en	[[!meta title="Recovering data from the Persistent Storage when Tails doesn't start"]]

en	If your Tails becomes broken, for example, if it no longer starts, follow these instructions to recover data from your Persistent Storage.

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sr-latn	<div class="tip">

en	If instead, your Tails USB stick does start but the Persistent Storage fails to unlock, refer to our instructions on [[recovering data from the Persistent Storage when it has file system errors|fsck]].

en	</div>

en	<div class="tip">

en	We recommend you always keep a current backup of your Persistent Storage. To learn how to create a backup of your Persistent Storage, see our [[instructions on how to back up your Persistent Storage to another Tails USB stick|backup]].

en	We are presenting here 3 recovery techniques that work in different cases. We recommend that you try the 3 techniques one after the other.

en	[[Doing a manual upgrade|recover#upgrade]]

en	Doing a manual upgrade of your broken Tails might allow you to start your USB stick again and use your Persistent Storage like before.

en	[[Unlocking from another Tails and copying using `rsync`|recover#rsync]]

en	If doing a manual upgrade doesn't work, you might be able to unlock your Persistent Storage from another Tails USB stick and copy its content using `rsync` on the command line.

en	[[Recovering from a partition image using forensics tools|recover#image]]

en	If unlocking your Persistent Storage from another Tails USB stick fails, you might be able to recover some or most of your data from a partition image using advanced forensics tools.

en	Doing a manual upgrade

en	Doing a manual upgrade of your broken Tails might allow you to start your USB stick again and use your Persistent Storage like before.

en	Refer to our instructions on how to do a manual upgrade, either:

en	[[Downloading and upgrading from Windows|upgrade/windows]]

en	[[Downloading and upgrading from macOS|upgrade/mac]]

en	[[Downloading and upgrading from Linux|upgrade/linux]]

en	[[Upgrading by cloning from another Tails|doc/upgrade/#clone]]

en	Unlocking from another Tails and copying using rsync

en	Install Tails on a new USB stick onto which you want to recover your Persistent Storage. Make sure that this new USB stick is at least as large as the USB stick that has your broken Tails on it.

en	When starting Tails, [[set up an administration password|doc/first_steps/welcome_screen/administration_password]].

en	[[Create a Persistent Storage.|persistent_storage/create]]

en	Close the Persistent Storage settings after creation, when the list of features is displayed.

en	The process described below overwrites the contents and configuration of the new Persistent Storage. So, it does not matter which features you turn on after creating the Persistent Storage.

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en	Make sure that all applications are closed before continuing with these instructions. Otherwise, the Persistent Storage might not be properly recovered from your broken Tails.

en	</div>

en	Choose **Apps&nbsp;▸ Accessories&nbsp;▸ Files** to open the *Files* browser.

en	Plug in the USB stick that has your broken Tails on it.

en	If the Persistent Storage of your broken Tails is recognized, a new encrypted volume appears in the sidebar of the *Files* browser. Click on it and enter the passphrase of your broken Tails to unlock the volume.

en	The Persistent Storage of your broken Tails shows up as **TailsData**.

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en	If no encrypted volume appears, try [[recovering from a partition image using forensics tools|recover#image]].

en	Choose **Apps&nbsp;▸ System Tools&nbsp;▸ Console**.

en	Execute the following command to recover the Persistent Storage of your broken Tails to your new Tails:

en	sudo rsync -PaSHAXv --del /media/amnesia/TailsData/ /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked

en	When the command finishes, it displays a summary of the data that was copied. For example:

en	sent 32.32M bytes received 1.69K bytes 21.55M bytes/sec total size is 32.30M speedup is 1.00

en	You can now eject the **TailsData** volume in the *Files* browser and unplug the USB stick that has your broken Tails on it.

en	You can also explore the content of the Persistent Storage on your broken Tails from the *Files* browser. To do so, execute the following command from the *Console*.

en	nautilus admin:/media/amnesia/TailsData/

en	Recovering from a partition image using forensics tools

en	We are not providing step-by-step instructions, but you can adapt our instructions on [[recovering data from the Persistent Storage when it has file system errors|fsck]]:

en	Start on your new Tails and save a partition image of the Persistent Storage of your broken Tails to an external hard disk.

en	Try the technique using the [[*Disks* utility|fsck#disks]] first, then the technique using [[`ddrescue`|fsck#ddrescue]] if needed.

en	After you create the partition image, try to recover your data.

en	Try the technique to [[copy the partition image to a new USB stick|fsck#copy]] first, then the technique using [[*Autopsy*|fsck#autopsy]].