How do i enable javascript on tor android?

The popularity of the Tor Browser has risen very rapidly over the last period of time. It was originally developed by the US Naval Research Lab in the mid-1990s to allow government officials to communicate in an anonymous and secure manner.

Nowadays, most people tend to use the Tor Browser because it gives them the freedom to keep their privacy and anonymity on the internet.

What is Tor?

The Tor browser is also known by another name, the Onion router, and is a Flagship/significant product of the Tor project.

A team of developers and some of the Tor Browser volunteers have successfully managed to create a browser by modifying a version of the Mozilla Firefox web browser that allows users to browse the internet anonymously.

It involves a number of volunteer relays where Internet traffic bounces and guarantees that the user is not monitored. Once the user is done with surfing, the Tor Browser itself terminates the session by removing or disabling a range of confidential data such as user history, HTTP cookies, etc.

Tor browser is also very famous for its ability to give its user access to sites of the Deep Web and Dark Web, which users cannot use with common browsers like Firefox, Chrome.

Why is it required to disable JavaScript in the tor browser?

JavaScript is required to be disabled in the Tor browser for many security reasons. In 2013 it was discovered that many earlier versions of the Tor browser are vulnerable to JavaScript attacks as JavaScript provides the attacker/hacker a backdoor that tries to track the user by using their provided session details.

How to turn off JavaScript in the Tor browser?

To disable the JavaScript in the Tor Browser, follow the following steps:

1. Open the tor browser by double-clicking on its icon.

2. Now search for the menu symbol which is located mostly on the top-right side of the browser and click on it as shown below:

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

3. Once the menu gets opened, look for the "Options" in the following options and click on it to open the tor browser preferences.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

4. When the settings tab gets opened, click on the "Settings and Privacy" option located on the left side and search for the Security option in the given options.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

5. Now to turn off JavaScript, click on the "Safest" option and close the settings tab.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

The Tor browser also has an alternative way to disable JavaScript, which is to use the "NoScript" feature of the Tor browser to disable all scripts in the browser.


In this article I am going to show you how to disable JavaScript on Tor Browser. It has been asked on several of my YouTube videos, so I decided to answer it. At the end of this tutorial you will know 3 simple methods (+ 1 bonus method) to disable JavaScript in Tor.

Most Tor Browser users don't turn off Javascript. However, onion sites (websites on Tor) may exploit vulnerabilities by utilizing JS, so it's best to disable it. Indeed, in the past, a vulnerability allowed onion websites to see the real IP address of Tor users. 

I also made a video to show you the different steps with the 3 methods (but not the bonus method - so be sure to read till the end):

Method 1 to disable JS on Tor: Edit the about:config settings

This method is the easiest because you have nothing to install. We simply need to adjust Tor Browser's settings a bit.

Here are the detailed steps:

  1. Type "about:config" in the Tor browser URL bar.
  2. Accept the confirmation message by clicking the blue button.
  3. Type "javascript.enabled" in the search bar
  4. Double click on "True" to change it to "False". Thus Tor will disable JavaScript on his own.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

Before running Tor Browser, you should change your original IP address with PureVPN to prevent potential vulnerabilities on Tor. I've been using it for years, it's a reliable VPN that's log-free.

Before starting Tor, you need to connect your VPN

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

Method 2: Use the JavaScript Switcher addon

The second method is suitable for you if on some occasions you need to leave JS enabled. With the addon I am going to show you, you can toggle JavaScript on and off with one click.

Here are the 3 steps to use JavaScript Switcher in Tor Browser:

  1. Install JavaScript Switcher on this page and click on "Add to Firefox".
  2. Then you will see a small "JS" button to the right of the URL. When it is grayed out, JavaScript is disabled, and when it is green javascript is enabled. 
  3. To switch between the two states you just have to click on this button.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

At the beginning, I got confused many times with the colors (which one disables JS and which one enables it). But once you begin to use it regularly, you will find the JavaScript switcher addon very helpful.

If you don’t want to install this addon, you should check out the last method!

Method 3: Disable JavaScript in Tor settings

For this last method we'll go through Tor's security settings to turn off JS.

Here is how to do it:

  1. Open the Tor settings menu at the right 
  2. Select "Preferences"
  3. Click on "Privacy and Security"
  4. Select "Safest" to disable javascript on all sites (scroll almost all the way down to find the security level settings).

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

The third and last method is this but I recommend you to first consider methods 1 and 2. In the past, there was a bug with this option: even if users enabled the « Safest » mode, websites were still being able to execute JavaScript code. (source)

And to be even more secure on Tor, I recommend you to use a VPN. It will change your IP address and you will be anonymous.

The VPN will provide an extra layer of security to prevent potential vulnerabilities in Tor. So if there is a vulnerability in Tor when you are using a VPN, then your IP address that will not be visible.

Secure VPNs and Tor are both excellent tools to keep its confidentiality. But combine the two, and you have a powerful tool!

For Tor, I like to use PureVPN where there is an option for servers dedicated to security and privacy.

Using it with Tor is simple. Before running Tor, open PureVPN and connect to a VPN server. Then you can open Tor, and you'll be even more secure.

Bonus: Disable JS only on non-HTTPS websites

On Tor Browser Bundle, I found out recently that you can disable JavaScript only on websites that don’t have a secure certificate (non HTTPS websites).

This is almost the same method as the third but you have to select the "Safer" mode rather than the "Safest". This will set Tor disabling JS only on http websites.

As I said, the steps are quite similar compared to the third method.

  1. Open the Tor settings menu at the right 
  2. Select "Preferences"
  3. Click on "Privacy and Security"
  4. Select "Safer" to disable JS on non-secured websites.

How do i enable javascript on tor android?

Conclusion 

That’s the end of this article and now you will be able to disable JS easily!

Before you go back to Tor to turn off Javascript, you should really change your IP address to be completely anonymous and protected from attacks. I connect to a VPN like PureVPN before I launch Tor, which makes me completely safe, even if Tor has a flaw.

Remember, Tor Project is a software project that aims to help developers create online anonymity. Unlike Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, Tor's goal is to make online privacy as easy as possible. It is a privacy tool that can hide your IP address and enable you to get past firewalls and access websites that are blocked in certain areas of the world.

And if you want to know how to access the deep web safely, here are some guides I created for all devices:

  • Windows and Mac
  • Android device 
  • iOS

How do I open JavaScript in Tor?

Note that JavaScript is enabled automatically in Opera for Android and Opera for iOS/iPadOS. 1. Go to Menu (icon on far right) → Go to full browser settings → Privacy & Security → Privacy and security → Site Settings → JavaScript. Turn the Allowed (recommended) switch on.

How do I activate JavaScript on my Android phone?

Chrome Browser - Android - Turn JavaScript On / Off.
Apps icon. (Google) Chrome. . If unavailable, swipe up from the center of the display then tap. Chrome. ..
Tap the. Menu icon. (upper-right)..
Tap. Settings. ..
From the Advanced section, tap. Site settings. ..
Tap. JavaScript. ..
Tap the. JavaScript switch. to turn on or off ..

Can you use JavaScript in Tor?

JavaScript is required to be disabled in the Tor browser for many security reasons.

Does Tor automatically disable JavaScript?

Tor's 'standard' setting enabled JavaScript by default, which users can upgrade to either 'safer', which disables JavaScript on non-HTTPS sites, or 'safest', which disables JavaScript completely.