install
Install Tails from macOS

Install Tails from macOS

You need

1 USB stick

Only for Tails!

8 GB minimum

Your primary Tails

1 USB stick

All data will be lost!

8 GB minimum

Why?

It is currently impossible to manually upgrade a Tails USB stick while running from itself. This scenario requires creating an intermediary Tails on another USB stick, from which to upgrade your Tails.

Windows 7

or later

macOS 10.10

Yosemite
or later

Linux

any distribution

Debian

Ubuntu

or another derivative

Another Tails

USB stick or DVD

2 GB of RAM

64-bit

Intel processor

not Apple M1 or M2

2 GB of RAM

64-bit

Smartphone

or printer
to follow the instructions

1 hour in total

½ hour

¼ hour

1.5 GB to download

½ hour to install

½ hour to upgrade

Detailed system requirements and recommended hardware.

Summary

Tails works on:
- Most PC computers that are less than 10 years old
- Some older Mac computers with an Intel processor
Tails does not work:
- Newer Mac computers with an Apple processor (M1 or M2)
- Smartphones or tablets
- Raspberry Pi
Tails might not work on:
- Some older computers, for example, if they don't have 2 GB of RAM.
- Some newer computers, for example, if their graphics card is incompatible with Linux. Nvidia or AMD Radeon cards often do not work in Tails.

See our list of known hardware compatibility issues.

Detailed hardware requirements

A USB stick of 8 GB minimum or a recordable DVD.

All the data on this USB stick or DVD is lost when installing Tails.
The ability to start from a USB stick or a DVD reader.
A 64-bit x86-64 IBM PC compatible processor.
- Tails does not works on ARM or PowerPC processors.
- Tails does not work on 32-bit computers since Tails 3.0 (June 2017).
2 GB of RAM to work smoothly.

Tails can work with less than 2 GB RAM but might behave strangely or crash.

Recommended hardware

Laptop models evolve too rapidly for us to be able to provide an up-to-date list of recommended hardware. Below are some guidelines if you, or your organization, are considering acquiring a laptop dedicated to running Tails.

For PC

Avoid "gaming" models with Nvidia or AMD Radeon graphics cards.
Consider buying a refurbished laptop from a high-end (professional) series. These are cheaper and will last longer than new but lower-quality laptops.
- For example, the Lenovo ThinkPad series work well with Tails, including the X250, X1 Carbon, T440, T480, and T490 models.
- If you live in a part of the world where buying refurbished laptops is uncommon, look on eBay and Amazon. Amazon offers a 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
Consider buying a new laptop from vendors who guarantee the compatibility with Linux and Tails like ThinkPenguin.

For Mac

Unfortunately, we don't know of any Mac model that works well in Tails and can run the latest macOS version.

Your steps

Download Tails

Download the upgrade

Verify your download

Restart on the other Tails

Download balenaEtcher

Install balenaEtcher

Download balenaEtcher

Install balenaEtcher

Install Tails using balenaEtcher

Install Tails using GNOME Disks

Install Tails using dd

Install intermediary using balenaEtcher

Install intermediary using GNOME Disks

Restart on your Tails USB stick

Restart on intermediary

Install Tails by cloning

Upgrade your primary Tails by cloning

Restart on your new Tails

Welcome to Tails!

Warnings: Tails is safe but not magic!

Tails is safer than any regular operating system. But Tails, or any software or operating system, cannot protect you from everything—even if they pretend to.

The recommendations below will keep you even safer, especially if you are at high risk.

Protecting your identity when using Tails

Tails is designed to hide your identity.

But some of your activities could reveal your identity:

Sharing files with metadata, such as date, time, location, and device information
Using Tails for more than one purpose at a time

Limitations of the Tor network

Tails uses the Tor network because it is the strongest and most popular network to protect from surveillance and censorship.

But Tor has limitations if you are concerned about:

Hiding that you are using Tor and Tails
Protecting your online communications from determined, skilled attackers

Reducing risks when using untrusted computers

Tails can safely run on a computer that has a virus.

