designed to be portable, meaning you can move it around freely and for example run it from a USB stick on other computers). If you can't find it in either of those folders, download it again and look for the prompt that asks you to choose a directory to download it in. Choose a directory location that you'll remember easily, and once the download finishes you should see a Tor Browser folder there. ==== Can I use Flash player in Tor Browser? ==== You might have noticed that Flash is disabled in Tor Browser. It is STRONGLY not recommended that you not enable Flash. In fact, Flash isn't safe to use in any browser -- it's a very insecure piece of software that can easily compromise your privacy or serve you malware. Fortunately, most websites, devices, and other browsers are moving away from the use of Flash. ==== Does using Tor Browser protect other applications on my computer? ==== Only the Tor Browser's traffic will be routed over the Tor network. Any other applications on your system (including other browsers) will not have their connections routed over the Tor network. If you need to be sure that all traffic will go through the Tor network, you might want to look at the Tails live system: https://tails.boum.org. ==== Can I install a new add-on or extension in Tor Browser, like AdBlock Plus or uBlock Origin? ==== It's strongly discouraged to install new add-ons in Tor Browser, because they can compromise both your privacy and your security. Plus, Tor Browser already comes installed with two add-ons - HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript -- which give you a lot of added protection. ==== Can I pick which country I'm exiting from? ==== Modifying the way that Tor creates its circuits is strongly discouraged. You get the best security that Tor can provide when you leave the route selection to Tor; overriding the entry / exit nodes can compromise your anonymity. ==== Is there support for *BSD? ==== Sorry, but there is currently no official support for running the Tor Browser on *BSD. ==== Where can I get bridges? ==== https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/bridges.html ==== Tor Browser's message log says my clock is wrong and wont connect === Please make sure your system clock and timezone are set accurately. This error appears when the clock has drifted further than Tor is comfortable with. ==== How do I view the Tor Browser message log? ==== Click the button labelled “Copy Tor Log To Clipboard” that appears in the dialog window while Tor Browser is connecting to the network. or If Tor Browser is already open, click on the Torbutton icon (the small green onion at the top-left of the screen), then “Open Network Settings”, then “Copy Tor Log To Clipboard”. ==== Why is the Tor Browser slower than my other browsers? ==== Using Tor / the Tor Browser can sometimes be slower than directly connecting to services. The difference in speed is due to your traffic being routed through 3 (or more if using onion services) relays around the world, before going to your destination. The Tor network has over a million daily users, and just over 6000 relays to route all of their traffic. The geographical distance and the load on each server make Tor a bit slower than what you may be used to. However, the Tor network has become much faster over the last few years and this may not be noticeable for many types of uses. ==== Is it safe to run Tor Browser and another browser at the same time? ==== If you run Tor Browser and another browser at the same time, it won't have any affect on Tor's performance or privacy properties. However, be aware that your other browser is not keeping your activity private, and you may forget and accidentally use that nonprivate browser to do something that you intended to do in Tor Browser. ==== Can I download Tor Browser for ChromeOS? ==== Unfortunately, we don't have a version of Tor Browser that works for ChromeOS yet. ==== I'm having a problem with DuckDuckGo. ==== Please see the DuckDuckGo support portal at https://duck.co/help. If you believe this is a Tor Browser issue, please let us know at . ==== I'm having a problem with NoScript. ==== Please see the NoScript FAQ at https://noscript.net/faq. If you believe this is a Tor Browser issue, please let us know at . ==== I'm having a problem with HTTPSEverywhere ==== Please see the HTTPS-Everywhere FAQ at https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere/faq. If you believe this is a Tor Browser issue, please let us know at . ==== How do I update? ==== Tor Browser will prompt you to update the software once a new version has been released: the Torbutton icon will display a yellow triangle, and you may see a written update indicator when Tor Browser opens. You can update either automatically or manually. [[Image(https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/media/updating/update1.png, 200px)]] [[Image(https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/media/updating/update3.png, 200px)]] [[Image(https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/media/updating/update4.png, 200px)]] ==== How do I uninstall? ==== Tor Browser does not affect any of the existing software or settings on your computer. Uninstalling Tor Browser will not affect your system’s software or settings. Removing Tor Browser from your system is simple: 1. Locate your Tor Browser folder. The default location on Windows is the Desktop; on Mac OS X it is the Applications folder. On Linux, there is no default location, however the folder will be named "tor-browser_en-US" if you are running the English Tor Browser. 