Enabling Tor (Firefox)

Contents

All Platforms

  1. Ensure you have already followed instruction for running Tor on your platform.

  2. Open Firefox and enter about:config in the URL bar. Accept any warnings that appear.

  3. Search for dom.securecontext.allowlist_onions and set the value to "true".

Mac

  1. Ensure you have completed the steps under All Platforms.

  2. In the main hamburger menu, click "Settings".

  3. Using the search bar, enter proxy, then select Settings....

  4. Select both boxes: Use System Proxy Settings and Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5.

  5. Click "OK".

  6. Restart Firefox.

  7. Test that Firefox can resolve .onion URLs by visiting Start9's Tor website: http://privacy34kn4ez3y3nijweec6w4g54i3g54sdv7r5mr6soma3w4begyd.onion.

Linux


If you cannot connect after following this guide, your Firefox may be installed in a jailed environment, such as an AppImage, Flatpak, or SNAP. Ubuntu uses a SNAP for Firefox, so you may experience issues on Ubuntu-based systems. Please install Firefox via an alternate method that does not isolate Firefox from the wider filesystem.

  1. Ensure you have completed the steps under All Platforms.

  2. You need a Proxy Auto Config file to inform Firefox how to resolve .onion URLs. You can get Start9's standard file from a terminal, by using the following command:

    sudo wget -P ~/ https://start9.com/assets/proxy.pac

  3. Determine the full path of proxy.pac, which we will use later, by executing the following command in the terminal, and copying its output to your clipboard:

    echo file://$HOME/proxy.pac

  4. In the main hamburger menu, click "Settings".

  5. Using the search bar, enter proxy, then select Settings....

  6. Select Automatic proxy configuration URL, then paste the path copied from above. Be aware, the triple /// is intentional, and your path will be different from the one below - namely, YOUR_LINUX_USERNAME will be your actual linux username:

    file:///home/YOUR_LINUX_USERNAME/proxy.pac

  7. Select the box Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5.

  8. Click OK.

  9. Restart Firefox.

  10. Test that Firefox can resolve .onion URLs by visiting Start9's Tor website: http://privacy34kn4ez3y3nijweec6w4g54i3g54sdv7r5mr6soma3w4begyd.onion.

Windows

  1. Ensure you have completed the steps under All Platforms.

  2. You need a Proxy Auto Config file to inform Firefox how to resolve .onion URLs. Click here to get the one offered by Start9. Save it somewhere you will not delete it, and remember where you save it. For example:

    C:\Program Files\Tor Browser\proxy.pac

  3. In the main hamburger menu, click "Settings".

  4. Using the search bar, enter proxy, then select Settings....

  5. Select the box Automatic proxy configuration URL, then paste in the path to your PAC file from earlier, prefixed with file:// and with all backslashes (\) replaced by forward slashes (/). For example:

    file://C:/Program Files/Tor Browser/proxy.pac

  6. Select the box Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5.

  7. Click OK.

  8. Restart Firefox.

  9. Test that Firefox can resolve .onion URLs by visiting Start9's Tor website: http://privacy34kn4ez3y3nijweec6w4g54i3g54sdv7r5mr6soma3w4begyd.onion.

Android/Graphene

  1. Ensure you have completed the steps under All Platforms.

  2. You need a Proxy Auto Config file to inform Firefox how to resolve .onion URLs. Click here to get the one offered by Start9.

  3. Search for network.proxy.autoconfig_url, and set the value to file:///storage/emulated/0/Download/proxy.pac. This is the default location of a the proxy.pac file downloaded above, although your path may vary.

  4. Search for network.proxy.type into the search bar, and set the value to 2:

  5. Search for network.proxy.socks_remote_dns, and set the value to true.

  6. Search for network.http.referer.hideOnionSource and set the value to true

  7. (GrapheneOS users only): Head to Settings -> Apps -> Firefox Beta -> Permissions -> Photos and videos -> Configure Storage Scopes -> ADD FILE, then navigate to where you placed the proxy.pac file.

  8. Test that Firefox can resolve .onion URLs by visiting Start9's Tor website: http://privacy34kn4ez3y3nijweec6w4g54i3g54sdv7r5mr6soma3w4begyd.onion.