/r/tails

Photograph via //r/tails

Tails is a live operating system aimed at protecting your privacy and anonymity that you can start on almost any computer from a USB stick or a DVD.

Tails is a live operating system aimed at protecting your privacy and anonymity that you can start on almost any computer from a USB stick or a DVD. Get Tails.

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Installation

System Requirements

  • Either an internal or external DVD reader or the possibility to boot from a USB stick/SD card.

  • Tails requires a 64-bit x86-64 compatible processor: IBM PC compatible and others but not PowerPC nor ARM. Mac computers are IBM PC compatible since 2006. Tails does not run on most tablets and phones.

  • 2 GB of RAM to work smoothly. It is possible to run with less, but crashes, slowness, and strange behavior is possible.

What This Sub Is

This subreddit is for the latest news and updates regarding Tails, requesting Tails support, and discussion regarding the Tails project.

What This Sub Is Not

This is not a place for posting general privacy-related news, other privacy-focused software, or individual onion services. Please see the "Related Subreddits" list below for recommendations regarding these topics.

Related Links

Related Subreddits

/r/tails

107,545 Subscribers

5

TailsOS Guide For ULTRA Paranoids...

I need a detailed guide on tailsOS.

16 Comments
2024/11/02
15:33 UTC

1

Tails 6.9 GPG4USB error

I had problem
[Error] Source: GPGME String: "Invalid crypto engine"
[Error] Source: GPGME String: "Invalid crypto engine"
[Error] Source: GPGME String: "Invalid crypto engine"

when I use https://www.gpg4usb.org/

How to deal with that problem, do you have something similar?

3 Comments
2024/11/01
10:45 UTC

6

New to tails and got few problems.

Hi, I recently got a new 32GB USB flash drive to use with Tails.

I followed the manual installation guide, and it worked perfectly at first. However, after I shut down my laptop (it's an laptop), I started getting this error on boot:

"Media test failure, check cable"

"Operating system not found"

I tried the same USB on another device, and it works fine, but I get this error every time I try to boot Tails on my old laptop.

Additionally, when I click "Repair file system," it completes the repair in less than 10 seconds and continues working, but it disables all persistent storage settings, essentially disabling everything. I’ve tried reinstalling Tails more than three times, but the issue persists.

So my two main problems are:

  1. My old laptop only booted Tails once, but now it can't boot anymore (the USB works on other devices).

  2. I get the same error every time I try to boot Tails, and persistent storage settings are disabled after file system repair.

I'm using the latest version of Tails, version 6.9.

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

35 Comments
2024/11/01
00:45 UTC

1

Tails won’t run AT ALL.

I cannot get Tails to run for the life of me. I never had this issue running it on my older PCS. I recently upgraded to a pretty new one and now Tails just doesn’t seem to like it. Every time I launch it, it seems like it’s going to work and then it sticks on a black screen with a flashing cmd cursor like it’s waiting for me to input something. Any help/tips would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Specs:

MB: ASRock Z790 PG Riptide CPU: Intel i9-14900KF GPU: Gigabyte NVIDIA 4080 Super Ram: Viper Patriot 32GB 5600 Mhz (2x)

2 Comments
2024/10/30
17:51 UTC

3

What is a good IM for tails?

I tried qtox but every time I restart, I loose all my contacts and settings. Is there a good IM for chat but still being safe?

4 Comments
2024/10/30
15:57 UTC

2

GRUB Boot

I’ve just installed a dual boot on my machine and no longer able to boot tails from USB like a used to. I tried looking for some information, but as it turns out the usb drive with tails on it remains invisible in GRUB command line. I used ls command to list drives with the usb drive both inserted and disconnected. Same number of drives.

First I thought it was “memdisk” but after rebooting abd trying the ls command with no usb memdisk remained present.

Do you know how to boot Tails?

Thanks.

2 Comments
2024/10/29
22:17 UTC

2

Qtox broke my browser

I downloaded qtox and set it up. It worked correctly. When I moved the .config file to persistent storage so I wouldn't loose my contacts, my tor browser will no longer open or run. I followed the qtox on tails guid and it didn't work for me. Does anyone have any experience with this?

