Proton VPN is integrated with the Tor network, and Tor over VPN provides users a simple way to route their Internet traffic through the Tor network with a single click.
In this article, we explain how to connect to the Tor network with Proton VPN using our Tor over VPN feature. We also describe how you can access hidden services, like .onion sites, using your regular web browser. While Proton VPN is a free VPN service, Tor over VPN is a feature reserved for our paying subscribers. For more details on the advantages and features of our paid subscriptions, check out our different VPN plans.
It is a very simple process:
- Connect to a Tor VPN server available in designated countries (more details below)
- And you are done! Your Internet traffic will now be routed through the Tor network automatically. (Note: Tor only supports TCP traffic. UDP traffic cannot be routed through Tor nodes. Additionally, ICMP traffic, like Ping, is not routed through Tor either. ICMP traffic does pass through the VPN server, which prevents it from revealing your true IP address.)
Connecting to the Tor network
The Proton VPN server network includes nodes which are set up to reroute your Internet traffic through the Tor network. You can find these servers by looking for “TOR” in their server names, such as US-GA#29-TOR, HK#5-TOR, and DE#7-TOR. In the country list, an onion symbol designates that the country contains a Tor-connected server. See here for a complete list of servers.
To use Tor over VPN, you just need to connect to one of these servers on your preferred device. To set up our app on your device of choice, see our step-by-step guides for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or iOS.
Once the Proton VPN app is ready, connect to one of the Tor servers as you would any other server. In any of the native Proton VPN clients, search the country list on the left until you find a country with a Tor server (a country with the onion symbol). Open that country, find a server with “TOR” in its name, and click connect. Once the connection is established, you’re all set.
Accessing hidden services with your regular browser
Now that you’re connected to one of our Tor-enabled servers, your Internet traffic will be automatically routed through the Tor network. If you want to access hidden services, such as Proton Mail’s onion site at https://protonmailrmez3lotccipshtkleegetolb73fuirgj7r4o4vfu7ozyd.onion/, using your regular browser, you will likely need to configure it to resolve .onion domains.
Firefox
To allow .onion domains in Firefox
1. Open a new tab, go to about:config and confirm the security reminder.
2. Search for network.dns.blockDotOnion and double click the entry to set the Value to false (default true). This will allow Firefox to resolve .onion addresses.
3. DONE – now you can enter your desired .onion site where you normally enter your clear net URL and browse like usual.
-
-
- Note for Firefox + NoScript users: Some users report that the Proton onion service does not load properly with NoScript installed, even if scripts are allowed for the domain. This may be caused by a feature called ABE (Application Boundary Enforcer). Consider disabling this feature for the duration of your visit or adding an exception for the Proton Mail hidden service.
-
Chrome / Internet Explorer 11 / Microsoft Edge
As of this writing, .onion domains resolve automatically for the following browser versions
- Microsoft Edge 38
- Internet Explorer 11
- Google Chrome 59
How Proton VPN connects you to the Tor network
Proton VPN Tor nodes connect to the Tor network by establishing a new route each time a user opens a new VPN session. This means that none of the Tor nodes along the way receive information about the originating client and thus, even in the case of a malicious Tor node, your personal data stay hidden.
NetShield Ad-blocker and Tor over VPN
When using Tor over VPN, DNS queries are handled by whatever DNS services the individual Tor nodes use, not by Proton. This means NetShield Ad-blocker does not work when using Tor over VPN.
Related Articles
I really appreciate this post. I¡¦ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
0
so when I am connected to a tor server, onion urls still fail to load, even after following the above instructions,
not even the duckduckgo onion will load, and ive never seen that down
0
Hello Jane. Please contact our customer support team about this issue since we need more details and information. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
0
In firefox, should network.http.referer.hideOnionSource also be set to true?
0
Hello. No it should not be changed and left on false.
0
Can you describe what the connection would look like when connected to a Tor VPN and also using the Tor browser? I’m trying to figure out if there might be advantages / disadvantages in terms of speed / anonymity or if it’s effectively the same.
0
Hello Taylor. Its pretty simple, our TOR over VPN would go trough VPN server first and then 3 random TOR nodes. Using TOR browser on top of that, you would go trough 6 random tor nodes, that would leave you like ultimately anonymous but the speeds would decrease drastically.
0
Hi, if I use your free VPN and Tor browser installed on my PC, do I get same result as described in this post? And if I first start Tor and then/ VPN, what is the difference, I don’t understand this? Also, I belive I will upgrade to paid verision in the near future. Thanks for your service.
0
Hello Atom, Yes, you do get the same results, since you are using the TOR network on top of the VPN connection. (no matter if you turn on the vpn later on) You achieve the same results as with the Tor over VPN server, you get your whole network under VPN and then the browser goes trough tor network. (in this case, only the browser goes trough it, but with our servers over TOR, all pc traffic would go trough it)
0
Isnt Secure Core or multi-hop the same as TOR over VPN?
0
Hello. No its not the same to be short. Secure core connects you trough two VPN servers and then reaches the internet. Tor over VPN will connect you to the vpn server first and then a random TOR node to reach the internet.
