How to Change Identity in Tor Browser

Changing your identity in the Tor Browser allows you to reset your online footprint by acquiring a new IP address, establishing fresh routing circuits, and wiping temporary browsing data. Tor provides two distinct features for managing your identity: “New Identity,” which completely restarts your browser session and clears all active data, and “New Tor Circuit for this Site,” which changes your route for a specific webpage without interrupting your other open tabs. This guide explains how both features work, when to use them, and the step-by-step methods to trigger them.

Understanding the Two Identity Options

Tor Browser separates identity management into two tools depending on how thorough of a reset you require:

• New Identity: This is a full reset. It closes all open tabs and windows, clears all cookies, cache, and browsing history, and builds a completely new Tor circuit. Any open downloads or active web sessions will be terminated.
• New Tor Circuit for this Site: This is a partial reset. It keeps your current session, tabs, and cookies intact, but requests a new sequence of relays (including a new exit node) specifically for the active tab.

How to Use “New Identity”

Use this option when you want to ensure that your subsequent browsing activity cannot be linked to what you were previously doing.

1. Toolbar Icon: Click the Broom icon located in the top-right corner of the browser toolbar (next to the hamburger menu).
2. Menu Navigation: Click the Application menu (three horizontal lines in the top right), then select New Identity.
3. Keyboard Shortcut: Press Ctrl + Shift + U on Windows and Linux, or Cmd + Shift + U on macOS.

After selecting this option, Tor Browser will prompt you to confirm. Once confirmed, the browser will restart automatically with a fresh circuit and cleared session data.

How to Use “New Tor Circuit for this Site”

Use this option if a specific website is blocking your current exit node, loading slowly, or presenting excessive CAPTCHAs, but you do not want to close your other open tabs.

1. Menu Navigation: Click the Application menu (three horizontal lines), then select New Tor Circuit for this Site.
2. URL Bar: Click the Circuit Display icon (the padlock or onion icon to the left of the address bar) and click the New Circuit for this Site button.
3. Keyboard Shortcut: Press Ctrl + Shift + L on Windows and Linux, or Cmd + Shift + L on macOS.

The active tab will reload using a new path through the Tor network while keeping all other tabs unaffected.

Key Considerations

• Active Downloads: Triggering “New Identity” cancels all active file downloads immediately.
• Website Logins: Logging back into the same personal account after requesting a new identity will link your new IP address to your existing account profile.
• Browser Fingerprint: Tor maintains an identical browser fingerprint across all users; changing your identity resets network circuits and session storage, not the underlying browser configuration.