Use Tor with the desktop BitBoxApp to hide your normal public IP address from the servers reached through its Tor proxy. You can use Tor with the default servers or with your own Bitcoin node; a personal node is not required.

The BitBoxApp needs Tor running separately on the same computer. This guide covers Windows, macOS, and Linux. The setting does not make every BitBoxApp connection anonymous: Lightning continues to use your regular internet connection.

Prepare Tor on your computer

Use the latest BitBoxApp. If you do not already run Tor, download Tor Browser from the Tor Project, open it, and connect to the Tor network before continuing. If you already use a Tor background service, make sure it is running and connected instead.

The BitBoxApp connects to Tor through a local SOCKS proxy, an entry point for sending connections through Tor. Choose the address that matches your setup:

127.0.0.1 refers to your own computer. The number after the colon is the port. If your Tor setup uses a different SOCKS port, use its configured address instead. This field needs the local proxy address, not your Bitcoin node’s onion address.

Enable Tor in the BitBoxApp

With Tor connected, configure the proxy in the BitBoxApp. The screenshots show the desktop controls and a Tor Browser address; use the address for your own setup.

1. In the BitBoxApp, select Settings in the sidebar, then open Advanced settings. Select the Enable tor proxy row to open the Set proxy address dialog.

2. Turn on the Enable tor proxy switch in the dialog. Enter the complete address from the table in the field below the switch, including the colon and port, without adding http:// or socks5://.

3. Select Set proxy address to save a changed address. If the correct address is already saved, the button is unavailable and you do not need to select it. Enabling the switch or saving an address displays a message asking you to restart the BitBoxApp.
4. Close the dialog, quit the BitBoxApp completely, and open it again. On macOS, use BitBoxApp → Quit BitBoxApp or Command-Q; closing the window alone is not enough.
5. Return to Settings → Advanced settings and confirm that Enable tor proxy shows Enabled. Open your Bitcoin account and wait for synchronization to finish without a connection error.

The enabled setting and successful account synchronization confirm that the configuration is applied and the account can connect. Saving an address alone does not test the connection, and synchronization does not prove that every app service uses Tor. Keep Tor running whenever you use the proxy.

What this changes for your privacy

For connections routed through Tor, the destination does not see your normal public IP address. It still receives the requests needed to provide its service. Tor changes the connection route; it does not change which Bitcoin server the BitBoxApp uses.

If you also want to use Bitcoin infrastructure you control, follow the guide to connect the BitBoxApp to your own Bitcoin node. That guide covers adding the node’s endpoint, including an onion endpoint. For the broader privacy picture, see what data the BitBoxApp shares.

If the BitBoxApp cannot connect

If a connection error names your local proxy address and includes connection refused, the BitBoxApp could not connect to the proxy at that address. Check the following before changing other settings:

• Tor is connected. If you use Tor Browser, leave it open and connected to the Tor network. For a background service, check that the service is running and has connected.
• The address matches the running proxy. Open Settings → Advanced settings → Enable tor proxy and check the address in the dialog against your Tor setup. If you change it, select Set proxy address, then quit and reopen the BitBoxApp.
• Local connections are allowed. If Tor is connected and the address is correct, check your firewall or security software’s logs and rules for blocked connections between the BitBoxApp and the local proxy. Keep those protections enabled; ask the software provider or your administrator for help with a specific blocked connection.

If the error continues, contact BitBox Support with your operating system, BitBoxApp version, whether you use Tor Browser or a background service, and the exact error text. Do not include recovery words, passwords, passphrases, or wallet backup files.

If you choose to stop using Tor

Turning the proxy off removes Tor’s IP-address protection for connections that would otherwise use it. An onion-only Bitcoin node will also be unreachable without Tor; use the node connection guide to choose another supported connection first if needed.

To turn it off, open Settings → Advanced settings → Enable tor proxy, switch Enable tor proxy off, close the dialog, then quit and reopen the BitBoxApp. The setting should now show Disabled.