0
I went to the website of Macy’s store using the Swiss connection and they showed all the prices in CH currency. Does this mean they see only your server ISP ?
Thanks.
0
Hello. That means your location is determined by your IP if there are no location services on, so that being you connected to the Swiss server will result in Swiss prices on the websites, because they only see your IP.
0
Hi. When using a Tor Proton VPN connection, I encounter sites like foxnews.com that block all Tor traffic. Is Proton VPN working on a solution like vpn to tor to vpn to help address this problem? From what i have read a couple of other vpn providers have solutions like this since they not only increase anonymity but also address the blocking of Tor traffic. Thanks.
0
Hello, Currently we do not have any plans for triple connection methods as vpn over TOR is already really slow and adding another layer of VPN will make the connection crawl if not load pages at all, especially when visiting onion websites. So for now, we do not have a solution for that, terribly sorry about it.
0
I have the firefox quantum and I changed the browser like the instructions stated and changed the VPN to a tor server but it still does not let me access .onion sites. Also on a related subject what is more private using secure core w tor browser or using a tor server w tor browser?
0
Hello Joy, first you need to make sure that the onion site that you are trying to reach is active via that link as links change. Second, its up to you to decide. Secure core with tor browser would bounce through 2 VPN servers and then exit trough random node. As in Tor server + tor browser, you would bounce through 1 vpn server then two Tor nodes. So which one you feel is more comforting, ether more tor nodes or more vpn servers, its for you to decide.
0
Thanks for the response but the new Quantum Firefox does not access .onion sites. I have formatted it like the instructions on this site state and I have checked several .onion sites on tor so I know they are active and I even checked proton’s .onion site and no go for the firefox quantum browser. Any thoughts?
0
Hello Joey, sadly for now we cannot provide any deep insights in to this issue what could be causing it, but most of the times its a browser limitation, if it works with one, for example chrome, then it has to work with other browsers too, but if it doesnt, then its a browser limitation.
0
I have a question using the ProtonVPN app for Android in conjunction with TOR. As I understand from the above information, the ProtonVPN utilizes TOR natively by default as all traffic is sent from the VPN servers to TOR then back out, is this true in the Android client as well? I’m curious because I cannot find an option to connect to TOR services in the Android app through the below instructions which I think only pertain to the PC or MAC client.
The ProtonVPN server network include nodes which are set up to reroute entire connections through the Tor network. These servers are designated with a “TOR” in their server names, examples include US#12-TOR, HK#5-TOR and CH#9-TOR. See here for a complete list of servers.
Users simply need to connect to one of these servers on their preferred devices. To get started and set up on your device of choice, see our step-by-step guides for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or iOS.
Once set up, users simply connect to one of the Tor servers as usual. For example in the native ProtonVPN clients, in the country list on the left, simply go to the country with a Tor server and click connect, wait for it to connect and you’re done.
0
Hello,
The asnwer is Yes, android users can connect to TOR servers too. When you have opened the app in front of you with the server list, scroll down and search for the country that has Onion logo near it , that means it has TOR server in it. Then expand the list of the servers in the coutry and connect to the one that has that logo again.
0
1- On my laptop with a protonVPN Plus connection and network.dns.blockDotOnion being set to false in Firefox, I can’t access https://protonirockerxow.onion Why? Is it still the right url?
2- Is the connection always linked to the Tor server? I use ch-ca-01.protonvpn.com.udp1194.ovpn and on my mobile phone, Secure core ON, I do not see a Tor server for Canada via Switzerland.
0
Hello Pierre.
1 – We do not yet have .onion link for Proton services.
2 – Tor servers cannot be used with Secure core servers as both serve different purpose. Turn off secure core option to see Tor servers.
If you have any further questions please direct them to our support team and we will happily answer them.
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
0
Can you provide a bit more information. What is not clear to me is if accessing a clearnet link or exiting an onion server to a clearnet site, would my traffic still be anonymized? In other words is a TOR server the same as your VPN servers but with just the added ability to “onramp” onto onion sites?
0
Hello,
Our Tor servers work like this : When connecting to it you firstly connect to the VPN server and then afterwards you exit through Tor node to reach the internet. So it works the same as Tor with extra layer of protection being the VPN server. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact our support team and we will happily assist you. :)
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
0
So, the ISP will see I’m connecting to the VPN, but ultimately won’t know you are routing the traffic through TOR?
0
That is correct, since the first connection node will be our VPN server.
0
While I appreciate the description of how to use your firefox browser to access Tor, I wonder how discernible this browser would be from say OrFox or the Tor Browser. I love this function of protonvpn’s servers (encrypting my traffic to the vpn server and then passing it off to Tor) however in terms of practical anonymous browsing…….I am unsure of just changing the config in Mozilla Firefox.
0
Hey, it really comes down to personal preference. There are no issues using a VPN along with a Tor browser.
0
Hello
how do you use the proton VPN + protonmail.onion with the Tor Browser adding Tails in live usb mode ?
thanks
0
Hello Dan,
Please contact our support team and we will help as much as we can.
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
0