---
title: "Z-Library Lives On! Accessing Z-Lib With Tor"
date: 2022-11-13T20:31:53-08:00
draft: false
tags:
    - tutorial
    - education
    - tech
---

You may have heard about one of the coolest sites on the web, [Z-Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-Library) being [seized](https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-authorities-seize-z-library-domain-names-221104/), but fret not ebook lovers! There's still a way to access this popular ebook repository with Tor. This article will explain in-detail the steps needed to access the site and keep on reading.

## Getting Started With Tor Browser
Explaining all the use-cases and technology behind Tor is a story for another article, but for our purposes, it allows for us to continue accessing Z-library through its official onion service.

To do this, you will have to start by installing [Tor Browser](https://www.torproject.org/download/) to your computer. Once this is done, launch it, and you will see something like this:

![Initial connection setup from Tor Browser, with two buttons labelled from left-to-right "Configure Connection..." and "Connect"](/images/z-library-lives-1.png)

After clicking `Connect`, and waiting (Tor is *kinda slow*, even on faster internet connections so be patient!), you will then be able to use **the darknet** (congrats!)

![Tor Browser Homepage, which during the time the screenshot was taken shows a promotion for the "Resistance, Change, Freedom" donation drive](/images/z-library-lives-2.png)

## Getting onto the Onion Service

Now that you are done with that, you can then use the onion service descriptor to access the site. An **onion service descriptor** is similar to a website domain, although instead of `.com`, `.net`, `.org` or similar, it has a `.onion` top-level domain at the end. These `.onion` addresses cannot be connected to at all from a *normal* web browser like Firefox, which is why earlier you had to download and install Tor Browser. ***At this point, you just need to paste the following address into the address bar in Tor Browser:***

```
http://loginzlib2vrak5zzpcocc3ouizykn6k5qecgj2tzlnab5wcbqhembyd.onion/
```

After waiting some more (again, Tor is *kinda slow* so be patient!)... You will be greeted with a login screen. If you have existing credentials, you can sign in, or otherwise sign up for an account. (If you sign up for a new account, make sure to check your e-mail for a verification link and select `Load Normally` when the NoScript dialog appears.)

![Z-Library Single Sign In page](/images/z-library-lives-3.png)

## You're in!

Then, after clicking `Continue` and being redirected... Voilà! You now can browse and download books on Z-Library freely!

![Z-Library Front Page, featuring a search bar and a variety of featured popular books](/images/z-library-lives-4.png)

## Author's Note

Thanks for reading this all the way to the end! I have noticed a lot of people talking about Z-Library being gone, and nobody was talking about the Onion Service.