But Tails cannot always protect you when:

Installing from an infected computer
Running Tails on a computer with a compromised BIOS, firmware, or hardware

Limitations of Tor

Tails makes it clear that you are using Tor and probably Tails

Everything you do on the Internet from Tails goes through the Tor network.

Tor and Tails don't protect you by making you look like any random Internet user, but by making all Tor and Tails users look the same. It becomes impossible to know who is who among them.

Your Internet service provider (ISP) and local network can see that you connect to the Tor network. They still cannot know what sites you visit. To hide that you connect to Tor, you can use a Tor bridge.
The sites that you visit can know that you are using Tor, because the list of exit nodes of the Tor network is public.

Parental controls, Internet service providers, and countries with heavy censorship can identify and block connections to the Tor network that don't use Tor bridges.

Many websites ask you to solve a CAPTCHA or block access from the Tor network.

Exit nodes can intercept traffic to the destination server

Tor hides your location from destination servers, but it does not encrypt all your communication. The last relay of a Tor circuit, called the exit node, establishes the actual connection to the destination server. This last step can be unencrypted, for example, if you connect to a website using HTTP instead of HTTPS.

A Tor connection goes through 3 relays with the last one establishing the actual connection to the final destination

The exit node can:

Observe your traffic. That is why Tor Browser and Tails include tools to encrypt the connection between the exit node and the destination server, whenever possible.
Pretend to be the destination server, a technique known as machine-in-the-middle attack (MitM). That is why you should pay even more attention to the security warnings in Tor Browser. If you get such a warning, use the New Identity feature of Tor Browser to change exit node.

To learn more about what information is available to someone observing the different parts of a Tor circuit, see the interactive graphics at Tor FAQ: Can exit nodes eavesdrop on communications?.

Tor exit nodes have been used in the past to collect sensitive information from unencrypted connections. Malicious exit nodes are regularly identified and removed from the Tor network. For an example, see Ars Technica: Security expert used Tor to collect government e-mail passwords.

Adversaries watching both ends of a Tor circuit could identify users

An adversary, who could control the 3 relays in a circuit, could deanonymize Tor users.

Tor chooses 3 relays that belong to 3 different network operators for each circuit.

Tails takes extra measures to use different circuits for different applications.

The Tor network has more than 6 000 relays. Organizations running Tor relays include universities like the MIT, activist groups like Riseup, nonprofits like Derechos Digitales, Internet hosting companies like Private Internet Access, and so on. The huge diversity of people and organizations running Tor relays makes it more secure and more sustainable.

A powerful adversary, who could analyze the timing and shape of the traffic entering and exiting the Tor network, might be able to deanonymize Tor users. These attacks are called end-to-end correlation attacks, because the attacker has to observe both ends of a Tor circuit at the same time.

No anonymity network used for rapid connections, like browsing the web or instant messaging, can protect 100% from end-to-end correlation attacks. In this case, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are less secure than Tor, because they do not use 3 independent relays.

End-to-end correlation attacks have been studied in research papers, but we don't know of any actual use to deanonymize Tor users. For an example, see Murdoch and Zieliński: Sampled Traffic Analysis by Internet-Exchange-Level Adversaries.

Using untrusted computers

Install Tails from a computer that you trust

Tails protects you from viruses and malware on your usual operating system. This is because Tails runs independently from other operating systems.

But your Tails might be corrupted if you install from a compromised operating system. To reduce that risk:

Always install Tails from a trusted operating system. For example, download Tails on a computer without viruses or clone Tails from a trusted friend.
Do not plug in your Tails USB stick while another operating system is running on the computer.
Use your Tails USB stick only to run Tails. Do not use your Tails USB stick to transfer files to or from another operating system.

If you worry that your Tails might be corrupted, do a manual upgrade from a trusted operating system.

We don't know of any virus able to infect a Tails installation, but one could be created in the future.

No operating system can protect against hardware alterations

The computer might be compromised if its physical components have been altered. For example, if a keylogger has been physically installed on the computer, your passwords, personal information, and other data typed on the keyboard could be stored and accessed by someone else, even if you are using Tails.

Try to keep your computer in a safe location. Hardware alterations are more likely on public computers, in internet cafés or libraries, and on desktop computers, where a device is easier to hide.

