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How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser: In 2 Easy Methods [Video]

If you have heard about the JavaScript vulnerability and attacks of 2013, you probably wonder how to disable JavaScript on Tor Browser if you are using one.

It was discovered during that year that JavaScript was so vulnerable that it provided hackers with an unhindered backdoor to collecting users’ session details.

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Many websites would refuse to open properly whenever JavaScript was disabled to compound this problem further. Users couldn’t navigate several websites smoothly without JavaScript, and, in return, JavaScript was exploiting users’ sensitive data.

Watch Video On How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

https://youtu.be/2jlkaA6wt0s

The Onion Router browser or Tor browser was invented to solve specific challenges that were evident in regular browsers like Chrome and Firefox. These browsers do not allow you access to deep sites on the web or don’t guarantee you sufficient anonymity and privacy when they do.

Tor browser did both. It also allowed users to disable JavaScript and still surf the internet smoothly. However, the disabling isn’t automatic; hence there is the need to know how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser.

How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser
How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

Using the NoScript Add-on

Step 1: Open the browser

Locate the Tor browser icon on your device and click on it to open. In most cases, the browser would be on your desktop screen.

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If you are unfamiliar, a Tor browser icon looks like a picture of the globe with green lines going across it.

Step 2: Find the NoScript Icon

Once the browser opens, locate the NoScript icon at the top right corner of the address bar and click on it.

The “S” icon is usually next to the “Bookmark” icon. Clicking it would open up a little beneath it.

Step 3: Open the options button

Once the NoScript icon opens into a menu under it, find the icon for “Options” and click on it. To be sure, go for the third icon from the left. It looks like a blue “S” with a canceled sign over it.

Step 4: Uncheck the Script

The Options button will open up a setting. In that setting, go to the “General tab” and click on it to open a one-line menu.

Once the menu opens, find the box with “Script2 in front of it and uncheck it. This will immediately disable JavaScript on your Tor browser and remove any vulnerability that you might have been experiencing.

Using JavaScript Switcher Add-on

Step 1: Open the Tor browser

The Tor browser can be found on your desktop screen; open it as soon as you find it.

Step 2: Open the browser menu

The menu on the Tor browser is just the one on most browsers. It can be found by clicking the three lines at the top far right corner of the screen. Clicking on it should open a list of all you can do with your browser.

Step 3: Go to Add-ons

Once the menu opens up, scroll down to “Add-ons” and press on it to open. The Add-on manager will extend with Extensions, Themes, and Plugins by the left corner. You will ignore all of those since those are not your focus at the moment.

Step 4: Go to the search field.

The search field is located to your right and allows you to find any extension, theme, or plugin easily. Once you see this input field, type in “Javascript switcher.”

Step 5: Click on the appropriate result.

The search above should return 3 results and once it does, click on the first result on top. This is often the JavaScript Switcher you need.

Clicking on it will properly open it with information about the developer, description, reviews, users, and ratings, all for you to see. You will also see a blue “Add to Firefox” button that you will click on.

Once you click this, a new tab will automatically open, and you will receive a prompt asking you to grant the switcher permission to access all website data and browser tab. You can then hit the “Add” button to accept and give permission.

Step 6: Add the switcher

Once you click on “Add,” the JavaScript Switcher Add-on will be downloaded and added automatically. However, using this method when looking for how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser does not automatically disable the JavaScript like the first method.

Instead, you can then toggle JavaScript once this Add-on has been added. That way, you can use JavaScript for some websites and sessions and turn it off easily for others.

Consequently, when this method of how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser doesn’t stop JavaScript from doing what it does, it can give you complete control to decide when it works and when it doesn’t.

Should I Disable JavaScript in Tor?

How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser
How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

When people are looking for how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser, they often ask whether or not they should disable JavaScript at all.

This is a valid concern since most internet users believe that communications with websites and applications would be far from seamless if they didn’t have JavaScript running in their systems.

Admittedly, these people could be correct, and JavaScript may serve a unique and essential purpose in regular browsers, after all.

But you can disable JavaScript in Tor and still have a smooth back and forth communication between you and the websites you visit, especially if your work requires it.

