en	[[!meta title="Resetting a USB stick using Linux"]]

en	[[!inline pages="doc/reset.intro" raw="yes" sort="age"]]

en	[[!toc levels=1]]

en	Using *GNOME Disks*

en	<div class="caution">

en	You might overwrite any hard disk on the computer.

en	If at some point you are not sure about which device to choose, stop proceeding.

en	</div>

en	Install *GNOME Disks*.

en	If you are using the GNOME desktop environment, *GNOME Disks* should be installed by default.

en	Otherwise, install the `gnome-disk-utility` package using the usual installation method for your distribution.

en	You can also install Tails using the `dd` command from any Linux distribution as described in our instructions for [[installing from Debian using the command line|install/expert#install]].

en	Make sure that the USB stick that you want to reset is unplugged.

en	Open *GNOME Disks* (also called *Disks*).

en	For example, you can press the Super ([[!img lib/start.png class="symbolic" link="no" alt=""]]) key, then type disks and choose Disks.

en	The storage devices in the computer are listed in the left pane.

en	[[!img install/inc/icons/gnome-disks.png link="no" alt=""]]

en	Plug in the USB stick that you want to reset.

en	A new device appears in the list of storage devices. Select it.

en	In the right pane of the window, verify that the device corresponds to the USB stick that you want to reset, its brand, its size, etc.

en	To reset the USB stick, select the [[!img lib/view-more.png alt="Menu" class="symbolic" link="no"]] button in the title bar and choose **Format Disk** to erase all the existing partitions on the device.

en	In the **Format Disk** dialog:

en	If you want to overwrite all data on the device, choose **Overwrite existing data with zeroes** in the **Erase** menu.

en	<div class="caution">

en	Overwriting existing data does not erase all data on flash memories, such as USB sticks and SSDs (Solid-State Drives).

en	See the [[limitations of file deletion|doc/encryption_and_privacy/secure_deletion#spare]].

en	</div>

en	Choose **Compatible with all systems and devices (MBR/DOS)** in the **Partitioning** menu.

en	Click **Format**.

en	In the confirmation dialog, click **Format** to confirm.

en	To make sure that all the changes are written to the USB stick, select the

en	[[!img lib/system-shutdown.png alt="Power Off this Disk" class="symbolic" link="no"]]

en	button in the title bar.

en	Resetting a Tails USB stick from itself

en	If Tails is your only Linux system, you can generally reset a Tails USB stick directly from that USB stick while running Tails.

en	When starting Tails, add the `toram` boot option in the *Boot Loader*.

en	See [[using the *Boot Loader*|advanced_topics/boot_options]].

en	If Tails starts as usual, follow the instructions to [[reset a USB stick using *GNOME Disks* for Linux|linux#disks]].

en	**If the system fails to start**, that means that the computer does not have enough memory for this operation mode. Try with another computer, or find another Linux system, such as another Tails USB stick, to do the reset from.