If you worry that a computer might be modified:

Use a password manager to paste saved passwords. This way, you don't have to type passwords that might be visible to people or cameras near you.
Use the screen keyboard, if you are using a public computer or worry that the computer might have a keylogger.

Keyloggers are easy to buy and hide on desktop computers but not on laptops. For an example, see KeeLog: KeyGrabber forensic keylogger getting started.

Other hardware alterations are much more complicated and expensive to install. For an example, see Ars Technica: Photos of an NSA “upgrade” factory show Cisco router getting implant.

No operating system can protect against BIOS and firmware attacks

Firmware includes the BIOS or UEFI and other software stored in electronic chips on the computer. All operating systems, including Tails, depend on firmware to start and run, so no operating system can protect against a firmware attack. In the same way that a car depends on the quality of the road it is driving on, operating systems depend on their firmware.

Keeping your computer in a safe location can protect against some firmware attacks, but some other firmware attacks can be performed remotely.

Firmware attacks have been demonstrated, but are complicated and expensive to perform. We don't know of any actual use against Tails users. For an example, see LegbaCore: Stealing GPG keys/emails in Tails via remote firmware infection.

Because you always have to adapt your digital security practices to your specific needs and threats, we encourage you to learn more by reading the following guides:

Download Tails

Download Tails 6.9 USB image ( 1.5 GB ) Download Tails 6.9 USB image ( 1.5 GB )

Download Tails 6.9 ISO image ( 1.5 GB ) Download Tails 6.9 ISO image ( 1.5 GB )

or download using BitTorrent BitTorrent

Save your download to your usual Downloads folder and not to the USB stick.

We recommend that you save your download to your Persistent Storage. Otherwise, Tails might stop responding if the RAM memory of the computer gets full.

While you are downloading, we recommend you read the release notes for Tails 6.9 . They document all the changes in this new version: new features, problems that were solved, and known issues that have already been identified.

6.9

Verify your download

Verify your download to make sure that it is safe and was not corrupted during download.

Your BitTorrent client will automatically verify your download when it completes.

The verification below is optional for a BitTorrent download.

You seem to have JavaScript disabled. To verify your download, you can either:

Enable JavaScript and reload this page.
Compare manually the checksum of your download with the checksum of our images. In Tails, you can install GtkHash as Additional Software
Verify your download using our OpenPGP signing key and OpenPGP signature. OpenPGP signature.
We don't provide instructions to verify downloads with OpenPGP anymore.

See our security analysis of the different verification techniques.

You seem to be using Internet Explorer. To verify your download, please use a different browser.

Select your download to verify…

or verify using the OpenPGP signature

OpenPGP signature OpenPGP signature

If you don't know how to use the OpenPGP signature, click instead on the button Select your download… to verify your download with JavaScript.

OpenPGP signing key

Security analysis of the different verification techniques

Verifying $FILENAME…

Verification successful! ($FILENAME)

Verification failed! ($FILENAME)

Why?

Most likely, the verification failed because of an error or interruption during the download.

The verification also fails if you try to verify a different download than the latest version, Tails 6.9 .

Less likely, the verification might have failed because of a malicious download from our download mirrors or due to a network attack in your country or local network.

Downloading again is usually enough to fix this problem. Otherwise, please try downloading from a different place or a different computer.

How does the verification work?

Please try to download again…

Error selecting image.

Make sure that you select a USB image that is readable by your browser.

Make sure that you select an ISO image that is readable by your browser.

Retry…

Error downloading checksum file from our website.

Make sure that your browser is connected to the Internet.

Retry…

Error reading image $FILENAME.

Make sure that $FILENAME is readable by your browser.

Retry…

Install balenaEtcher

In the following steps, you will install an intermediary Tails using the Tails USB image that you downloaded earlier.

balenaEtcher is the Free Software tool that we recommend to install Tails on USB sticks.

Instead of using balenaEtcher, you can also install Tails using dd on the command line.

Make sure that your USB stick is unplugged.
Open the Terminal utility from Applications ▸ Utilities.

