New to TOR and looking for help to setup

1. How do I connect to Tor for the first time?
2. Why can't i establish connection to Tor?
3. Can Russians access Tor?
4. Do I need to use VPN before Tor?
5. Is ISP blocking Tor?
6. Do I need a bridge to connect to Tor?
7. Does Tor have a DNS?
8. What DNS server does Tor use?
9. Does onion hide your IP?
10. Is Onion Router a VPN?
11. Do I need a bridge to connect to Tor?
12. How do I know if I am connected to Tor?

How do I connect to Tor for the first time?

When you start Tor Browser, you will see the Connect to Tor window. This offers you the option to either connect directly to the Tor network, or to configure Tor Browser for your connection.

Why can't i establish connection to Tor?

You might be on a network that is blocking the Tor network, and so you should try using bridges. Some bridges are built in to Tor Browser and requires only a few steps to enable it. To use a pluggable transport, click "Configure Connection" when starting Tor Browser for the first time.

Can Russians access Tor?

In December 2021, Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, enacted a 4-year-old court order that allows it to order Internet service providers (ISPs) to block the Tor Project website, where the Tor Browser can be downloaded, and restrict access to its services.

Do I need to use VPN before Tor?

A VPN isn't a requirement to use Tor, but it helps a lot. It encrypts your whole traffic, masking it from the ISP. In short, it's much safer to use Tor with a VPN. Not all VPNs offer Tor features in their product.

Is ISP blocking Tor?

Because Tor has been used for illegal activities, some ISP might throttle or block Tor traffic. Thanks to onion routing, your ISP can't know which site you're visiting or read your traffic. However, ISP will know that you're using Tor. This is because the IP addresses of Tor's nodes are publicly available.

Do I need a bridge to connect to Tor?

Tor bridges are secret Tor relays that keep your connection to the Tor network hidden. Use a bridge as your first Tor relay if connecting to Tor is blocked or if using Tor could look suspicious to someone who monitors your Internet connection.

Does Tor have a DNS?

Unlike other relays, tor exit relays also take care of name resolution for tor clients. Their DNS configuration actually determines where the tor network's DNS traffic is send to.

What DNS server does Tor use?

DNS over Tor · Cloudflare 1.1. 1.1 docs.

Does onion hide your IP?

Tor (The Onion Router) is a network that anonymizes web traffic to provide truly private web browsing. The Tor Browser hides your IP address and browsing activity by redirecting web traffic through a series of different routers known as nodes.

Is Onion Router a VPN?

Onion over VPN combines the use of a Virtual Private Network and The Onion Router (Tor) to amplify the anonymity and security of your browsing traffic. Also known as 'Tor over VPN', it refers specifically to the process of connecting to a VPN server before connecting to Tor.

Do I need a bridge to connect to Tor?

Tor bridges are secret Tor relays that keep your connection to the Tor network hidden. Use a bridge as your first Tor relay if connecting to Tor is blocked or if using Tor could look suspicious to someone who monitors your Internet connection.

How do I know if I am connected to Tor?

Whatismybrowser.com maintains a copy of the Tor exit node IP addresses, in order to detect if you're using Tor, we look in that list for the IP address you're coming from. If it's in the list, then we conclude that your traffic is coming from the Tor network and if not, then we presume that you are not using Tor.