en	[[!meta title="Uninstalling Tails using Linux"]]

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

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

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

en	[[!toc levels=1]]

en	Start on Linux or Tails.

en	<div class="tip">

en	Using *GNOME Disks*

en	To uninstall a Tails USB stick while running Tails from that same USB stick, add the toram boot option in the Boot Loader. See [[uninstalling Tails using Tails itself|tails]].

en	</div>

en	<div class="caution">

en	You might overwrite any hard disk on the computer.

en	Install *GNOME Disks*.

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

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

en	</div>

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

en	Make sure that the USB stick that you want to uninstall 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 enter disks and select Disks.

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

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

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

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

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 uninstall, its brand, its size, etc.

en	<div class="caution">

en	You might overwrite any hard disk on the computer.

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

en	If you are not sure about the device, stop proceeding.

en	To format the USB stick, select the [[!img lib/view-more.png alt="Drive Options" 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 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, click on the [[!img lib/view-more.png alt="Drive Options" 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	Choose **Compatible with all systems and devices (MBR/DOS)** in the **Partitioning** menu.

en	Click **Format**.

en	<div class="caution">

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

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

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

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

en	</div>

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.