2. Delete the Tor Browser folder. 3. Empty your Trash Note that your operating system’s standard “Uninstall” utility is not used. ==== How do I get a new identity? ==== Tor Browser features “New Identity” and “New Tor Circuit for this Site” options, located in the Torbutton menu. * New Identity This option is useful if you want to prevent your subsequent browser activity from being linkable to what you were doing before. Selecting it will close all your open tabs and windows, clear all private information such as cookies and browsing history, and use new Tor circuits for all connections. Tor Browser will warn you that all activity and downloads will be stopped, so take this into account before clicking “New Identity”. * New Tor Circuit for this Site This option is useful if the exit relay you are using is unable to connect to the website you require, or is not loading it properly. Selecting it will cause the currently-active tab or window to be reloaded over a new Tor circuit. Other open tabs and windows from the same website will use the new circuit as well once they are reloaded. This option does not clear any private information or unlink your activity, nor does it affect your current connections to other websites. [[Image(https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US/media/managing-identities/circuit_full.png, 200px)]] ==== A website (bank, email provider, etc..) locks me out whenever I use Tor, what can I do? ==== Tor Browser often makes your connection appear as though it is coming from an entirely different part of the world. Some websites, such as banks or email providers, might interpret this as a sign that your account has been hacked or compromised, and lock you out. The only way to resolve this is by following the site’s recommended procedure for account recovery, or contacting the operators and explaining the situation. ==== I cannot reach X.onion! ==== If you cannot reach the onion service you require, make sure that you have entered the 16-character onion address correctly: even a small mistake will stop Tor Browser from being able to reach the site. If you are still unable to connect to the onion service, please try again later. There may be a temporary connection issue, or the site operators may have allowed it to go offline without warning. You can also ensure that you're able to access other onion services by connecting to DuckDuckGo's Onion Service (http://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/). ==== Which platforms is Tor Browser available on? ==== The Tor Browser is currently available on Windows, Linux and OSX. ==== Can I set the Tor Browser as my default browser? ==== There is currently no supported method for setting the Tor Browser as your default browser. ==== Does running the Tor Browser make me a relay? ==== Running the Tor Browser does not make you act as a relay in the network. This means that your computer will not be used to route traffic for others. ==== Why does the Tor Browser ship with javascript enabled? ==== We configure NoScript to allow JavaScript by default in Tor Browser because many websites will not work with JavaScript disabled. Most users would give up on Tor entirely if a website they want to use requires JavaScript, because they would not know how to allow a website to use JavaScript (or that enabling JavaScript might make a website work). There's a tradeoff here. On the one hand, we should leave JavaScript enabled by default so websites work the way users expect. On the other hand, we should disable JavaScript by default to better protect against browser vulnerabilities ( not just a theoretical concern!). But there's a third issue: websites can easily determine whether you have allowed JavaScript for them, and if you disable JavaScript by default but then allow a few websites to run scripts (the way most people use NoScript), then your choice of whitelisted websites acts as a sort of cookie that makes you recognizable (and distinguishable), thus harming your anonymity. Ultimately, we want the default Tor bundles to use a combination of firewalls (like the iptables rules in Tails) and sandboxes to make JavaScript not so scary. In the shorter term, TBB 3.0 will hopefully allow users to choose their JavaScript settings more easily — but the partitioning concern will remain. Until we get there, feel free to leave JavaScript on or off depending on your security, anonymity, and usability priorities. ==== Can you get rid of all the captchas? ==== Unfortunately, we are not able to remove CAPTCHAs from websites. The best thing to do in these cases is to contact the website owners, and inform them that their CAPTCHAs are preventing users such as yourself from using their services. ==== Why should I use Tor Browser? Why can't I use Tor + Firefox or Tor + Chrome? ==== Tor does not protect all of your computer's Internet traffic when you run it. Tor only protects your applications that are properly configured to send their Internet traffic through Tor. To avoid problems with Tor configuration, we strongly recommend you use the Tor Browser. It is pre-configured to protect your privacy and