Documentation
Documentation
If you do not have Homebrew installed, follow the installation instructions here. TLDR: Open the Terminal and paste the following line:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
You will be prompted for your system password before installation; proceed with entering your password. You may be asked more than once.
You will be notified which directories Homebrew is going to create, hit RETURN:
Homebrew creates the directories and downloads any other files it needs e.g. “Command Line Tool for Xcode” and “Homebrew”.
Wait a few minutes while it downloads and installs what it needs.
Once installation is complete, close the Terminal.
Warning
Surprisingly, Homebrew uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage data. You can deselect the option to share usage data by opting out.
Caution
If you have the Tor Browser open, close it and quit the application.
Note
If you are on a very old version of macOS, such as High Sierra (10.13) or below, first execute this command in a Terminal window:
echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
Then close the Terminal.
Open a new Terminal and install Tor using the following command:
brew install tor
Then run Tor with:
brew services start tor
This will start Tor and ensure that it is always running, even after a restart. See the Tor Project docs for more details.
Enable proxy autoconfig file (This will download the Start9 standard proxy config file. You can use your own if you prefer):
sudo curl https://start9.com/assets/proxy.pac --output /Library/WebServer/Documents/proxy.pac
Now enable apache service:
sudo launchctl enable system/org.apache.httpd sudo launchctl kickstart system/org.apache.httpd
Go to System Settings:
Click on Network and then select the interface on which you wish to enable Tor system-wide (both Ethernet and WiFi advised - do one then the other):
Click Details:
Click “Proxies,” then select “Automatic Proxy Configuration,” add this URL: http://localhost/proxy.pac, then click “OK”:
Done! You have now enabled system-wide Tor potential.
We advise going back to step 4 and repeating this for Wifi/Ethernet depending on which interface you haven’t done yet.
If you ever need to view the status of the tor service, enter the following into a Terminal:
cat /usr/local/var/log/tor.log || sudo cat /opt/homebrew/var/log/tor.log
Enable proxy autoconfig file (This will download the Start9 standard proxy config file. You can use your own if you prefer):
sudo curl https://start9.com/assets/proxy.pac --output /Library/WebServer/Documents/proxy.pac
Now enable apache service:
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist
Go to System Preferences:
Click on Network:
In this example, we’ll select WiFi on the left panel. If you’re using Ethernet, click that instead. Next click “Advanced” (We suggest returning to this step in order to do both Ethernet AND WiFi):
Select “Proxies”:
Select “Automatic Proxy Configuration”, add this URL: http://localhost/proxy.pac then click “OK”
Finally, click “Apply”
Done! You have now enabled system-wide Tor potential.
We suggest heading back to step 5 and enabling Tor system-wide on Ethernet/WiFi now - whichever you did not do already.
If you ever need to view the status of the tor service, enter the following into a Terminal:
cat /usr/local/var/log/tor.log || sudo cat /opt/homebrew/var/log/tor.log
Firefox can be configured to use Tor on your Mac to resolve .onion URLs. Complete this guide: Configuring Firefox for Tor
