# How to install Tails OS on a USB drive, from download to first boot URL: https://webvpn.org/anonymity/install-tails/ Updated: 2026-09-10 Installing Tails OS from Windows, macOS or Linux: where to download the image, how to verify it, writing it to USB, first boot, Persistent Storage and common mistakes. To install Tails OS, download the USB image from the Tails project's website, verify it using the project's verification tool or its signature, write it to a USB stick of at least 8 GB using the tool the project recommends for your operating system, and boot the computer from that stick. The whole process takes about thirty minutes, and the USB stick's previous contents are erased. Tails installation is not difficult, but several details are easy to get wrong in ways that either fail silently or undermine the system's protections. Choosing the ISO instead of the USB image, skipping verification, writing with the wrong tool, or booting a machine whose firmware needs adjustment are the common ones. This guide covers each step for Windows, macOS and Linux, then the first boot, then Persistent Storage, and ends with the errors to avoid. ## Before you start You need a computer that can boot from USB with a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor and at least 2 GB of RAM, a USB stick of at least 8 GB that you are willing to erase, and about half an hour. Intel Macs work; Apple silicon Macs do not. The requirements guide on this site has details. Decide which computer will write the stick. It can be the same one you will boot Tails on, or another. The writing computer needs an internet connection to download the image. Nothing about the writing process leaves Tails on the writing computer. ## Step one: download the right image Go to the Tails project's website and choose the installation path for your operating system. The site offers two kinds of image. The USB image is a complete disk image intended to be written byte-for-byte to a USB stick. It supports Persistent Storage and is the one you want for a bootable stick. The ISO image is for burning to a DVD or attaching to a virtual machine. It does not support Persistent Storage and, if written to a USB stick, produces an installation that cannot be upgraded normally or store anything. Download the USB image. It is a file of a few gigabytes. Download it directly from the project or one of the mirrors the project lists, never from a third-party site or a torrent you found elsewhere. ## Step two: verify the image Verification proves that the file you downloaded is exactly the one the Tails project published. It defends against a corrupted download and against a tampered one, and a tampered Tails is worse than no Tails. The project offers two methods. The easier one is a verification tool that runs in your browser on the download page: you select the downloaded file and it checks it against the project's published checksum. The stronger one is signature verification with GnuPG: download the signature file, import the Tails signing key according to the project's instructions, and run the verification command. The project explains both on its download page and updates the instructions with each release. Use at least the browser method every time you download, including for upgrades. ## Step three: write the image to the USB stick The tool depends on your operating system, and the Tails project's instructions are the authority because recommendations change. - Plug in the USB stick and confirm nothing on it is needed; it will be erased. - On Windows, install the imaging tool the Tails project currently recommends, which has been balenaEtcher for several years, select the downloaded USB image, select the stick, and write. Do not use tools that create bootable installers by copying files, because Tails must be written as a raw image. - On macOS, use the same recommended imaging tool, or the command-line method the project documents if you prefer. Select the image, select the stick, write. - On Linux, use GNOME Disks, which has a restore-disk-image function, or use the command-line method documented by the project. If using the command line, be extremely careful to target the USB stick and not an internal drive; the project's instructions describe how to identify the device. - Wait for the write to finish and for the tool to validate it, then eject the stick. Writing takes several minutes. When it is done, the stick contains Tails and nothing else. ## Step four: boot from the stick Shut the computer down completely, insert the Tails stick and turn the computer on while entering the boot menu. The key differs by manufacturer and is usually shown briefly at startup; common ones are F12, F2, Escape or Delete. On Intel Macs, hold Option immediately after the startup sound. Choose the USB stick from the menu. If it does not appear, enter the firmware settings and look for options to enable booting from USB, disable Secure Boot, or change the boot order. Recent Tails versions support Secure Boot on most machines, but some firmware still needs it off. The project keeps a page of known problem models and workarounds. Tails displays its boot menu; press Enter and