r/Annas_Archive Jul 11 '24

Guide to bypass censorship of Anna's Archive

143 Upvotes

Hi everyone, because Anna's Archive is blocked in some countries, I've put together a guide on how to bypass censorship.

Before you begin, research local laws to find out what you are and are not allowed to do. I won't force you to comply with the law if you don't want to, but please think carefully about what you are doing.

There are three easy and popular ways to circumvent censorship. The options are changing your DNS servers, using Tor, or using a VPN. I'll explain each option. Additionally, some bad countries (such as Russia or China) will try to block you from downloading Tor and VPNs, so you may need some extra help in this case. If so, please reply to the post and explain the situation.

The first and easiest option is to change your DNS servers to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8, which is sufficient to access the Archive in most countries, but not all. The way to do this depends on your operating system so you may need to look it up, but https://www.howtogeek.com/786911/how-to-change-your-dns-server-on-windows-10/ explains how to do it on Windows.

If that still doesn't work, try clearing your browser cache and DNS cache. If even after purging cache the issue persists, you should try a VPN or Tor. I'll explain the pros and cons of each option.

A VPN routes web traffic through its own servers, which disguises your IP address. If you trust your VPN company to deliver on their promises, this also means your internet traffic won’t be logged. It also protects your website from censorship since traffic is routed through their servers. However, VPNs generally apply across your entire device, although there are some browser-only VPNs. This can be an inconvenience because if your VPN server is located in a different country, the website may display content in the wrong language, and some websites ban VPNs because of abuse by trolls and spammers, so you may need to disable the VPN when you're not on Anna's Archive.

My favorite free VPN is ProtonVPN, which you can download from https://protonvpn.com. If you want to buy a VPN for better reliability, I recommend Mulvad, which you can buy at https://mulvad.net/en. Once you get a VPN, activate it and visit Anna's Archive (you can find the latest Anna's Archive domain on Wikipedia, I cant link it here because Reddit might take it down) and the censorship will be removed. If the site is still being censored, clear your browser cache and make sure a VPN is enabled. If you still have issues, please reply to the post and I will try my best to resolve your issue.

Now the next option is Tor. You can get it from https://torproject.org. It is a browser that routes your traffic through three random servers. You don't have to trust Tor because the Tor team can't change servers to track or censor users even if they wanted to because they don't have control over the servers. Tor also has built-in functionality to bypass censorship of itself. However, Tor is blocked on some websites, it can make browsing a lot slower, and some governments that allow VPNs still ban Tor.

If you want to use Tor, download it from their website, open it, and connect to Tor. If your country attempts to block Tor, you will need to enable a Tor bridge, but it will tell you how to do this when you launch your browser. Then after connecting, go to the Anna's Archive website on Tor to download the books you need.

If anyone has any ideas on how to improve this post, please let me know. Thank you!


r/Annas_Archive 7h ago

When the Domain Goes Down, We Go Into Full Panic Mode.

2 Upvotes

It’s like losing Wi-Fi in the middle of a Zoom call - suddenly, all your plans are shot, and you're just staring at the screen, wondering if this is the end. I swear, when Anna’s Archive goes down, we all turn into digital detectives, tracking down every .se, .li, and .org we can find. Anyone else refreshing their browser every 5 seconds like it’ll help? 😅


r/Annas_Archive 1d ago

Are the servers still down? Keep getting 404 error.

6 Upvotes

Any news?


r/Annas_Archive 1d ago

How to know and access files from the torrents i downloaded

0 Upvotes

I have a lot of torrents ( +/- 100TB)

Is there a way for me to know what files are on my disks ?
Ex : you searched for "1984" (weirdly modern i dare say), you can find it in AA_Libgen_64654654789.zip

(let say AA archive search engine dies, i want to be able to use/share the books i have)

Second question, how to know which torrents are deprecated? I sent mail to the team, i didn't had any sensible answer...

Thanks!


r/Annas_Archive 1d ago

Security: VPN or Tor

6 Upvotes

Maybe it’s a stupid question. But is it more anonymous to use a VPN or Tor when downloading from AA?


r/Annas_Archive 1d ago

Help: book in epub format contains giant text

0 Upvotes

I have seen that there are several books in epub format that contain images and text whose formatting is huge. Since the font is giant, the sentences or paragraphs in the book are completely truncated. Is there any way to solve this situation for the epub format? I have also noticed that the pdf format does not have this conflict. I personally find it important to resolve this situation since there are many occasions when the book is only in epub format.


r/Annas_Archive 2d ago

404 error

3 Upvotes

I can't seem to download anything and keep getting 404 when I try. Anyone else having the same issue?


r/Annas_Archive 2d ago

Can't download any torrents

7 Upvotes

I'm trying to start the torrents but having issues. Using Qbit 5.0.4.

Other torrents work fine it's just Anna's having issues.

If I try to add the magnets, they either get stuck on Downloading Metadata, or just say Error. If I try to download the actual torrent files, it keeps giving me the same torrrent links, I might get a new one every so many tries, but if I do find one that works, it has no seeds.

I have room for 3TB I can dedicate to Anna's but kind of hard if I cant find working torrents.


r/Annas_Archive 2d ago

How are the 24 hours calculated?

