This tutorial shows you how to install Tor browser in Ubuntu Linux. You’ll also learn a few tips around effectively using the Tor Browser.
Privacy is one of the most discussed topic these days. From the NSA spying on citizens and governments alike to the Facebook data scandals. Privacy-concerned people are trying to find ways to protect their privacy.
For those concerned about agencies spying on their network, the Tor Project provides some of the best solutions to protect their privacy. The Tor Protocol is one of the most popular tools created by the Tor Project.
Tor Project has its own Tor browser which is based on Firefox and configured to protect users’ privacy and anonymity by using Tor and Vidalia tools that come bundled with it.
Let’s see how can you install and use Tor browser.
Installing Tor browser in Ubuntu and other Debian based distributions
The Tor browser launcher has made things a lot simpler to install the Tor browser in Linux. It does everything for you automatically, you just have to install it and run it. So, you should prefer using it to get started.
No matter what Linux distribution you have, the recommended method of installing the latest Tor Browser launcher is using Flatpak.
If you have a software store that supports Flatpak (like Pop!_Shop on Pop!_OS), you can easily search for “Tor Browser launcher” and get it installed.
In case you prefer the terminal, you should first set up Flatpak if you haven’t and then type in the following commands:
flatpak install flathub com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcherTo run the launcher, type in:
flatpak run com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcherWhen you run the launcher, it will download the tor browser as shown in the screenshot below. All you have to do is follow the on-screen instructions to continue connecting to Tor and launching the browser.
Install Tor browser launcher using APT (Installs older version but an alternative method)
The Tor browser launcher has been included in the Universe repository of Ubuntu so you can easily use the apt command to install it.
If you are using Ubuntu, make sure that you have the Universe repository enabled.
sudo add-apt-repository universe && sudo apt updateOnce you have that, you can install the Tor browser launcher:
sudo apt install torbrowser-launcherNote that this is not the browser itself. It’s just the installer. So, to run the launcher, you need to simply type in:
torbrowser-launcherInstall Tor browser launcher in any Linux distribution
The Tor browser launcher can be downloaded and run in any Linux distribution. You can find the files and instructions on its download page.
All you have to do is to download the file, extract it, go to the extracted folder and run the launcher. Rest of the steps will be the same what I have shown below.
If you didn’t run the launcher yet, you should have the following two entries in your application menu — Tor Browser and Tor Browser Launcher Settings. Click the Tor Browser Launcher Icon to start the launcher.
Troubleshoot: It’s possible that you’ll see a “SIGNATURE VERIFICATION FAILED” error if you’ve installed it using APT (version 0.3.2). Click on the next section to expand and fix for this problem.
Fixing SIGNATURE VERIFICATION FAILED error (Click to expand)
When the download finally finishes, you may see this “SIGNATURE VERIFICATION FAILED”. The error code is GENERIC_VERIFY_FAIL.
To fix this, you need to refresh the outdated GPG key bundled in the Tor launcher with a new one from Ubuntu’s keyserver.
You can simply click “Start” to try again and that should fix it. If that still hasn’t fixed the issue, you may use the command below to do that:
gpg --homedir "$HOME/.local/share/torbrowser/gnupg_homedir" --refresh-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com
Normally, it should show that the key has been refreshed:
gpg --homedir "$HOME/.local/share/torbrowser/gnupg_homedir" --refresh-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com
gpg: refreshing 1 key from hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com
gpg: key 4E2C6E8793298290: 70 duplicate signatures removed
gpg: key 4E2C6E8793298290: 216 signatures not checked due to missing keys
gpg: key 4E2C6E8793298290: 2 signatures reordered
gpg: key 4E2C6E8793298290: "Tor Browser Developers (signing key) [email protected]" 283 new signatures
gpg: key 4E2C6E8793298290: "Tor Browser Developers (signing key) [email protected]" 1 new subkey
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: new subkeys: 1
gpg: new signatures: 283
gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
Now you need to click on Tor browser again to restart the download and installation. It should be quicker than before.