anonymity on the web as long as you're browsing with Tor Browser itself. Almost any other web browser configuration is likely to be unsafe to use with Tor. === Tor Messenger === ==== What is Tor Messenger? ==== Tor Messenger is a cross-platform chat program that aims to be secure by default and sends all of its traffic over Tor. It supports a wide variety of transport networks, including XMPP, IRC, Twitter, and others; enables Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging automatically; has an easy-to-use graphical user interface; and a secure automatic updater. See the introductory blog post(https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tor-messenger-beta-chat-over-tor-easily) for more information. ==== Does the Tor Project make any software for sending messages? ==== Tor Messenger is a cross-platform chat program that aims to be secure by default and sends all of its traffic over Tor. It supports a wide variety of transport networks, including XMPP, IRC, Twitter, and others; enables Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging automatically; has an easy-to-use graphical user interface; and a secure automatic updater. See the introductory blog post(https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tor-messenger-beta-chat-over-tor-easily) for more information. ==== What platforms is Tor Messenger available on? ==== Tor Messenger is currently available on Linux, Windows and OSX. ==== Where can I download Tor Messenger? ==== While the Tor Messenger remains in beta, the latest downloads can be found on our wiki at https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/TorMessenger. ==== What is OTR? ==== Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging allows you to have private conversations over popular instant messaging protocols by providing Encryption, Authentication, Deniability and Forward Secrecy. For more details, please see https://otr.cypherpunks.ca/. === Mobile === ==== Can I run Tor on an Android device? ==== Tor on Android is provided by The Guardian Project. More information can be found at https://guardianproject.info/apps/orbot/ and https://guardianproject.info/apps/orfox/. ==== Who is the Guardian Project? ==== The Guardian Project maintains Tor (and other privacy applications) on Android. More info can be found here: https://guardianproject.info. ==== Can I run Tor on an iOS device? ==== There is currently no official version of Tor Browser for iOS. There is, however, an app called Onion Browser, which is open source, uses Tor routing, and is developed by someone who works closely with the Tor Project. You can download it from the iOS App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onion-browser-secure-anonymous-web-with-tor/id519296448?mt=8. Please beware of fake Tor apps in the iOS store! ==== How do I run Tor on Windows Phone? ==== Sorry, there is currently no supported method for running Tor on Windows Phone. === GetTor === ==== How do I download Tor if the torproject.org is blocked? ==== If you can't download Tor through our [https://www.torproject.org website], you can get a copy of Tor delivered to you via GetTor. GetTor is a service that automatically responds to messages with links to the latest version of Tor Browser, hosted at a variety of locations that are less likely to be censored, such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Github. * To use GetTor via email: Send an email to gettor@torproject.org, and in the body of the message simply write “windows”, “osx”, or “linux”, (without quotation marks) depending on your operating system. GetTor will respond with an email containing links from which you can download the Tor Browser package, the cryptographic signature (needed for verifying the download) [link to glossary definition of cryptographic signature; instructions for verification], the fingerprint of the key used to make the signature, and the package’s checksum. You may be offered a choice of “32-bit” or “64-bit” software: this depends on the model of the computer you are using; consult documentation about your computer to find out more. * To use GetTor via Twitter: To get links for downloading the Tor Browser, send a direct message to [https://www.twitter.com/get_tor @get_tor] with one of the following codes in it (you don't need to follow the account). {{{ Linux OSX Windows }}} * To use GetTor via Jabber/XMPP (Tor Messenger, Jitsi, CoyIM): To get links for downloading the Tor Browser, send a message to gettor@torproject.org with one of the following codes in it: {{{ Linux OSX Windows }}} === Connection issues === === Censorship === === HTTPS === === Operator === ==== How do I run a middle/guard relay on Debian? ==== 1. If you're on Debian, start with "apt-get install tor" (as root). 