Anders Behring Breivik has confessed to the July 22 attacks that killed 77 people. At the hearing, Breivik tried to declare himself a resistance leader.
Investigators say Breivik set off a fertilizer bomb outside government headquarters before heading to an island retreat, where youth sections of Norway's governing Labor Party were holding their annual summer camp.
A judge on Monday extended Breivik's custody by 12 weeks, but decided to gradually lift the restrictions on media access, visitors and mail for the 32-year-old suspect.
Breivik has been held in isolation since his arrest.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to 21 years in prison. An alternative custody arrangement - if he is still considered a danger to the public - could keep him behind bars indefinitely.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.