1. Install a temporary Tails
  2. Open these instructions on another device
  3. Restart on the temporary Tails
  4. Install the final Tails
  5. Restart on the final Tails
  6. Create an encrypted persistent storage (optional)
  7. Last recommendations

Note: This page is part of our work on an Installation Assistant for Tails. It presents the full list of instructions for Windows user to install Tails on a USB stick.

Note: Before getting to the full list of instructions, people will be presented an overview of the process. See the draft wireframe.

Install a temporary Tails

In this step, you will install a temporary Tails by copying the Tails ISO image on a first USB stick using a program called Universal USB Installer.

On this temporary Tails you won't benefit from important features like automatic upgrades or the possibility to create an encrypted persistent storage to store some of your personal files.

All the data on this USB stick will be lost.

  1. Plug the first USB stick in the computer.

  2. Click on the following link to download Universal USB Installer:

    Download Universal USB Installer

  3. At the Windows security warning, confirm that you want to run the program.

  4. Read the licence agreement and click I Agree to continue and start Universal USB Installer.

  5. Select Tails from the drop-down list.

    screenshot of Universal USB Installer

  6. Click Browse and choose the ISO image that you downloaded earlier.

  7. Use the drop-down list to specify the USB stick on which you want to install the ISO image.

    If the USB stick does not appear in the drop-down list, make sure that it is plugged in correctly and restart Universal USB Installer.

  8. Select the Format option.

  9. Click Create.

  10. A warning appears. Click Yes to start the installation. The installation takes a few minutes.

  11. After the installation is finished, click Close to quit Universal USB Installer.

Cool, you now have a temporary Tails on your first USB stick. You will soon have to reboot your computer on this USB stick. It can be a bit tricky, so good luck!

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, we recommend you either:

Restart on the temporary Tails

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

  2. Switch on the computer.

    If the computer starts on Tails, the Boot Tails menu appears. Choose Live and press Enter.

    Black screen with Tails artwork. 'Boot menu' with two options 'Live' and 'Live (failsafe)'.

    Most computers do not start on Tails by default. If it does you are lucky. Otherwise, if the computer starts on Windows, refer to the troubleshooting section about Tails not starting at all.

    Tails does not start at all (troubleshooting)

    The following section applies if the Boot Tails menu does not appear when starting on the USB stick.

    It is quite common for computers not to start automatically on a USB stick with Tails installed. Here are two troubleshooting techniques. You should try them one after the other.

    Getting to the boot menu

    On most computers, you can press a boot menu key to display a list of possible devices to start from. The following instructions explain how to display the boot menu and start on the USB stick. The following screenshot is an example of such boot menu:

    1. Identify the potential boot menu keys for the computer depending on the computer manufacturer in the following list:

      ManufacturerTypeModelsKeyNotes
      AcerEsc, F12, F9
      AcernetbookAspireOne F12
      AcernetbookAspire TimelineF12
      AcernetbookAspire v3, v5, v7F12Boot Menu must be enabled in BIOS. It is disabled by default. Please check manual of the computer on how to enable it.
      AppleAfter 2006Option
      AsusdesktopF8
      AsuslaptopEsc
      AsuslaptopR503CF8
      AsusnetbookEee PC 1025cEsc
      CompaqPresarioEsc, F9
      DelldesktopDimension, Inspiron, LatitudeF12
      DelldesktopInspiron One 2020, 2305, 2320, 2330 All-In-OneF12
      DelllaptopInspiron F12
      DelllaptopPrecisionF12
      eMachinesF12
      HPgenericEsc, F9
      HPdesktopMedia CenterEsc
      HPdesktopPavilion 23 All In OneEsc
      HPdesktopPavilion g6 and g7 Esc
      HPdesktopPavilion HPE PC, h8-1287cEsc
      HPdesktopPavilion PC, p6 2317cEsc, then F9 for "Boot Menu"
      HPdesktopPavilion PC, p7 1297cbEsc, then F9 for "Boot Menu"
      HPdesktopTouchSmart 520 PCEsc, then F9 for "Boot Menu"
      HPlaptop2000Esc
      HPnotebookPavilionEsc
      HPnotebookENVY dv6 and dv7 PCEsc, then F9 for "Boot Menu"
      IntelF10
      LenovodesktopF12, F8, F10
      LenovolaptopF12
      LenovolaptopIdeaPad P500F12 or Fn + F11
      NECF5
      Packard BellF8
      SamsungF12, Esc
      SamsungnetbookNC10Esc
      SamsungultrabookSeries 5 Ultra and Series 7 ChronosEsc
      SharpF2
      SonyVAIO, PCG, VGNF11
      SonyVGNEsc, F10
      ToshibaProtege, Satellite, TecraF12
      Toshiba*EquiumF12

