Tutorial How to use Freenet

So you want to browse Freesites on Freenet to explore everything it has to offer or just for educational reasons. In this article i will show you how to set it up and get you started in a few minutes.

Step 1: Download and install the software

Freenet does not require a special browser like Tor does. You still need other software to get it working however. So go ahead and go to the official Freenet website and download the software for your OS. After that, just follow the installation instructions on software.

Step 2: Starting up and opening Freenet

After you installed Freenet, it should already be running in the background. On Windows, click the little arrow in the bottom right corner of your screen and look for a dolphin like icon. Right click it and choose “Open Freenet”.

Step 3: Choosing how you connect

When you first startup Freenet, it will open in your standard browser and give you the option to choose how you connect to the p2p network. For now, choose the first option “Connect to any Freenet user: (low security)”. After this, a few more configuration questions will be asked of you. Just choose the recommended options presented for now. You can always change things later on.

Step 4: Configuration

You will now be presented with Freenet’s Dashboard page. From here you can change settings or start browsing Freesites. First we will change some important settings, so from the “Configuration” dropdown menu, choose “Security levels”.

Step 5: Setting the security settings

From this next screen change the connection type from “Low” to “Normal”. We will also change the settings for your downloads, uploads and browser cache. Choose either “High” or “Master” and setup a strong password. When you are done, click on “Apply”.

Step 6: Have fun!

You are now ready to browse Freesites! Just go back to the dashboard and choose a link directory to get yourself started. You can also look up our own Freenet Link list.

Optional: Extra layer of protection

There is one last thing i should mention here. Since Freenet works differently from Tor. You need to understand that with these Freenet settings, you are directly connecting from your own IP adress to the P2P Freenet network. So it could be relatively easy for people to figure out your try identity.

That’s why especially for Freenet, it is very wise to use a good anonymous VPN service. We recommend Torguard for this.

Pro tip: Use code: Aeternet for 50% discount!