How to bypass censorship and connect to Tor from different countries or regions

In some countries, Internet service providers or national firewalls block direct access to the Tor network. Tor Browser includes built-in support for bridges and other circumvention tools, but in censored regions you may still need to select or request a bridge to connect successfully. This page offers country-specific guidance on getting Tor Browser connected when access is censored.

View for:

China

Below are reliable ways to obtain Tor Browser and connect from within China.

1. Get Tor Browser safely

To get an updated version of Tor Browser, try the Telegram bot first: @gettor_bot. If that doesn't work, you can send an email to gettor@torproject.org with the subject "windows", "macos", or "linux" for the respective operating system.

2. Try Connection Assist first

After the installation, Tor Browser will try to connect to the Tor network. If Tor is blocked in your location, Connection Assist will try to automatically connect using a bridge or Snowflake. But if that doesn't work, the second step will be to obtain a bridge that works in China.

3. Bridge options that work in China

There are following options to unblock Tor in China:

  1. WebTunnel: makes the traffic look like a regular HTTPS connection to a webpage server giving the impression that the user is simply browsing the web. To obtain WebTunnel bridges, visit our bridges website. From the "Advanced options" select "WebTunnel", from the dropdown, as the pluggable transport. Then click on "Get Bridges". Support for WebTunnel bridges is only available on Tor Browser for Desktop and Android.
  2. Snowflake: uses ephemeral proxies to connect to the Tor network. It's available in Tor Browser and other Tor powered apps like Orbot. You can select Snowflake from Tor Browser's built-in bridge menu.
  3. Private and unlisted obfs4 bridges: contact our Telegram Bot @GetBridgesBot and type /obfs4. Or send an email to frontdesk@torproject.org with the phrase "private bridge cn" in the subject of the email. If you are tech-savvy, you can run your own obfs4 bridge from outside China. Remember that obfs4 bridges distributed from the Tor bridges website, and built-in obfs4 bridges bundled in Tor Browser most likely won't work.
  4. meek: makes it look like you are browsing a website instead of using Tor. However, because it has a bandwidth limitation, this option will be quite slow. You can select meek from Tor Browser's built-in bridges dropdown.

For obfs4 or WebTunnel bridges obtained via email or from the Bridges website, follow instructions to enter the bridge addresses in Tor Browser.
If one of these options above is not working, check your Tor logs and try another option.

4. Getting help

If you need help, you can contact our support team on Telegram Tor Project Support and Signal. Or send an email to frontdesk@torproject.org with the phrase "private bridge cn" in the subject of the email.

Russia

Since December 2021, many Internet providers in Russia have been blocking direct connections to the Tor network, so users generally need to connect through a bridge. The obfs4 bridge type remains the most widely used in Russia, but some mobile ISPs have begun blocking it through Deep Package Inspection (DPI). In those cases, switching to WebTunnel bridges hosted on less well-known providers (rather than major hosts like OVH, Hetzner, Linode, or DigitalOcean) can help you bypass these restrictions.

Find up-to-date instructions on how to circumvent censorship and connect to Tor from Russia on our forum guide: Tor blocked in Russia - how to circumvent censorship.

To get an updated version of Tor Browser, try the Telegram bot first: @gettor_bot.

If you need help, contact us via Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, or by email frontdesk@torproject.org. When you reach out, include "private bridge ru" in your message (subject line or chat text) so our team can send you the right instructions more quickly.

Turkmenistan

In Turkmenistan, direct access to the Tor network is heavily restricted. The most reliable way to connect with Tor Browser is usually through Snowflake, and using AMP cache as the front domain. It's also possible to connect using obfs4 bridges, but users need to find bridges hosted on less-well-known providers rather than major hosting companies, since they are frequently blocked.

To get an updated version of Tor Browser, try the Telegram bot first: @gettor_bot.

If you need help, contact us via Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, or by email frontdesk@torproject.org. When you reach out, include "private bridge tm" in your message (subject line or chat text) so our team can send you the right instructions more quickly.