    2. Make sure that the first USB stick is plugged in the computer.

    3. Shut down the computer.

    4. Switch on the computer.

      Immediately press several times the first potential boot menu key identified in step 1.

      • If a boot menu with a list of possible devices to start from appears, select the first USB stick in the list and press Enter.

      • If the computer starts on Windows, repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the potential boot menu keys identified in step 1.

    If none of the potential boot menu keys identified in step 1 work or if the USB stick does not appear in the list, then try the second troubleshooting technique described below.

    Edit the BIOS settings

    You might need to edit the BIOS settings of the computer.

    Search for the user guide of the computer on the website of its manufacturer to learn how to edit the BIOS settings.

    In the BIOS settings, try to apply the following changes one by one and restart the computer after each change. Some changes might not apply to certain computer models.

    Take note of the changes that you apply to the BIOS settings, to be able to revert them if they prevent the computer to start on Windows.

    1. Edit the Boot Order. Depending on the computer model you might see an entry for removable devices or USB media. Move this entry to the top of the list to force the computer to try to start from the first USB stick before starting from the internal hard disk.

    2. Disable Fast boot.

    3. If the computer is configured to start with legacy BIOS, try to configure it to start with UEFI. Else, if the computer is configured to start with UEFI, try to configure it to start with legacy BIOS. To do so, try any of the following options if available:

      • Enable Legacy mode
      • Disable Secure boot
      • Enable CSM boot
      • Disable UEFI

    4. Try to upgrade the BIOS to the latest version provided by the manufacturer.

    If none of these options work, please report the problem to our support team.

    We're sorry but you might not be able to use Tails on this computer.

  3. After 30–60 seconds, another screen called Tails Greeter, appears.

    If the computer stops responding or displays error messages before getting to Tails Greeter, refer to the troubleshooting section about Tails not starting entirely.

    Tails does not start entirely (troubleshooting)

    The following section applies if the Boot Tails menu appears but not Tails Greeter when starting Tails.

    1. Restart the computer on the first USB stick.

    2. In the Boot Tails menu, choose the failsafe mode which might work better on some computers.

    3. If the failsafe mode does not work better, restart the computer again on the first USB stick.

    4. In the Boot Tails menu, press TAB. A command line with a list of boot options appears at the bottom of the screen.

    5. Press the Backspace key several times to remove the quiet option from the command line.

    6. Type debug nosplash to add these options to the command line.

    7. To start Tails, press Enter.

    8. Hopefully, error messages now appear when starting Tails. You can send them to our support team by email, for example by taking a picture of the last screen and error messages.

    9. If the error message is /bin/sh: can't access tty; job control turned off followed by (initramfs), then try removing the live-media=removable option from the boot command line.

      If removing live-media=removable allows you to start Tails, please report the problem to our support team. This contributes to improving the list of problematic USB sticks. Then try installing Tails on another USB stick.

    Removing the live-media=removable option might be dangerous. If an adversary had access to the computer and installed a malicious Tails on an internal hard disk, the computer might start on the malicious Tails instead of on the USB stick.

    1. In Tails Greeter, select your preferred language in the drop-down list on the bottom left of the screen. Click Login.

  4. After 15–30 seconds, the Tails desktop appears.

The most difficult part is over. Now grab your second USB stick as it is time to install the final Tails.

Install the final Tails

In this step, you will install the final Tails on a second USB stick using Tails Installer.

All the data on this USB stick will be lost.