Execute the following command.

diskutil list

It returns a list of the storage devices on the system. For example:

/dev/disk0
 #:                     TYPE NAME         SIZE      IDENTIFIER
 0:    GUID_partition_scheme             *500.1 GB  disk0
 1:                      EFI              209.7 MB  disk0s1
 2:                Apple_HFS MacDrive     250.0 GB  disk0s2
 3:                      EFI              134.1 GB  disk0s3
 4:     Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP     115.5 GB  disk0s4

Plug your USB stick into the computer.

Execute again the same command.

diskutil list

Your USB stick appears as a new device in the list. Check that its size corresponds to the size of your USB stick.

/dev/disk0
 #:                     TYPE NAME         SIZE      IDENTIFIER
 0:    GUID_partition_scheme             *500.1 GB  disk0
 1:                      EFI              209.7 MB  disk0s1
 2:                Apple_HFS MacDrive     250.0 GB  disk0s2
 3:                      EFI              134.1 GB  disk0s3
 4:     Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP     115.5 GB  disk0s4

/dev/disk1
 #:                     TYPE NAME         SIZE      IDENTIFIER
 0:   FDisk_partition_scheme             *8.0 GB    disk1
 1:                Apple_HFS Untitled 1   8.0 GB    disk1s1

Take note of the device name of your USB stick.

In this example, the USB stick is 8.0 GB and its device name is /dev/disk1. Yours might be different.

If you are unsure about the device name, you should stop proceeding or you risk overwriting any hard disk on the system.
Execute the following command to safely eject the USB stick. Replace device with the device name found in step 6.

diskutil unmountDisk device
Execute the following commands to copy the USB image that you downloaded earlier to the USB stick.

Replace:
- tails.img with the path to the USB image
  
  If you are unsure about the path to the USB image, you can insert the correct path by dragging and dropping the icon of the USB image from Finder onto Terminal.
- device with the device name found in step 6
  
  You can try adding r before disk to make the installation faster.
dd if=tails.img of=device bs=16m && sync

You should get something like this:

dd if=/Users/me/tails-amd64-3.12.img of=/dev/rdisk9 bs=16m && sync

If no error message is returned, Tails is being copied on the USB stick. The copy takes some time, generally a few minutes.

If you get a Permission denied error, try adding sudo at the beginning of the command:

sudo dd if=tails.img of=device bs=16m && sync

If you get an invalid number ‘16m’ error, try using 16M instead:

dd if=tails.img of=device bs=16M && sync

The installation is complete when the command prompt reappears.

Click on the following button to download balenaEtcher:

Download balenaEtcher for macOS

Save your download to your usual Downloads folder and not to the USB stick.
Open the balenaEtcher download (DMG disk image).
To install balenaEtcher, drag the balenaEtcher icon onto the Applications icon.
Close the installation window of balenaEtcher.

Optionally, eject the disk image of balenaEtcher from the sidebar of Finder.

Install an intermediary Tails using balenaEtcher

Open Finder and choose balenaEtcher in Applications.

Open the balenaEtcher download.

At the security warning, confirm that you want to open balenaEtcher.

balenaEtcher starts.

If balenaEtcher does not start, restart Windows and try again.
Plug in the USB stick on which you want to install Tails. the intermediary Tails.

The Persistent Storage of your Tails USB stick will not be copied to the temporary Tails.
Click the Flash from file button.

Choose the USB image that you downloaded earlier.

Make sure that the USB image is called tails-amd64-6.9.img and has an .img file extension.

If the image has an .iso file extension, it is the wrong image. Please go back to the download step. download step. download step. download step.
Click the Select target button to select your USB stick.

All the data on this USB stick will be lost.
Click Flash.

Enter your password if you are asked for it.

The installation takes a few minutes.

After installing Tails, balenaEtcher verifies the installation.

If the verification of balenaEtcher fails, try to install again or try using a different USB stick.
Close balenaEtcher.

If a notification about the USB stick not being readable appears, click Eject to eject the USB stick.

Well done!

You have installed Tails on your USB stick.

In the next step, you will make your computer start on this USB stick.

Tails might not work on your computer, so good luck!

If you already started on the other Tails, go directly to step 3: Verify that the other Tails is up-to-date.

