None

Source string added
**Buy your USB sticks from a reputable local store.**
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Any modern USB stick from a well-known brand is fast enough to use Tails
comfortably.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Generic brands are more likely to be slower and less reliable.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
**Buy USB sticks from well-known brands, such as [[Kingston|https://www.kingston.com/en/usb-flash-drives]], [[Samsung|https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/usb-flash-drives/]], and [[SanDisk|https://www.sandisk.com/product-portfolio/usb-flash-drives]].**
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
USB sticks become slower and less reliable over the years. Older USB sticks
were also built with slower technology.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
**Buy new USB sticks.**
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
We recommend that you:
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
The quality of your USB stick is crucial when using Tails. A bad USB stick will be slower and more likely to corrupt the files in your [[Persistent Storage|doc/persistent_storage]].
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
All the data on this USB stick is lost when installing Tails.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
You need a USB stick of 8 GB minimum to use Tails.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Tails still works on some older Mac computers with an Intel processor.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Recommended laptops
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Tails might not work on some PC computers, for example, if their [[graphics card is incompatible with Linux|support/known_issues/graphics]]. Nvidia or AMD Radeon cards often do not work in Tails.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Mac computers with an Apple processor (M1, M2, and so on)
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Tails does not work on:
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Tails works on most PC computers that are less than 10 years old.
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
[[!toc startlevel=2 levels=2]]
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
[[!meta title="System requirements and recommended USB sticks"]]
03/09/2026
None

Source string added
Tails can work with less than 3 GB RAM but might experience reduced
performance, instability, or crashes.
09/18/2025
None

Source string added
3 GB of RAM to work smoothly.
09/18/2025

Search