  1. Plug the second USB stick in the computer.

  2. Choose Applications ▸ Tails ▸ Tails Installer to start Tails Installer.

  3. Click on the Clone & Install button.

  4. Use the Target Device drop-down list to specify the second USB stick.

  5. To start the installation, click on the Install Tails button. The installation takes a few minutes.

    The progress bar usually freezes for some time around 95 percent while synchronizing data on disk.

  6. Read the warning message in the pop-up window. Click on the Yes button to confirm.

Yeah, you are done installing Tails!

If you want to save some documents and configuration in an encrypted storage on your USB stick, follow our instructions until the end. Otherwise, have a look at our last recommendations.

Restart on the final Tails

  1. Shut down the computer.

  2. Unplug the first USB stick and leave the second USB stick plugged in.

  3. Switch on the computer.

  4. In the Boot Tails menu, choose Live and press Enter.

  5. After 30–60 seconds, Tails Greeter appears.

  6. In Tails Greeter, select your preferred language in the drop-down list on the bottom left of the screen. Click Login.

  7. After 15–30 seconds, the Tails desktop appears.

Create an encrypted persistent storage (optional)

You can optionally create an encrypted persistent storage in the remaining free space on the second USB stick to store any of the following:

  • Your personal files and working documents
  • Some of your settings
  • Your encryption keys

The data in the encrypted persistent storage:

  • Remains available across separate working sessions.
  • Is encrypted using a passphrase of your choice.

Once the encrypted persistent storage is created, you can choose whether to activate it or not each time you start Tails.

If you don't want to store any data in Tails you can stop following these instructions and start enjoying Tails right now.

The encrypted persistent storage is not hidden. An attacker in possession of the USB stick can know whether it has an encrypted persistent storage. Take into consideration that you can be forced or tricked to give out its passphrase.

It is possible to open the encrypted persistent storage from other operating systems, but it might break your security. Other operating systems should probably not be trusted to handle sensitive information or leave no trace.

  1. Choose Applications ▸ Tails ▸ Configure persistent volume to start the Persistence Assistant. The assistant proposes to create an encrypted persistent volume on the USB stick.

  2. Specify a passphrase of your choice in both the Passphrase and Verify Passphrase text boxes. Click on the Create button.

    We recommend choosing a long passphrase made of several random words rather than a single password. For example "bank violin thread duck knob train" is a very strong passphrase.

    To learn how to choose a good passphrase, read this article from The Intercept.

  3. Wait for the creation to finish.

    If the creation is interrupted before it finishes, you might not be able to start Tails from this USB stick anymore. This can happen if you close the window of the assistant or unplug the USB stick during the creation of the encrypted persistent storage. Reinstall the final Tails from the temporary Tails to fix this issue.

  4. The assistant shows a list of the possible persistence features. Each feature corresponds to a set of files or settings to be saved in the encrypted persistent storage.

    For the time being, we recommend you to only activate the Personal Data persistence feature. You can modify the configuration of the encrypted persistent storage later on according to your needs.

    As a general rule, only activate the persistence features that you need, as you might otherwise store more data than intended or weaken your anonymity.

    Refer to our documentation on configuring the encrypted persistent storage to learn more about the other persistence features.

  5. Click Save.

  6. Shut down the computer and restart on the final Tails.

  7. In Tails Greeter:

    • Select your preferred language in the drop-down list on the bottom left of the screen.
    • In the Use persistence? section, choose Yes to enable the encrypted persistent storage for the current working session.
    • Enter the passphrase of the persistent volume in the Passphrase text box.
    • If you select the Read-Only check box, the content of encrypted persistent storage is available and you can modify it but the changes are not be saved.
    • Click Login.

    Use the encrypted persistent storage only when necessary. You can always start Tails without activating the encrypted persistent storage.

  8. After 15–30 seconds, the Tails desktop appears.

  9. You can now save your personal files and working documents in the Persistent folder. To open the Persistent folder choose Places ▸ Persistent.

Last recommendations

You have a working Tails, congrats! We hope that you enjoy using it :)

It is very important to keep your Tails up-to-date, otherwise it will become vulnerable to numerous security issues.

To be notified of new versions and important project news, follow our news feed or subscribe to our newsletter (one or two messages per month):

Also remember that Tails does not protect from everything. Have a look at our warnings.

If you face any problem, use the Report an error launcher on the Tails desktop or visit our support pages.