2. Make sure your clock, date, and timezone are set correctly. Intall the ntp or openntpd (or similar) package to keep it that way. 3. Edit /etc/tor/torrc to look like the following: {{{ ## The IP address or hostname for incoming connections (leave commented and Tor will guess) #Address noname.example.com ## Set the nickname of this relay Nickname ididnteditheconfig ## Set your own contact info ContactInfo 0xFFFFFFFF Random Person ## If you control multiple relays, include then in the family #MyFamily $keyid,$keyid,... ORPort 9001 DirPort 9030 ## Set your bandwidth rate (leave commented and Tor will run without bandwidth caps) #RelayBandwidthRate 30 MBytes #RelayBandwidthBurst 100 MBytes ExitPolicy reject *:* }}} 4. Run "service tor reload" (as root) 5. Once your relay connects to the network, it will try to determine whether the ports you configured are reachable from the outside. This step is usually fast, but it may take a few minutes. Look for a log entry in your /var/log/tor/log like Self-testing indicates your ORPort is reachable from the outside. Excellent. If you don't see this message, it means that your relay is not reachable from the outside you should re-check your firewalls, check that it's testing the IP and port you think it should be testing, etc. When it decides that it's reachable, it will upload a "server descriptor" to the directory authorities, to let clients know what address, ports, keys, etc your relay is using. After a few hours (to give it enough time to propagate), you can query [https://atlas.torproject.org Atlas] to see whether your relay has successfully registered in the network. ==== What is the difference between a single and standard onion service? ==== Over the past several years, we've collaborated with many large scale service providers such as Facebook and Riseup, organizations that deployed Onion Services to improve their performance. Onion services are great because they offer both anonymity on the service and the client side. However, there are cases where the onion service does not require anonymity. The main example of this is when the service provider does not need to hide the location of its servers. As a reminder, an onion service connection between a client and a service goes through 6 hops, while a regular connection with Tor is 3 hops. Onion services are much slower than regular Tor connections because of this. With single onion services, a service can now specify in its configuration file that it does not need anonymity, thus cutting the 3 hops between the service and its Rendezvous Point and speeding up the connection. [IMAGES FROM https://blog.torproject.org/blog/whats-new-tor-0298] For security reasons, if this option is enabled, only single onion service can be configured. They can't coexist with a regular onion service. Because this removes the anonymity aspect of the service, we took extra precautions so that it's very difficult to enable a single onion by mistake. In your torrc file, here is how you do it: HiddenServiceNonAnonymousMode 1 HiddenServiceSingleHopMode 1 Please read about these options before you enable them in the [https://www.torproject.org/docs/tor-manual.html.en manual page] === Onions === === Misc === ==== Can I use Tor with bittorrent? ==== Using Tor with bittorrent is not recommended or supported. For further details, please see our blog post on the subject at https://blog.torproject.org/blog/bittorrent-over-tor-isnt-good-idea. ==== Why did you infect my computer with malware? (CryptoLocker) ==== You have been infected with malware. The Tor Project did not create this malware. The Tor Project writes software that is used every day for a wide variety of purposes by the [https://www.torproject.org/about/torusers.html.en military, journalists, law enforcement officers, activists, and many others]. Unfortunately, the protection that our software can provide to these groups of people can also be abused by criminals and malware authors. The Tor Project does not endorse, support or condone the use of our software in this way. However, we are not able to assist directly with these cases as we did not write the malware that you have been infected with. ==== Does Tor keep logs? ==== Tor doesn't keep any longs that could identify a particular user. We do take some measurements of how the network functions, which you can check out here: metrics.torproject.org. ==== Does Tor Project offer xmpp/email/some other privacy-enhancing technologies? ==== No, we don't provide any online services. A list of all of our software projects can be found here: https://www.torproject.org/projects/projects.html.en. ==== Can I use the Tor logo in my product/movie/book/etc? ==== You can read all about that here: https://www.torproject.org/docs/trademark-faq.html. ==== I'm having a problem updating/using Vidalia ==== Vidalia is no longer maintained or supported. A large portion of the features Vidalia offered have now been integrated into the Tor Browser itself. ==== Why can't I use Vidalia anymore? ==== Vidalia is no longer maintained or supported. A large portion of the features Vidalia offered have now been integrated into the Tor Browser itself. ==== Does the Tor Project offer hosting? ==== No, the Tor Project does not offer hosting services. ==== Can I change the number of hops Tor uses? ==== Right now the path length is hard-coded at 3 plus the number of nodes in your path that are sensitive. That is, in normal cases it's 3, but for example if you're accessing an onion service or a ".exit" address it could be 4. We don't want to encourage people to use paths longer than this as it increases load on the network without (as far as we can tell) providing any more security. Also, using paths longer than 3 could harm anonymity, first because it makes [http://freehaven.net/anonbib/#ccs07-doa "denial of security"] attacks easier, and second because it could act as an identifier if only a small number of users have the same path length as you.