Tor Browser is not updating

User Support
1

I’m unable to update Tor Browser with the Qubes update.

I have to update it every time using the Tor Browser downloader in the template.

Is this the intended behavior?

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2

Yes.

2 Likes
3

For me it updates through qubes update gui tool though…

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4

My older install updates Tor through Qubes Update but fresh install won’t.

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5

The first sentence in the first row of the table (which is about new app qubes and disposables) states:

In Qubes-Whonix™, Tor Browser Downloader by Whonix (update-torbrowser ) automatically runs when the Whonix-Workstation™ Template (whonix-workstation-17 ) package tb-updater is updated.

So, assuming we’re talking about new app qubes and disposables, it sounds like, strictly speaking, the answer to OP’s question should be “no.” It is not intended behavior that users must manually run update-torbrowser every time. The quotation above clearly states that it should run automatically when the tb-updater package is updated. However, the second sentence (still in the first row) states:

Therefore, running Tor Browser Downloader by Whonix inside the Template (whonix-workstation-17 ) ensures that new App Qubes and Disposables are created with a copy of the latest Tor Browser version.

I take this to mean that manually running update-torbrowser can help you get Tor Browser updates sooner than relying on normal updates to get them automatically, which some users might want to do when creating new app qubes and disposables.

The third and final sentence of the first row states:

If the Tor Browser Downloader by Whonix package tb-updater has not been updated yet, it is advised to manually run it in the Whonix-Workstation Template (whonix-workstation-17 ). For instructions, see Tor Browser Downloader by Whonix.

This implies that there may be situations in which tb-updater has not been updated, yet a newer version of Tor Browser is available. The documentation is advising users to manually run update-torbrowser in such cases in order to get the latest version of Tor Browser.

It sounds like the intended behavior regarding new app qubes and disposables is something like this:

  • tb-updater is updated occasionally, ensuring users get Tor Browser updates occassionally, even if they never run update-torbrowser manually.
  • New versions of Tor Browser may come out faster than tb-updater gets updated, meaning tb-updater may lag behind Tor Browser.
  • Users are expected to manually run update-torbrowser whenever tb-updater is lagging behind Tor Browser.

If you’re the sort of user who uses Tor Browser extremely frequently, then (since Tor Browser itself automatically checks for available updates), your perception might be that tb-updater is always lagging behind Tor Browser, which might make you feel like you always have to run update-torbrowser manually, but this is just because you never wait around long enough to witness tb-updater handle it for you automatically.

(Existing persistent app qubes are a separate matter, as the documentation points out.)

@adrelanos, please correct any misunderstandings or inaccuracies in the description above.

It occurs to me that it would be more convenient for the user if update-torbrowser were to run automatically when updating the Whonix Workstation template, so I opened an issue for it:

2 Likes
6

The following will update tor browser in your disposable qubes. So do this in whonix-workstation-17 template:

update-torbrowser

This will update your tor browser in your regular work/etc/ qubes that uses whonixOS. So do this in your regular whonix qubes:

  1. start tor browser
  2. let it fetch and download the update to itself
  3. on the hamburger menu upper right hand corner of tor browser window, click on restart and update torbrowser button
1 Like