0 Comments
2024/10/29
19:07 UTC

3

Tails Boot fail

Ich habe Tails auf eine ssd geflasht und ich bleibe beim booten bei denn 3 weißen Punkten hängen. Ich hatte schon mehrere usb sticks versucht und eine andere Festplatte (HDD) und jetzt versuche ich eine ssd und es funktionieren alle nicht. Beim booten wähle ich denn 3 schritt mit der externen Festplatte da die anderen nicht funktionieren. Es funktioniert weder auf meinen Intel Pc noch auf dem Amd Laptop. Versuche es schon seit Monaten und es funktioniert nie. Es ging einmal auf einem Laptop von nem Freund aber als ich die Festplatte an meinen angesteckt habe bin ich wieder auf denn selber Fehler gestoßen mit dein 3 Punkten wie im Bild. An dem dritten Punk bleibt er eingefroren.

I flashed Tails onto an SSD and I'm stuck with 3 white dots when booting. I had already tried several USB sticks and another hard drive (HDD) and now I'm trying an SSD and none of them work. When booting, I choose the third step with the external hard drive because the others don't work. It doesn't work on my Intel PC or AMD laptop. Been trying for months and it never works. It worked once on a friend's laptop, but when I plugged the hard drive into mine I encountered the error again with your 3 points like in the picture. At the third point it remains frozen

5 Comments
2024/10/29
18:13 UTC

0

ISO IMAGE download button not found

Hi I'm new to all of this. Just installed VM Workspace, but when I'm on this page I'm supposed to find a green download button for the iso image right?

Please someone explain in simple terms. Thanks

14 Comments
2024/10/29
16:32 UTC

0

Tails help.

I been using tails lately and I wiped out my windows and on windows it is really easy for me to use Rufus and make another usb bootable stick with what ever Linux I want, but now all I have is tails and I don’t know how to make a bootable usb using my tails. Can anyone help me? If I try to turn the computer on with out having tails plugged in nothing happens.

15 Comments
2024/10/28
11:37 UTC

1

Ok I got tails to download but I can’t get the etcher to flash

What am I doing wrong. I followed all instructions. I tried to reload it and it just added another download and still etcher wont flash.

12 Comments
2024/10/28
11:17 UTC

2

Tails USB vs Tails VM on Win11 vs Tails VM on Debian

I try to make the most of the Tails by using a bootable USB (w/o persistent disk). As sometimes my need for both convenience and security/anonymity increase, I wonder if I can reach the same level of security with VM. I have two options: having my VM on Win11 or on Debian. Anyone has suggestions on this comparison? Should I still get back to my Tails USB as it has the best security/anonymity level?

6 Comments
2024/10/28
11:11 UTC

5

Is there anything else I can do to make this more secure?

Goal: electrum wallet on tails; make it as safe as I can.

I've been reading about Tails + Electrum for a while here and I've just finished setting it up this way: first, using my daily driver Windows 11 laptop (no games, no cracks, etc, but I don't trust it), I've downloaded Linux Mint 22 (Wilma) from the official website and created a bootable USB with Etcher. I didn't trust Windows environment to download and create the Tails USB drive.

From the bootable USB, booted on my daily driver laptop, I've downloaded Tails from the official website and verified the download using the website tool and the OpenPGP tool. I've then created another bootable USB with Tails on it.

After that, I took another laptop. An old Asus EeePC, took it apart and << removed >> the Wi-Fi module from it and also removed the HDD. That left me with the laptop without an HDD and Wi-Fi module. Then and only then I've inserted the Tails USB drive on this old laptop and booted it to create a wallet.

This old laptop will never again be near the internet. It doesn't have bluetooth and it is never connected to the power grid. It is only connected to batteries. Transactions will be signed offline. The main purpose is to hodl. Long term. The seed words will be safe. I don't have any bitcoin yet, but I want to make this work before putting any money into it.

Is there anything else I can do to make this more secure?

8 Comments
2024/10/27
23:27 UTC

7

When will tails update to tor 14.0?

With 14.0 being released I havent seen any new updates on the tor blog or the tails news page, anyone know?

7 Comments
2024/10/27
16:48 UTC

1

Flashing Tails with BalenaEthcer

Today I was trying to install Tails OS on a USB stick so I downloaded the Tails image file and BalenaEtcher to flash it. I started to flash it 20min ago, but it is still in this situation. Is this normal?

6 Comments
2024/10/27
16:04 UTC

2

BalenaEtched verification failed, but Tails is working, am I fine?

