Is Tor Browser Really Connected? Check Your Tor Circuit

Additional resource for the lesson “Checking Your Connection to the TOR Network” — Online Anonymity course

Opening Tor Browser is not quite the same as knowing it is doing its job. This resource shows you how to check your Tor circuit and your connection in a few minutes: what the Tor Project’s check page tells you, how to read the route your current tab is using, when to ask for a new one, and what to look at first if Tor Browser will not connect.

A. Why this matters

In this course, privacy is deciding what others know about you; anonymity is being able to act without what you do being linked back to who you are. Tor Browser loosens one of the most basic links, between your internet address and the sites you visit, by sending your traffic through a chain of relays.

That protection only covers what actually travels through Tor. A link that opens in your usual browser, an app that goes online on its own, or a connection that never finished starting all leave the old link in place. The screen need not look any different, which is why a short check is worth having. Once you have seen your own circuit, “exit relay” and “new circuit” stop being jargon.

What the sources say

The Tor Project, which develops Tor Browser, explains that Tor “works by sending your traffic through three random servers (also known as relays)”. The last of them, the exit relay, sends the traffic out onto the public internet, so the sites you visit see a connection coming from the Tor network rather than your own IP address.

ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, describes onion routing as one model for protecting metadata. In its 2022 report on data protection engineering, it explains that each relay receives “layered encrypted data” without knowing both the original sender and the final recipient. It is also candid about the limits: Tor is vulnerable to attackers who can watch traffic entering the network and leaving it, and match the two.

The Tor Project is just as clear about scope: “Only Tor Browser’s traffic will be routed over the Tor network.” Other applications, including other browsers, are not protected unless set up separately. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights organisation, adds the other half: Tor hides your IP address from the website you visit, while HTTPS encrypts your traffic between your browser and that website.

B. Key concepts

Six ideas that let you check your Tor circuit and connection with confidence, and understand what you see.

“Connected” starts with the progress bar

When you start Tor Browser on a computer and choose “Connect” in the “Connect to Tor” window, the Tor Project explains that a status bar shows Tor’s connection progress. The window itself, and its other options, are covered in the installation resource of this section.

Why it matters to you: Until that progress bar has finished, Tor Browser has no route through the Tor network. If it seems stuck, that is the first sign to look into, before you browse anything.

The check page: one clear question, one clear answer

The Tor Project runs a check page at check.torproject.org. It looks at the connection your browser arrives from and tells you whether it comes from the Tor network, along with the IP address it sees.

If it does not, the page says plainly: “Sorry. You are not using Tor.” When the check succeeds, it confirms that the browser is configured to use Tor.

Why it matters to you: The page answers about the browser you opened it in, and nothing else. Running it in Tor Browser and in your usual browser shows you, side by side, which one hides your address and which one does not.

Your Tor circuit: three relays for each site

A circuit is the route your traffic takes through the Tor network: an entry relay (called the guard), a middle relay and an exit relay. The Tor Project’s page on managing identities explains that all connections to one website address use the same circuit, while a different site gets a different one, so a tracker present on both cannot easily tell that the two visits came from the same browser.

You can see “a diagram of the circuit that Tor Browser is using for the current tab” in the site information menu, in the URL bar. The guard is chosen automatically and changes only every two to three months; the other relays change with each new domain.

Why it matters to you: Seeing two sites use two routes makes separate circuits concrete: it is one way Tor Browser keeps your visits from being joined together.

The exit relay, and why your “country” changes

The exit relay is the one the site actually sees, so the site may think you are somewhere else entirely. In the Tor Project’s words, Tor Browser “often makes your connection appear as though it is coming from an entirely different part of the world.” Because the middle and exit relays change from one site to another, the apparent country can change too.

Why it matters to you: A page in an unexpected language is usually a sign that Tor is working, not that something is wrong. Changing how Tor builds its circuits, for example to pick an exit country, is “strongly discouraged” by the Tor Project, because it can weaken your anonymity.