Open these instructions on another device

In the next step, you will shut down the computer. To be able to follow the rest of the instructions afterwards, you can either:

Scan this QR code on your smartphone or tablet:
Print these instructions on paper.
Take note of the URL of this page:

https://tails.net/install/windows?back=1

https://tails.net/install/mac?back=1

https://tails.net/install/linux?back=1

https://tails.net/install/expert?back=1

https://tails.net/install/clone/pc?back=1

https://tails.net/install/clone/mac?back=1

https://tails.net/upgrade/tails?back=1

https://tails.net/upgrade/windows?back=1

https://tails.net/upgrade/mac?back=1

https://tails.net/upgrade/linux?back=1

https://tails.net/upgrade/clone?back=1

Restart on the intermediary Tails

Restart on the other Tails

Restart on your Tails USB stick

Make the computer start on the USB stick

Make sure that you have installed Tails using either:
Click on the Start button.
Press and hold the Shift key while you choose Power ▸ Restart.
In the Choose an option screen, choose Use a device.

If the Choose an option screen or the Use a device option don't appear, refer to the instructions on starting Tails using the Boot Menu key.
In the Use a device screen, choose Boot Menu.

Windows shuts down, the computer restarts, and a Boot Menu appears.

Plug in your Tails USB stick shortly after choosing Boot Menu and while Windows is shutting down.

If your Windows has no Boot Menu option available, make sure that your intermediary Tails USB stick is plugged in and choose your USB stick directly in the list of devices.

In the future, we We recommend that you only plug in your Tails USB stick while Windows is shutting down. Otherwise, a virus in Windows could infect your Tails USB stick and break its security.

Such an attack is possible in theory but very unlikely in practice. We don't know of any virus capable of infecting Tails. See our warning on plugging Tails in untrusted systems.

The Boot Menu is a list of possible devices to start from. The following screenshot is an example of a Boot Menu:
In the Boot Menu, select your USB stick and press Enter.
If the computer starts on Tails, the Boot Loader appears and Tails starts automatically after 4 seconds.
- The Troubleshooting Mode entry disables some features of the Linux kernel and might work better on some computers. You can try this option if you think you are experiencing hardware compatibility errors while starting Tails.
- The External Hard Disk entry makes it possible to start from an external hard disk and some problematic USB sticks.

Most computers do not start automatically on the Tails USB stick, but you can press a Boot Menu key to display a list of possible devices to start from.

If Windows 8 or 10 is also installed on the computer, you can refer instead to the instructions on starting Tails from Windows 8 or 10. Starting Tails from Windows is easier than using the Boot Menu key.

The following screenshot is an example of a Boot Menu:

This animation summarizes how to use the Boot Menu key to start on the USB stick:

The following instructions explain in detail how to use the Boot Menu key to start on the USB stick:

Make sure that you have installed Tails using either:
Shut down the computer while leaving the USB stick plugged in.

Shut down the computer and plug in the Tails USB stick.

Shut down the computer.

Plug in the other Tails USB stick that you want to install upgrade from.

Unplug your Tails USB stick while leaving the intermediary USB stick plugged in.

Identify the possible Boot Menu keys for the computer depending on the computer manufacturer in the following list:

Manufacturer	Key
Acer	F12, F9, F2, Esc
Apple	Option
Asus	Esc
Clevo	F7
Dell	F12
Fujitsu	F12, Esc
HP	F9
Huawei	F12
Intel	F10
Lenovo	F12, Novo
MSI	F11
Samsung	Esc, F12, F2
Sony	F11, Esc, F10
Toshiba	F12
Others…	F12, Esc

On many computers, a message is displayed very briefly when switching on that also explains how to get to the Boot Menu or edit the BIOS settings.

Switch on the computer.

Immediately press several times the first possible Boot Menu key identified in step 2.
If the computer starts on another operating system or returns an error message, shut down the computer again and repeat step 3 for all the possible Boot Menu keys identified in step 2.

If a Boot Menu with a list of devices appears, select your USB stick and press Enter.
If the computer starts on Tails, the Boot Loader appears and Tails starts automatically after 4 seconds.