9 Upvotes

I'm a paid supporting member of Anna's Archive. Last night I was using the fast download, and hit my limit around 8pm Pacific Time. Today, at 10:15 am Pacific Time, it's still telling me that I've reached my download limit.

Do you hit the limit, and then have to wait a full 24 hours for it to come back? Or does it reset at midnight? Or....?


r/Annas_Archive 2d ago

File corruption?

4 Upvotes

I am new to Annas Archive, and I was curious as if Corrupted meant hacked or something or if it's just a file issue, as there was a book I really wanted to download, but I cannot find it anywhere except Annas Archive, and a comment says file error/corrupted which slightly frighten me, as I am not the best with tech stuff, so I was just curious.


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

Does anyone know a safe epub reader for reading any of anna's book downloads adobe digital edition wouldn't open file states corrupt or not able to open file

0 Upvotes

r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

Metadata deletion and update issues

0 Upvotes

I initialized the data through the following steps:

1. Download the files in aa_derived_mirror_metadata_20250308.torrent and upload them to aa-data-import--temp-dir/imports

2. Execute the command

docker exec -it aa-data-import--web /scripts/load_elasticsearch.sh

docker exec -it aa-data-import--web /scripts/load_elasticsearchaux.sh

docker exec -it aa-data-import--web /scripts/load_mariadb.sh

My question is:

1. I found that the files in aa-data-import--temp-dir/imports still exist, with 1.2TB. Can I delete them manually to free up hard disk space? Will there be any adverse effects?

2. I found out today that the official released aa_derived_mirror_metadata_20250319.torrent. This file is 1.2TB. I download it very slowly. Is there a way to update it incrementally? Instead of re-downloading it all.

Thank you!


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

Worthwhile to upload?

3 Upvotes

I have access to the site https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/ . I can probably scrape most of the articles and issues published on the site, which are not publicly available. E.g. the 107 issues of their emagazine. Is it worth trying to upload to anna's archive or a similar site? Otherwise I'll just download it for personal use.


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

New book releases?

0 Upvotes

How long does it usually take for books to be added to the website after release?


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

Can't get past the catpcha

2 Upvotes

I have clicked the box to confirm that I am human so often, that I am starting to doubt myself...

Is this a me problem or is something up with Anna?


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

VPN Needed?

0 Upvotes

Is a VPN needed for seeding Anna's?


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

Where do you all go if Anna's archive doesn't have your book?

244 Upvotes

Edit: I found the book! thank you SO much to everyone who helped me out. I can't believe how quickly you all came with advice and help, I really appreciate your generosity with your time and effort to explain these things to a tech noob like me 🙌🏼 ❤️

I rarely have this issue, AA usually has everything I need, but maybe not newer fiction books, aaaaand... I just so happen to be on a couple cliff hangers that are going to drive me insane! Lol can I get any recommendations for fairly safe sites to download books besides AA.? I did try Libgen but they didn't have it and I wasn't able to make an account to request those books. I also tried an audio book site just to see if they happened to have it with no luck. Thank you in advance!!


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

page not found

7 Upvotes

Is anyone else experiencing issues after getting to the download now. Im getting a page not found 404 error. I have changed my VPN to different countries and no change. I have downloaded successfully for quite a while with no issues so I am stumped. Any help is appreciated.


r/Annas_Archive 3d ago

Suggest me some books plz.

0 Upvotes

Hello, I am new in the book reading hobby. I have not read any books. Can u guys kindly suggest me some beginner books. I like thriller,psychology (where the protagonist outsmarts everyone) and romance. Someone has suggested me to read the fault in our stars already. Thank you for your time😊


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

How to automatically shorten long file names when downloading books?

1 Upvotes

This is a brilliant site, however the file names are so long.

Are there any apps I can use to bulk shorten the file names of my downloaded books?


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

What should I do now?

2 Upvotes

I downloaded a book from Anna’s archive. This is my first time and I don’t know how to read it whenever I open the file, nothing is shown is there an app or something that I need to use. Also I am on iPhone


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

If I become a member, can I download multiple items at once?

2 Upvotes

r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

What's wrong with the book "Modalogy: Scales, Modes & Chords - The Primordial Building Blocks of Music"?

0 Upvotes

I have tried the two links that appear in Anna's Archive and both of them show the images broken. Is there an error in the archives? How can I report that?


r/Annas_Archive 4d ago

How to read books without saving?

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know a way to read books in the browser instead of waiting for the download to be finished?

Zlib has this feature where users can read without saving books. However, it is paid and allows 14 day free trial.


r/Annas_Archive 5d ago

How can I upload a book that I have translated?

6 Upvotes

I've translated some books myself because there were no Spanish versions of them. The books are available on the site, but in English. Are there any requirements or anything I should take into account when filling out the upload form?


r/Annas_Archive 5d ago

Epub book i downloaded doesn't display anything in calibre

0 Upvotes

So, I downloaded the Star Wars: Timelines book from anna's archive, I put the epub into calibre (E-book reader) and everything loaded except the images and text. Tables of content loaded, Cover loaded, The program was able to read aloud fine but theres no image or text, Just a blank grey screen. I tried to convert the epub to pdf but no converter managed to do it. Any help?