How to Access the Darknet

Accessing .onion sites requires Tor Browser from the Tor Project. Third-party “Tor” installers are a common malware path. This page covers setup only — market mirrors stay under Markets.

1. Download from the official project

Use torproject.org/download. Prefer the package that matches your OS. Avoid browser extensions that claim to “add Tor” to a normal browser — they do not provide the same isolation model.

2. Verify when you can

Desktop builds publish signatures and hashes. Checking them is tedious once; skipping them is how trojaned browsers get installed. Keep the verification notes offline.

3. First connection habits

• Connect Tor before opening any onion
• Do not maximize the window into uncommon sizes if you care about fingerprint basics
• Keep the security slider at least at Standard; Safer for untrusted pages
• Never install random add-ons

4. After Tor works

Open market pages from this directory’s Markets section, not from search ads. Read anti-phishing before bookmarking.