Make sure that you have installed Tails using either:
Shut down the computer.

Shut down the computer while leaving the USB stick plugged in.

Plug in the other Tails USB stick that you want to install from.
Plug in your Tails USB stick.
Switch on the computer.

Immediately press-and-hold the Option key (⌥ or Alt key) when the startup sound is played.

Hold the key pressed until a list of possible startup disks appears.
Choose the USB stick and press Enter. The USB stick appears as an external hard disk and might be labeled EFI Boot or Windows like in the following screenshot:
If the USB stick does not appear in the list of startup disks:
1. Wait 2–3 minutes and try again. Some USB sticks need some rest after installing.
2. Try all other USB ports on the computer. Some USB ports cannot be used to start from.
3. Make sure that you have installed Tails using either:
4. Make sure that you have verified your download of Tails.
5. Make sure that you have verified your download.
6. Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
7. Try to install on a different USB stick.
8. Try to use the same USB stick to start on a different computer.
If your computer still does not display the Boot Loader, it might currently be impossible to start Tails on your computer.
If your Mac displays the following error:

Security settings do not allow this Mac to use an external startup disk.

Then you have to change the settings of the Startup Security Utility of your Mac to authorize starting from Tails.

To open Startup Security Utility:
1. Turn on your Mac, then press and hold Command(⌘)+R immediately after you see the Apple logo. Your Mac starts up from macOS Recovery.
2. When you see the macOS Utilities window, choose Utilities ▸ Startup Security Utility from the menu bar.
3. When you are asked to authenticate, click Enter macOS Password, then choose an administrator account and enter its password.
In the Startup Security Utility:
- Choose No Security in the Secure Boot section.
- Choose Allow booting from external media in the External Boot.
To still protect your Mac from starting on untrusted external media, you can set a firmware password, available on macOS Mountain Lion or later. A firmware password prevents users who do not have the password from starting up from any media other than the designated startup disk.

If you forget your firmware password you will require an in-person service appointment with an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Read more on Apple Support about:
- Startup Security Utility
- How to set a firmware password on your Mac
If the computer starts on Tails, the Boot Loader appears and Tails starts automatically after 4 seconds.
- The Troubleshooting Mode entry disables some features of the Linux kernel and might work better on some computers. You can try this option if you think you are experiencing hardware compatibility errors while starting Tails.
- The External Hard Disk entry makes it possible to start from an external hard disk and some problematic USB sticks.

Troubleshoot Tails not starting

If no Boot Menu appears, refer to the instructions on starting Tails using the Boot Menu key.
If none of the possible Boot Menu keys from the previous technique work, refer to the troubleshooting instructions about Tails not starting at all.
If the Boot Menu appears but your USB stick is not listed in the Boot Menu:
1. Wait 2–3 minutes and try again. Some USB sticks need some rest after installing.
2. Try all other USB ports on the computer. Some USB ports cannot be used to start from.
If your USB stick is listed in the Boot Menu but the Boot Loader does not appear:

If your USB stick appears in the list of startup disks but the Boot Loader does not appear:
1. Wait 2–3 minutes and try again. Some USB sticks need some rest after installing.
2. Try all other USB ports on the computer. Some USB ports cannot be used to start from.
3. Make sure that you have installed Tails using either:
4. Make sure that you have verified your download of Tails.
5. Make sure that you have verified your download.
6. Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
  
  Try to install again on the same USB stick.
7. Try to install on a different USB stick.
8. Try to use the same USB stick to start on a different computer.
If your computer still does not display the Boot Loader, it might currently be impossible to start Tails on your computer.
If the Boot Loader appears but Tails fails to start after the Boot Loader, refer to the troubleshooting section about Tails not starting after the Boot Loader. the troubleshooting section about Tails not starting after the Boot Loader.

Starting the computer using a Boot Menu key can be faster than starting the computer on Windows first and then on Tails. We recommend you learn how to start Tails using the Boot Menu key if you use Tails regularly.

Apple does not prioritize collaborating with Free Software projects. Their newest hardware is usually very hard for Free Software developers to get working with Linux, and thus Tails. PC hardware tends to be more open and work better with Linux.