After the download is done, you will probably see a window as shown in the screenshot below. And show a connection screen. Click on connect to start the browser and connect to the network.
Once it is up and running, you’ll be greeted with the homescreen of the browser.
Tor browser is now successfully installed and you can browse the internet anonymously and privately now.
Installing Tor Browser via PPA (Old method, not recommended)
This is an old method and should only be used in Ubuntu 16.04 or lower versions if the torbrowser-launcher package is not available.
Thanks to Webupd8, we have a PPA that we can use to install Tor browser in Ubuntu and other Ubuntu based Linux OSes easily (if you are not comfortable installing from source code). Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and use the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/tor-browser
sudo apt update
sudo apt install tor-browser
The above PPA should also be valid for Ubuntu 12.04 and other Linux distributions based on it.
Uninstall Tor browser
If you want to uninstall Tor browser, use the following command:
sudo apt remove tor-browser
rm -r ~/.tor-browser-en
Removing Tor browser
If you are not happy with the Tor browser (installed via APT), you can remove it using the command below:
sudo apt purge torbrowser-launcherIf you installed it using Flatpak via software center, you can easily uninstall it from there. If you installed it from terminal, type in the following command:
flatpak uninstall com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcherA few tips for using the Tor Browser
Now that you have installed the Tor browser, let me tell you a few tips about using it. It’s up to you if you want to use some or all of these tips.
1. Check if you are properly connected to the Tor Network
Go to the Tor network check page to see if your browser is properly connected to the network.
2. Avoid using the browser maximized
Maximizing the browser allows websites to access device info such as screen size and resolution. If you’re concerned about this, do not maximize the browser. The tor browser even shows you a warning if you do it.
3. Choose your security level
By default, Tor Browser chooses the standard security level. However, you can select ‘Safer’ and ‘Safest’ levels. You can learn more about the levels here. To access this menu, click the onion below the tabs and select Security Settings.
4. Change a few browsing habits
Try to use search engines that do not track you. A few examples are DuckDuckGo or Disconnect.me. Tor even sets DuckDuckGo as the default search engine. Also avoid installing browser extensions as they may track you.
5. Stay away from illegal sites
As Tor is a hidden network so you may come across a few sites that are illegal or promote shady/illegal activities. Try to stay away from these kind of websites.
6. Understand Tor Circuits
Unlike a traditional VPN, Tor doesn’t just relay your connection through a single location. Instead, your data is relayed and transferred through a number of locations. This is called a Tor Circuit. You can view your current circuit by pressing the lock icon on the left of your address bar.
7. Use Onion services
Instead of using normal websites, you can use Onion services which are part of the Tor network. Some websites are available in this form. They use a .onion address. A few of them are
- The New York Times (https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion)
- DuckDuckGo (3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion)
- ProtonMail (https://protonirockerxow.onion)
Beware of the shady and illegal ones, most of them are available only as a .onion service.
You can read more Tor browsing tips in details here.
Do you like using Tor?
I hope this article helped you in installing Tor browser on Ubuntu and other Linux distributions and thus enabling you to protect your privacy.
Speaking of privacy, VPNs are another popular tool for protecting privacy. Switzerland-based privacy company ProtonMail provides an excellent secure and private VPN service, ProtonVPN (affiliate link). You can get their service as well, if you are interested.
What other privacy-related tools do you use?
Abhishek Prakash
Original Author
Atharva Lele
Contributing Author
obrigada amigo salvou meu dia
eu estava com aquele problema de identificar assinatura e não saia disso ai fiz o procedimento para instalar como vc ensinou e foi lisinho
Deus abençoe 🙏🙌
create a desktop shortcut for later usage *(this should be default)
I assume you installed using flatpack and it has default path
cd ~/.var/app/com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcher/data/torbrowser/tbb/x86_64/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/
./start-tor-browser.desktop –register-app
that starts the app and also adds a shortcut in desktop for later usage
don’t work.
I’ll check and update the article, thanks for the heads up!
does’t work…
I’ll check and update the article, thanks for the heads up!
it is running verifying signature for whole time and haven’t opened till now