So basically yesterday I wanted to have a USB Stick with Tails and I went to the site as normal and installed the file for the newest Tails software. Later on I installed BalenaEtcher to Flash the Tails file onto my USB stick and everything went perfect until the end. When it was done with the verification (100%) it just told me something along the lines of "Verification failed", when I read that I naturally wanted to install a new Tails file again and flash it onto the USB stick, but somehow my Windows PC didn't register my USB Stick in my Files anymore, even though I always heard the sound that windows does when you plug something in. So I tried looking at it from another PC with Lubuntu and I could see my USB stick, it was renamed to TAILS so I assumed that it would work if I boot it up, so I went to my other PC again and booted it up, went into the booting menu and my USB stick was actually registered and when I booted up with my USB stick everything worked fine and I set everything up in Tails. So now my question is if I am fine and have no problem and can just use Tails as someone would normally do, or if I should actually go on my Lubuntu PC and flash Tails again on my USB Stick?

8 Comments
2024/10/27
14:25 UTC

5

Tails not Loading in

I have a Asus Tuf Gaming A15, I try use tails but it load and goes to the load screen with the 3 dots in the middle but after that it goes to a black screen with a line just blinking and doesn't do anything else from there, anyone with same problem

3 Comments
2024/10/27
11:11 UTC

2

Tails USB - PGP Schlüssel

Hey, wie erstelle ich auf trails usb, ein PGP schlüssel? (ps it my first mal on linux/trails) Also bitte keine schweren wörter rumwerfenXD

4 Comments
2024/10/27
05:36 UTC

15

Anyone know what this means?

Have been using this flash drive for about a month. It randomly started going to this screen. Does anyone know a fix for this or do I have to get a new flash drive? Thanks

15 Comments
2024/10/27
03:28 UTC

0

Need help

I will use Tails woth Tor only to criticise goverment or use bad words against goverment or people on Instagram, Twitter. Am I safe?

9 Comments
2024/10/26
20:58 UTC

6

Manuel Update - Kleopatra does not work

I manually updated my tails to the newest version and copied my persistent Storage. Everything works fine, keypass, etc. But when i try to start kleopatra all my private certificates wont show. Its like opening Kleopatra for the first time. I saved my kleopatra folder in my persistent storage but i cant import my private keys to use my old pgp verification. I tried to copy, tried to import but nothing worked.

What am i doing wrong? I need my old pgp signature back and dont want to create a new one because i used it for 2FA. Thank you!

6 Comments
2024/10/26
11:52 UTC

2

Wi-Fi long range receiver

Dose anyone know what Wi-Fi receiver works great with tails plug and play To access Wi-Fi for a good range??

3 Comments
2024/10/24
07:14 UTC

2

USB not detected/erased after shutting down tails, can't open tails again

I installed tails on a usb drive, did advanced startup and everything worked. I got onto Tor through tails and everything was set up.

But after I shut down tails and the computer, when I startup again with the usb inserted using F12 straight to advanced startup, it doesn't show the usb stick available to boot from.

Now when I restart the computer normally, the usb drive is there but it's blank and needs to be formatted again.

How do I open tails again using the usb drive after shutting tails down and shutting down the computer?

7 Comments
2024/10/24
03:35 UTC

0

I’m confused 🧌

So I barely started using tor and someone told me to use tails but literally what is it??? How do I use it??? I don’t understand please hellllllpppppp

12 Comments
2024/10/24
00:13 UTC

6

How do I fix it? I'm going step by step from tails and I can't add dangerzone

How do I fix it I'm not a computer person at all please help

4 Comments
2024/10/23
03:22 UTC

4

Is it the same to use tails on a desktop?

I’ve seen almost everyone boot from a laptop. I myself only have a desktop

4 Comments
2024/10/22
08:18 UTC

2

What the hell!

I plugged tails into my laptop, lifted the screen and everything was there from the day before. It was like I never turned the computer off. Let alone take the usb out! Does anyone have any explanations?

9 Comments
2024/10/21
22:38 UTC

1

Tails suddenly not an option in the boot menu anymore

I used my flash drive with tails yesterday and everything worked as usual. Yesterday I also updated to a newer version without an issue. Today I tried to start tails and it doesn't show up in the boot menu anymore. I tried 2 seperate devices and different USB ports. It's definitely connected since light of the USB stick is flashing which indicates it should be working. I'm confused anybody got an idea what could be wrong?

4 Comments
2024/10/21
22:23 UTC

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