How to manually add Tor bridges by editing the torrc file

Sometimes bridges must be added manually in the torrc file, such as with Whonix 13.

These steps apply to multiple distros, but is aimed towards Whonix and debian users.

 To begin, Whonix users should read some helpful information on this subject here. Here are the basic steps of adding the bridge lines:

 Step one: open Terminal.

 Step two: type in:

 sudo nano /etc/tor/torrc

 Whonix: sudo nano /usr/local/etc/torrc.d/50_user.conf

 If your torrc file is located elsewhere, this guide may help you locate it. Also, you may use a different text editor, such as vim, to edit the torrc file. However, if you are using Whonix, it is advised NOT to install programs in the gateway vm.

 Step three: Paste in the following text at the bottom:

 Bridges 1: Use ClientTransportPlugin for obfs3, obfs4, and exec in /usr/bin/obfs4proxy If obfs4proxy is not installed:

 sudo apt install obfs4proxy

 Step four: Paste your bridge lines below that. They may look something like this:

 bridge obfs4 192.235.207.85:42086 0EEB10BF4B4FAF56D46E cert=oue8sYYw5wi4n3mf2WDOg iat-mode=0

 Step five: Ensuring that there is not a # before DisableNetwork 0, save the file with Ctrl+X, then Y, and then press enter.

 Sixth step: Reloading Tor. Enter this command in Terminal:

 sudo service tor@default reload

 Check Tor's daemon status. sudo service tor@default status

 It should include a message saying:

 Active: active (running) since ...

 In case of issues, try the following debugging steps.

 Check Tor's config.

 sudo -u debian-tor tor --verify-config

 The output should be similar to the following.

 Sep 17 17:40:41.416 [notice] Read configuration file "/etc/tor/torrc".

 Configuration was valid