How to Access the Dark Web: Tor Browser Setup
Set up Tor Browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Android: use torproject.org, verify the download, connect, choose a security level, and avoid add-ons.
How to access the darknet — 2026
How to access the darknet: Tor guides
These guides answer how to reach .onion sites safely, then OPSEC, phishing clones, security levels, verified directories, PGP, Tor on phones, Tails, escrow language, and coin visibility. Start with Tor Browser from torproject.org. Pair practice with the encyclopedia and the market catalog. Shop onions appear only on catalog cards already on file. These guides are not order walkthroughs.
Start here: Tor Browser
Security guides
Don't Open Downloaded Files While Online
Why a PDF or DOC downloaded in Tor Browser can hit the network off-Tor; use the built-in viewer, or open files on a disconnected machine.
Escrow on Darknet Markets: Traditional, Multisig, FE
Darknet market escrow: who holds coins, how disputes work, and why finalize-early is not protection — catalog language, not a how-to-buy.
Darknet Fraud Prevention: Phishing and Exit Scams
Recognize darknet fraud: phishing clones, fake Tor downloads, social engineering, and exit scams — a checklist, not a buyer’s walkthrough.
GetTor When torproject.org Is Blocked
How to get Tor Browser when the Project site is censored: GetTor by email or Telegram, official EFF and Calyx-class mirrors, then verify the signature.
New Identity vs New Circuit
When to press New Identity versus New Tor Circuit for this Site: what each one breaks, what it keeps, and what neither can undo.
OnionShare: Send a File Without Email
How OnionShare hosts a temporary onion on your computer so someone can fetch a file in Tor Browser — no email, no cloud, no server of your own.
OPSEC with Tor: Threat Model, Identities, Metadata
OPSEC for Tor: write a threat model, separate identities, audit metadata, and why Tor Browser alone is not operational security.
Tor Phishing: Fake Downloads and .onion Clones
Tor phishing detection: identify fake downloads, lookalike domains, and cloned .onion addresses; verify Tor Project software and signed service links.
Photo and PDF Metadata (MAT2)
What EXIF, GPS, and author fields leak in photos and PDFs, how MAT2 writes a cleaned copy, and why that is not the same as opening an attachment.
Onion Directories: Tags, Canaries, and Clone Risk
How to read onion directories and market catalogs: what Escrow, PGP, and coin tags mean, why uptime is not authenticity, and why public directories are not primary sources.
Source vs Journalist Path
A role map of SecureDrop: how the source path (Tails, public onion) differs from the journalist path (workstation, then air-gap) — not a leak walkthrough.
Why Torrent and Tor Don't Mix
Tor Project policy on BitTorrent: clients ignore the proxy, leak your IP to the tracker, and overload volunteer exits. Do not combine them.
Tor + HTTPS: What the Exit Sees
What a Tor exit can read without HTTPS, what it still sees with HTTPS, and why an onion service has no public exit. Tor and TLS do different jobs.
Tor Browser Security Levels: Standard, Safer, Safest
What Tor Browser Standard, Safer, and Safest actually disable, and why extra add-ons break the fingerprint model.
Finding Verified Onion Links: Directories vs Wikis
How to treat .onion directories: v2 vs v3 addresses, why prefixes lie, and how editorial catalogs differ from vandalized wikis — not a link dump.
How to Verify a Newsroom Onion
How a reader checks a SecureDrop onion against the Freedom of the Press Foundation directory and the outlet’s own landing page — not against a homemade list.
Why Tor “Breaks” Sites
CAPTCHAs, Cloudflare warnings, and “you have been blocked” on Tor: the site is scoring a shared exit IP, not proving that Tor is down.
Privacy guides
Bitcoin vs Monero: What a Public Chain Reveals
Why Bitcoin leaves a permanent graph and why Monero is designed to hide amounts and counterparts — without a shopping list of mixers or no-KYC ramps.
Letterboxing and Window Fingerprint
Why Tor Browser draws grey bars around the page, why maximizing can make you unique, and why extra extensions destroy the shared fingerprint.
PGP for Tor Users: Keys, Canaries, Signatures
OpenPGP for Tor: why key provenance beats math, how to think about Tor Browser signatures and operator canaries, and what PGP does not hide.
Orbot vs Tor Browser Android vs Onion Browser
A limits matrix: Tor Browser for Android is the official browser; Orbot is a proxy for other apps; Onion Browser is the iOS stand-in and cannot match desktop fingerprinting.
Privacy Tools: Tor, Tails, Whonix, PGP
Privacy tools compared: Tor Browser, Tails, Whonix, PGP, OnionShare — what each layer protects, limits, and official download sources.
Tails Live USB: Amnesia, Persistence, and Limits
Tails as a Tor-first live OS: what amnesia covers, when encrypted persistence helps, firmware and hardware limits, and why the image must come from tails.net.
Tor Myths: What the Network Does and Does Not Do
Common Tor myths: legality, “only criminals,” VPN stacking, invisibility, JavaScript, and why a .onion is not a trust badge.
Tor on Mobile: Android Browser and iOS Limits
Tor Browser for Android from official stores; why there is no Tor Browser for iOS; Onion Browser and WebKit limits; phones as a separate threat model from desktop.
Tor vs VPN: Differences, Combinations, Limits
Tor vs VPN: who sees your IP, who sees the destination, speed, and when VPN-before-Tor makes sense — a comparison without marketing claims.
Frequently asked questions
How do I access the darknet safely?
Install Tor Browser from torproject.org, verify the signature, then raise the security level. Full walkthrough: Tor Browser setup. After that, the onion links directory.
Do I need a VPN to use Tor?
Usually no. A random VPN can add a log point. Read Tor vs VPN before you stack extra hops.
What should I read before opening a market?
Phishing detection, OPSEC fundamentals, and escrow systems, then the market catalog. TorBible is not a marketplace.
Does a market “Escrow” tag mean my coins are safe?
No. It means our file records that the name is described as using a hold. Traditional escrow dies with an exit scam. Read escrow systems and Bitcoin vs Monero.
Is there Tor Browser for iPhone?
No. Apple requires WebKit, so the Tor Project does not ship Tor Browser for iOS. They point to Onion Browser, with weaker fingerprint defenses. Android has an official Tor Browser. Read Tor on mobile.
What is Tails for?
A Tor-first live USB that forgets the session on shutdown, with optional encrypted persistence. It does not run on phones and does not fix hostile firmware. Read Tails live USB.
Which Tor Browser security level should I use?
Standard for ordinary sites that need scripts, Safer to cut JavaScript on HTTP, Safest when you can live with static pages. Extra add-ons break the shared fingerprint. Details: security levels.
How do I know an onion link is real?
Compare all 56 characters against a source you already trusted, then a PGP signature whose fingerprint did not arrive on the same page. Directories are catalogs, not oracles. See verified onion links and PGP.
Does Tor make me anonymous or is it illegal?
The browser is generally lawful in the EU; crime stays crime. Tor separates network observers — it does not hide accounts or extra apps. Myths and limits: Tor myths and Is Tor legal?.