What Devices Are Compatible with Tor?

The Tor network allows users to browse the internet anonymously by encrypting traffic and routing it through a volunteer overlay network. Official Tor software and endorsed third-party alternatives are compatible with a wide range of devices, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets running major operating systems. This guide breaks down exactly which operating systems and hardware platforms support Tor, along with the best ways to access the network on each device.

Desktop and Laptop Computers

Desktop and laptop platforms have the most robust and mature support for Tor through the official Tor Browser, which is built on Mozilla Firefox ESR.

• Windows: Compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11 (both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures). Legacy support for Windows 7 and 8 is maintained only through older Extended Support Release (ESR) versions.
• macOS: Compatible with modern versions of macOS (macOS 10.15 Catalina and newer). Native builds are available for both Intel processors and Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, and newer chips).
• Linux: Compatible with virtually all major Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, and openSUSE. The Tor Browser is provided as a standalone portable archive, through Flatpak, or via native package managers.
• Specialized Operating Systems (Live USB): Operating systems like Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) and Qubes OS are built specifically around Tor integration and can run on most standard x86-64 PC and Mac hardware via a bootable USB drive.

Smartphones and Tablets

Mobile access to the Tor network varies depending on the mobile operating system’s architecture and app store policies.

• Android Devices: Fully supported with an official Tor Browser for Android developed directly by The Tor Project. It works on Android smartphones, tablets, and devices running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, F-Droid, or as a direct APK from the Tor Project website.
• iPhones and iPads (iOS / iPadOS): There is no official Tor Browser built by the Tor Project for iOS due to Apple’s requirement that all iOS browsers use the WebKit engine. However, the Tor Project officially endorses Onion Browser, an open-source alternative created by Mike Tigas that connects directly to the Tor network.
• Orbot: Available on both Android and iOS, Orbot acts as a system-wide proxy app powered by Tor, allowing other apps on your mobile device to route their traffic through the Tor network.

Routers, Raspberry Pi, and Single-Board Computers

For devices that cannot run the browser directly, Tor can be deployed at the hardware level:

• Routers: Custom router firmware such as OpenWrt or DD-WRT can be configured to run the Tor daemon, routing all connected home network traffic through Tor automatically.
• Raspberry Pi: Devices running Raspberry Pi OS or standard Linux distributions can run the tor routing service to act as a dedicated Tor proxy or anonymous access point (such as a “Tor-in-a-Box”).

Unsupported Devices

Direct installation of the Tor Browser is generally not supported on:

• Smart TVs (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS)
• Video game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)
• Standard feature phones (non-Android/non-iOS)
• Wearables and smartwatches

To protect internet traffic on these unsupported devices, they must be connected to a local network or router configured to route traffic through Tor.