Tor browser is a go-to tool when looking for true anonymity and privacy. The kind of anonymity it allows gives you the chance to visit websites without being easily identified. This means it can mask your IP and make it harder for anyone to spot you on the web.

It is, therefore, a standard tool used by those living in highly suppressed countries or journalists who want to chase the truth without becoming a target.

And because you can easily use the browser without enabling JavaScript, it becomes counterproductive to allow it. Especially since JavaScript can get easily exploited by hackers and criminals on the internet.

JavaScript may be responsible for the responsiveness we all see on the internet today. It may be the one ingredient making websites dynamic and highly interactive. However, it is also very susceptible to attacks and hacks, and users can easily lose their data to cybercriminals courtesy of JavaScript.

Enabling JavaScript also improves user experience. For instance, Google would provide you with suggestions and autocomplete your search when you have JavaScript enabled, and these features would be absent when you turn it off.

Your favorite online restaurant may also be able to almost accurately tell your location and suggest kitchens near you when you allow JavaScript and remove these extra features when you disable it.

However, all of these happen at the risk of adding more loads to your storage system, and allowing JavaScript is a direct way of using up more RAM space on your device.

Consequently, the question of whether or not you should disable JavaScript can ultimately depend on what you do and what you want from the internet.

Can JavaScript Reveal Your IP?

How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser
How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

The simple answer is no; JavaScript cannot reveal your IP because JavaScript is more of a programming language than an agent and cannot transfer your sensitive data.

The complicated answer is JavaScript may allow several bugs that may facilitate IP checking or make it easy for attackers to decipher your IP address.

This is often because your browser, which usually has JavaScript enabled, shares certain information with any website you visit whenever you are surfing the internet.

This information includes your IP address, browser type, system OS, and so on. The data is enough to create a vivid fingerprint that can be easily used to identify you. Still, your browser can’t help divulge them because it is necessary to connect with servers and websites.

Exchanging that information is also important for user experience. For instance, websites won’t know whether you are browsing with a phone or computer and hence won’t know the best version to display if your browser doesn’t give away your device type.

And this is what makes tools like the Tor browser a personal favorite for anyone looking to hide their sensitive information.

Unlike regular browsers that exchange information freely with the websites and servers you visit, Tor masks your data, particularly your IP, while sending out your request.

This type of data encryption is necessary to prevent prying eyes from seeing your data or intercepting it will en-route to the target websites.

Secondly, since IP addresses are necessary to establish a connection with target servers, Tor browsers make sure to use IPs. Still, instead of using yours, they pass your request through a vast and extensive network of servers scattered across the globe.

No single server is ever used twice, and because Tor has up to 5000 of these networks, it delivers your connections to several websites without disclosing your IP.

Additionally, aside from Tor browsers, Tor can also work with other websites browsers, applications, and instant messaging software. This way, its benefits can be enjoyed across a wide array of internet products.

How Do I Turn Off JavaScript in Windows?

How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser
How to Disable JavaScript on Tor Browser

As we said, all browsers have JavaScript installed and enabled by default since this is the only way to ensure seamless communications with the websites they visit.

However, it can be disabled on both browsers and systems OS whenever the need arises. And the thing that may make one person learn how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser could be the same thing that may prompt another to disable it in Windows 10.

The process involves accessing the command menu on your desktop and disabling JavaScript from there.

Below is a breakdown of the procedure:

  • Locate the Microsoft Edge DevTools on your computer and open it
  • Then open the Command Menu by pressing “Control + Shift + P
  • Once that opens, type in “javascript.”
  • Then select the “Disable JavaScript” option
  • Finally, select “Enter,” and the command will run to disable JavaScript

This will keep JavaScript disabled as long as DevTools is open, and there will always be a yellow warning icon beside “Sources” to let you know that JavaScript is disabled on your Windows.

Conclusion

The role of JavaScript today cannot be overemphasized. But depending on what you do and whether you can stomach any attacks and bugs inherent in this programming language, you may see the need to learn how to disable JavaScript on Tor browser.

Our guide shows you how to do this in two different ways on the browser. It is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people use it to boost their online privacy and make them more anonymous online.

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