New Tor circuit for this site, or New Identity

New Tor circuit for this site, in the circuit display and in the main menu (≡), reloads the current tab over a new circuit; other tabs from the same site use it once they are reloaded. The Tor Project notes that this option “does not clear any private information or unlink your activity”. New Identity is a different button: it closes all your tabs and starts afresh, and the habits resource of this section explains it.

Why it matters to you: A new circuit fixes a route that is not working, for example when an exit relay cannot reach a site. It changes the route; it does not unlink what you have already done.

When Tor Browser will not connect

The Tor Project’s troubleshooting page lists simple causes to try first. Your computer’s clock must be set correctly, “or Tor will not be able to connect”. Antivirus software can stop Tor from running; the Tor Project explains that such warnings are likely false alarms if you downloaded and verified Tor Browser from the official site. The Tor log, under Settings › Connection, can be copied to help find the problem. If nothing works, your internet provider may be blocking the Tor network: the Tor Project’s censorship circumvention section covers that case.

Why it matters to you: Most connection problems have ordinary causes, and the official pages are a safer guide than a quick fix from a forum. Bridges, a way of reaching Tor when it is blocked, are covered at a later level of the course.

C. A practical example: Gianni’s afternoon check

Gianni is 50 and runs a small shop selling garden furniture. Now and then he looks at competitors’ public websites to compare prices. He would rather his shop’s internet address did not appear in their visitor statistics every week, so he installed Tor Browser from the official site for that research.

One afternoon a supplier emailed him a link to a competitor’s new catalogue. He clicked it in his email app, and it opened in his usual browser, not in Tor Browser. Later, in Tor Browser, a garden centre’s site greeted him in German. He was not worried, just unsure what he was looking at.

What changed when Gianni checked

Gianni did the exercise in section D one quiet afternoon after closing:

• In Tor Browser, the check page confirmed he was using Tor. In his usual browser, it said “Sorry. You are not using Tor.”, which explained the catalogue link at once.
• The circuit display for the garden centre’s site showed three relays, and a second site in another tab had a different route. The German greeting simply reflected where the exit relay was.
• He tried “New Tor circuit for this site” on a page that would not load, and it came up on the second attempt.

He made one decision: when a link arrives that he wants to open over Tor, he copies it into Tor Browser instead of clicking it. His usual browser stays his usual browser; he just knows which one does which job.

D. Try it yourself: verify the connection and check your Tor circuit (10 minutes)

Four short steps, with Tor Browser installed and your usual browser to hand. You will use two free, official tools: the Tor Project’s check page and the circuit display built into Tor Browser. Whatever you find is information, not a mark.

Step 1 — Confirm the connection in Tor Browser (2 minutes)

• Start Tor Browser and wait for the connection progress to finish. If it seems stuck, note where, and leave the rest for section B’s troubleshooting advice.
• Open check.torproject.org (the address is also in section E).
• Note what the page says and the IP address it shows. You do not need to write down anything personal.

Step 2 — Run the same check in your usual browser (2 minutes)

• Open the same address in the browser you use every day.
• Compare the two results. The usual browser should say you are not using Tor, and show a different IP address.
• Ask yourself which links, from email, messaging apps or documents, open in which browser on your computer.

Step 3 — Read your Tor circuit (3 minutes)

• In Tor Browser, open an ordinary site, then open the site information menu in the URL bar and look at the circuit diagram.
• Note the order of the relays: the first one is your guard, the last one is the exit the site sees.
• Open a second, unrelated site in a new tab and look at its circuit. Notice which parts changed and which stayed the same.

Step 4 — Try a new circuit, and know when to choose New Identity (3 minutes)

• On one of the two sites, choose “New Tor circuit for this site” from the circuit display or the main menu (≡), and look at the circuit again.
• Write one line on when you would use this button: for example, a page that will not load.
• Write one line on when you would choose New Identity instead: for example, before moving on to an activity you want kept separate from the last one.

Two results compared and one route read with your own eyes are worth more than a promise on a download page.

E. Videos, articles and further resources

The Tor Project’s own tools and help pages first, then a European agency and a digital rights guide. All in English.