Welcome to Tails!

Starting the intermediary Tails

Starting the other Tails

After the Boot Menu, a loading screen appears.
One to two minutes after the Boot Loader and the loading screen, the Welcome Screen appears.
In the Welcome Screen, select your language and keyboard layout in the Language and Formats section. Click Start Tails.

If your keyboard or touchpad doesn't work, try using a USB keyboard or mouse.
After 15–30 seconds, the Tails desktop appears.

Welcome to your new Tails!

You made it!

You managed to start your new Tails on your computer!

Congratulations on staying safe :)

To continue discovering Tails, read our documentation.

Test your Wi-Fi

Problems with Wi-Fi are unfortunately quite common in Tails and Linux in general. To test if your Wi-Fi interface works in Tails:

Open the system menu in the top-right corner:
Choose Wi-Fi Not Connected and then Select Network.
After establishing a connection to a local network, the Tor Connection assistant appears to help you connect to the Tor network.

If your Wi-Fi interface is not working, you might experience the following:

There is no Wi-Fi menu in the system menu:
The interface is disabled because MAC address anonymization failed:

In this case, you can disable MAC address anonymization in the Welcome Screen. Doing so has security implications, so read carefully our documentation about MAC address anonymization.

The following notification appears:

Activation of network connection failed

To connect to the Internet, you can try to:

Use an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi if possible. Wired interfaces work much more reliably than Wi-Fi in Tails.
Share the Wi-Fi or mobile data connection of your phone using a USB cable. Sharing a connection this way is called USB tethering.

See instructions for:
- iPhones or iPads
  
  Only sharing mobile data works on iPhones and iPads; sharing Wi-Fi does not work.
- Android
Tails cannot hide the information that identifies your phone on the local network. If you connect your phone to a:
- Wi-Fi network: the network can see the MAC address of your phone.
  
  This has security implications that we explain in our documentation on MAC address anonymization. Some phones have a feature to hide the MAC address of the phone.
- Mobile data network: the network is able to know the identifier of your SIM card (IMSI) and the serial number of your phone (IMEI).

Buy a USB Wi-Fi adapter that works in Tails:

Vendor Model Size Speed Price Buy offline Buy online

Panda Wireless Ultra Nano 150 Mbit/s $18 No Amazon

Panda Wireless PAU05 Small 300 Mbit/s $65 No Amazon

ThinkPenguin TPE-N150USB Nano 150 Mbit/s $74 No ThinkPenguin

If you find another USB Wi-Fi adapter that works in Tails, please let us know. You can write to support@tails.net (private email).
Check in our list of known Wi-Fi issues if there is a workaround to get your Wi-Fi interface to work in Tails.

You need

Summary

Detailed hardware requirements

Recommended hardware

For PC

For Mac

Your steps

Warnings: Tails is safe but not magic!

Protecting your identity when using Tails

Limitations of the Tor network

Reducing risks when using untrusted computers

Protecting your identity

Clean metadata from files before sharing them

Use Tails sessions for only one purpose at a time

Limitations of Tor

Tails makes it clear that you are using Tor and probably Tails

Exit nodes can intercept traffic to the destination server

Adversaries watching both ends of a Tor circuit could identify users

Using untrusted computers

Install Tails from a computer that you trust

No operating system can protect against hardware alterations

No operating system can protect against BIOS and firmware attacks

Download Tails

Verify your download

Install balenaEtcher

Install an intermediary Tails using balenaEtcher

Open these instructions on another device

Restart on the intermediary Tails

Restart on the other Tails

Restart on your Tails USB stick

Make the computer start on the USB stick

Troubleshoot Tails not starting

Welcome to Tails!

Starting the intermediary Tails

Starting the other Tails

Welcome to your new Tails!

Test your Wi-Fi

Vendor	Model	Size	Speed	Price	Buy offline	Buy online
Panda Wireless	Ultra	Nano	150 Mbit/s	$18	No	Amazon
Panda Wireless	PAU05	Small	300 Mbit/s	$65	No	Amazon
ThinkPenguin	TPE-N150USB	Nano	150 Mbit/s	$74	No	ThinkPenguin