Tails is a complete operating system that boots from a USB drive, forces all connections through Tor, and wipes its memory when you shut down. The official Tails project describes it as designed to leave no trace on the computer you use — the strongest option when you cannot trust your everyday Windows or macOS install.
Tails is a Debian-based live system. You run it from a USB stick without installing anything on the hard drive. Every application that connects to the internet — browser, updater, everything — goes through the Tor network by default. When you power off, the RAM is cleared and no browsing history, cookies, or downloaded files remain on the host machine.
The Tails warnings page is blunt about limits: Tails does not make you invincible. Malware on the host firmware, hardware keyloggers, or shoulder-surfing still beat software protections. But against a shared family PC or a work laptop you do not control, Tails is a meaningful step up from running Tor Browser on an installed OS.
Follow the official installation guide — do not download Tails images from third-party mirrors.
Get the image from tails.net only. The install guide walks you through verifying the OpenPGP signature on the download. Skipping verification is how people boot trojanized copies that log keystrokes from the first session.
Use the Tails USB Installer if you already have a working Tails, or Balena Etcher from another OS. The stick will be wiped — dedicate a drive to this.
Restart, open the BIOS/UEFI boot menu (often F12, F2, or Esc at startup), and select the USB drive. Tails loads into RAM. Your installed Windows or macOS is never mounted by default.
Tails connects to Tor automatically. Open Tor Browser only after the connection is ready. Set security to Safest — same requirement as on desktop; see our security levels guide.
Use the Tails shutdown option. The system overwrites RAM before power-off. Pulling the USB mid-session without shutting down can leave key material in memory longer than intended.
By default Tails forgets everything. Optional persistent storage encrypts a partition on the USB stick for saved files, Wi-Fi settings, and GnuPG keys between sessions.
Persistence is convenient and risky. Anyone who steals the USB and knows your passphrase gets your saved data. The Tails documentation recommends enabling only the persistence features you need — not everything by default. For market bookmarks, a encrypted persistence volume is reasonable; for large file caches, less so.
Tor Browser on your daily OS shares the machine with dozens of other processes, installed apps, and sync services. Tails runs nothing except what ships in the image. Use Tails on hardware you do not fully trust; use desktop Tor on a machine you maintain carefully.
Boot time, Tor circuit building, and USB read speeds add latency. That is the cost of isolation. Not suited for quick casual browsing — built for sessions where the OPSEC tradeoff is worth it.
Verify the .onion address from our homepage or a PGP-signed mirror list. Tails protects the host computer; it does not tell you whether a link is a phishing clone.
Official documentation behind the recommendations on this page.