Tools and official help (Tor Project)

The Tor Project — Tor Check
The official check page: it tells you whether the browser you open it in is using Tor, and shows the IP address it sees.
https://check.torproject.org/

The Tor Project — Managing identities and preventing linkability in Tor Browser
The circuit display, how circuits are kept separate per site, and the difference between New Identity and a new circuit.
https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/features/managing-identities/

The Tor Project — About Tor Browser
How Tor sends your traffic through three relays and what the sites you visit see instead of your IP address.
https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/getting-started/about-tor-browser/

The Tor Project — First launch
What happens after you choose Connect, including the connection progress bar.
https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/getting-started/first-launch/

The Tor Project — Troubleshooting
What to try when Tor Browser does not connect, from the system clock to the Tor log.
https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/encountering-issues/troubleshooting/

European and digital rights guidance

ENISA — Data Protection Engineering: From Theory to Practice
A 2022 report by the EU cybersecurity agency; its section on proxies and onion routing explains how relays protect metadata, and where the limits are.
https://www.enisa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/ENISA%20Report%20-%20Data%20Protection%20Engineering.pdf

Electronic Frontier Foundation — How HTTPS and Tor Work Together to Protect Your Anonymity and Privacy
An interactive diagram of what different observers can see with Tor, with HTTPS, and with both.
https://tor-https.eff.org/

Links checked in November 2026. If an address changes, searching for the title on the organisation’s site usually finds it.

F. The Cyber Welfare Framework: Skills, Awareness, Secure Behaviour

This resource sits on the Skills pillar at level FL3 – Autonomous: checking for yourself that a tool is doing what you chose it for, and reading what it shows you.

Skills

• Confirming a Tor connection with the official check page, and comparing the result with your usual browser.
• Finding and reading the circuit diagram for the current tab.
• Choosing between “New Tor circuit for this site” and New Identity for the situation in front of you.

Awareness

• Understanding that only Tor Browser’s own traffic goes through Tor, not other apps or browsers.
• Knowing that a changing exit country is normal, and that the site sees the exit relay, not you.
• Recognising that a new circuit changes the route but does not unlink your activity.

Secure Behaviour

• Opening links you want kept over Tor inside Tor Browser, rather than clicking them in other apps.
• Leaving circuit settings at their defaults instead of trying to pick countries.
• Using the official troubleshooting pages when Tor Browser will not connect.

G. Questions to sit with

• Which links in your day open in a browser you did not choose, and does that matter for what you use Tor for?
• What would you want to keep separate enough to use New Identity before starting it?
• How would you explain to a friend why a site greeting you in another language can be good news?

H. What to do now

The recommendations (R) and security measures (MS) from the Cyber Welfare database that apply most directly here.

1. Before you rely on the connection

• Run the check page once after installing Tor Browser, after an update, and whenever something about your connection seems different.
• Wait for the connection progress bar to finish before you open any site.
• Rules on using such tools vary by country, so it is worth knowing where you stand where you live.

Minimum commitment: today, open the check page in Tor Browser and in your usual browser, and compare the two answers.

2. While you browse over Tor

• When a site will not load, try “New Tor circuit for this site” before changing any setting, and leave circuit settings at their defaults.
• Copy links you want to open over Tor into Tor Browser instead of clicking them in email or messaging apps.

Minimum commitment: next time you use Tor Browser, open the circuit display once and read the route your tab is taking.

In short

• Check your Tor circuit and connection with two official tools: the Tor Project’s check page and the circuit display in Tor Browser.
• The check page answers only for the browser you open it in; other apps and browsers do not go through Tor.
• Each site gets its own circuit; the exit relay, and so the apparent country, can change, and that is normal.
• A new circuit fixes a route; New Identity starts afresh. Neither replaces HTTPS or an up-to-date browser.

Related resources in this course

• What Is Tor? How Tor Browser Protects Your Anonymity
• How to Install Tor Browser and Verify It: Windows, Mac, Linux
• How to Use Tor Browser Safely: Habits That Protect You

Discover more companion resources from the online courses of the Protect Your Digital Privacy programme.