Installing Tails on a USB Stick

Last updated: May 2026

This guide walks you through creating a bootable Tails USB drive. You will need a USB stick (8 GB minimum) and a computer with a 64-bit processor.

Step 1: Download the Tails Image

Go to the official Tails website (tails.net) and download the latest ISO image. Always verify the PGP signature to ensure the file has not been tampered with.

Step 2: Create the Bootable USB

On Windows: Use Etcher or the Tails Installer.
On macOS: Use Etcher or the command line.
On Linux: Use the Tails Installer or dd command.

Step 3: Boot from USB

Restart your computer and boot from the USB drive. You may need to change the boot order in your BIOS/UEFI settings.

Important: Always boot in "Tails" mode, not "Tails (failsafe)" unless you have hardware issues.