wait. The first boot takes a minute or two. ## Step five: the welcome screen and first connection Tails opens a welcome screen where you set language and keyboard, unlock Persistent Storage if you have one, and optionally set an administration password for the session or turn on other advanced settings. For a first session, leave the advanced settings alone and start. Tails then asks how to connect to Tor: automatically, or by configuring a bridge if your network blocks Tor or you want to hide Tor use. Choose according to your situation; the bridges guide on this site explains the options. Once connected, Tor Browser and everything else work. Spend a few minutes exploring the applications menu to see what is included. ## Step six: Persistent Storage, if you need it By default Tails forgets everything at shutdown. If you want to keep files, bookmarks, Wi-Fi passwords, email settings or encryption keys between sessions, create Persistent Storage from the applications menu. You set a strong passphrase, and Tails creates an encrypted partition on the remaining space of the stick. You then choose which features to persist, each with its own switch. Turn on only what you need. Persistent Storage is encrypted, but its contents survive shutdown, which means they exist to be found if the stick is lost or seized, and the passphrase becomes the thing protecting them. Many people keep two sticks: one with no persistence for the most sensitive work and one with persistence for ongoing projects. ## Mistakes that break a Tails installation Each of these has caught real users. - Writing the ISO image to USB instead of the USB image, producing a stick that boots but cannot upgrade or persist. - Skipping verification and running a corrupted or tampered image. - Using a bootable-USB tool that copies files rather than writing the raw image, which produces a stick that does not boot or boots incorrectly. - Writing to the wrong device from the command line and erasing an internal drive. - Using a stick smaller than 8 GB or a very slow one, which leads to boot failures or an unusable system. - Booting Tails inside the ordinary system through a virtual machine and expecting the same protections; the host system can see everything, and the project explains why this is weaker. - Never upgrading. Tails releases updates frequently, and an outdated Tails carries known browser vulnerabilities. Tails offers automatic upgrades when it boots and is connected. ## What the Tails project emphasises The steps here follow the project's own installation documentation, which is detailed and worth reading alongside this guide. The Tails project insists on verification at every download and explains that its browser-based tool exists specifically because many users skipped GnuPG verification; it considers an unverified image a serious risk. The project's documentation distinguishes the USB image from the ISO clearly and notes that most installation problems reported by users trace back to using the wrong image or the wrong writing tool. Trainers who teach Tails to at-risk groups report that the boot-menu step is the most common stumbling point on unfamiliar hardware, and recommend practising the boot process on a known machine before relying on Tails in a situation that matters. ## Do it now, then do it again Follow the six steps above on a spare stick, boot it, and shut down. Then, before you rely on it, boot it a second time on the machine you actually intend to use, so you know the boot menu and any firmware settings. From there, keep the stick updated, and read the OPSEC guide on this site for the habits that make the system's protections count. ## FAQ Q: Where do I download Tails OS for USB? A: Only from the Tails project's website. It offers a USB image for writing to a stick and an ISO image for DVDs and virtual machines. For a bootable USB stick, download the USB image and verify it using the project's browser-based verification or its signature. Q: What is the difference between the Tails ISO and the USB image? A: The USB image is a complete disk image designed to be written directly to a USB stick and supports Persistent Storage. The ISO is for burning to a DVD or booting a virtual machine and does not support persistence. For a USB installation use the USB image. Q: Which tool should I use to write Tails to USB? A: The Tails project recommends balenaEtcher on Windows and macOS and either GNOME Disks or the command line on Linux. Follow the project's current instructions for your system, because tool recommendations change with releases. Q: My computer will not boot from the Tails USB. What do I do? A: Enter the firmware or boot menu at startup, select the USB device, and if necessary disable Secure Boot or enable legacy USB booting. On Intel Macs, hold Option at startup. The Tails project maintains a troubleshooting page listing known problem models. Q: Should I set up Persistent Storage? A: Only if you need to keep something between sessions, such as documents, bookmarks or keys. Persistent Storage is encrypted, but anything in it survives shutdown and is therefore evidence if the stick is seized. Choose the minimum set of features to persist.