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Tor is a volunteer-run network that sends internet traffic through multiple relays, wrapping it in layers of encryption along the way. This makes it harder for your internet provider or a public Wi-Fi operator to see which sites you visit, and harder for those sites to learn your IP address and location. Tor improves privacy, but it does not guarantee anonymity.
How Tor routes a connection
Tor is an overlay network made up of computers called relays. A Tor client uses signed directory information to learn about available relays, then builds a circuit through several of them. Each relay handles only its part of the route and peels away one layer of encryption, rather than receiving the whole journey in a form that reveals both its origin and destination. The design distributes trust so that no single relay should learn both who you are and what site you are visiting. Tor Project specifications describe the network design.
For a typical connection to an ordinary website, the first relay is the entry point, the last is the exit relay, and traffic passes through a middle relay between them. Your connection to the Tor network and the website’s view of your connection differ:
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- Your local network or internet provider can generally see that your device is communicating with Tor, but Tor is designed to prevent it from seeing the destination site.
- The website generally sees the exit relay’s IP address rather than your own.
- The relays each handle only part of the route; the design aims to keep any one relay from linking your identity with your destination.
These protections concern network-level information. If you sign in to an account or submit identifying details, the site can still connect your activity to that information.
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What Tor Browser does—and what it does not
Tor Browser is the usual way to browse through Tor. It is based on Firefox and includes privacy protections in addition to routing traffic through Tor. The Tor Project recommends using Tor Browser instead of setting another browser to use Tor: another browser may expose your real IP address or distinctive browser characteristics, or retain cookies and cached data in ways that weaken privacy. See the Tor Project guidance on using other browsers with Tor.
Tor Browser does not automatically send every program on your computer through Tor. Only applications configured to use Tor receive its network protections. This distinction matters if you use other browsers, messaging programs, download tools, or other internet-connected apps.
What Tor does not protect you from
Tor reduces what particular observers can learn from your network connection; it does not make every action anonymous or secure by itself. The Tor Project states that “Tor Browser includes many privacy protections, but it cannot guarantee perfect anonymity.” Its anonymity guidance explains why logging in or sharing personal information can identify you to a site even when you use Tor.
- Accounts and personal details: A site can identify you when you log in or provide details that reveal who you are.
- Unconfigured applications: Programs that do not use Tor may connect directly and expose your ordinary IP address.
- BitTorrent: The Tor Project advises against using BitTorrent over Tor. Torrent applications can make direct connections or expose identifying information, and torrent traffic can slow the network. See the Tor Project’s BitTorrent warning.
- Browser add-ons: Avoid installing extra plugins or add-ons in Tor Browser; they can bypass Tor or undermine privacy.
- External documents: Opening downloaded documents in an external application while online may cause that program to fetch resources outside Tor, potentially revealing your non-Tor IP address.
Why HTTPS still matters with Tor
Tor’s internal encryption protects traffic as it travels through the Tor network, but it does not automatically encrypt the connection from an exit relay to an ordinary website. That final leg depends on whether the site uses HTTPS. With HTTP, information on that leg is not protected by website encryption; with HTTPS, the connection between the exit relay and the website is encrypted. The Tor Project explains HTTPS and Tor, and describes Tor Browser’s HTTPS-Only Mode, which attempts to use HTTPS where available.
For sensitive activity on an ordinary site, check that the address bar shows HTTPS before entering information. Tor and HTTPS serve different purposes: Tor helps obscure the route and your address from the destination, while HTTPS protects the connection between the exit relay and the site.
When to use a bridge
A bridge is an unlisted Tor entry relay. It can help when a network blocks connections to known public Tor relays. Tor can also use pluggable transports that make Tor traffic harder for a network to recognize. A bridge adds configuration; if a direct Tor connection works on your network, most users do not need one. Whether it helps depends on local blocking or censorship conditions.
The practical choice is between connecting directly to the public Tor network and configuring a bridge if direct connections are blocked or need to be harder to detect. Bridges are part of connecting to Tor, not a separate paid product tier. The Tor Project provides instructions for configuring bridges on desktop and Android.
What .onion sites and onion services are
Onion services are websites or other services published through Tor. A .onion address is reachable only through Tor, and the service’s location is not exposed in the ordinary way. The Tor Project says traffic between a Tor user and an onion service is end-to-end encrypted. Learn about onion services.
Encryption and hidden location do not establish that an operator is trustworthy. Verify that you have the intended .onion address, and pay attention to Tor Browser’s onion-service indicators. The Tor Project explains what .onion sites are.
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