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

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

en	[[!toc levels=1]]

en	Using the *Disks* utility

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

en	Choose **Applications**&nbsp;▸ **Utilities**&nbsp;▸ **Disks** to start the *Disks* utility.

en	A list of all the storage devices on the computer appears in the left pane of the window.
zh-tw	在視窗左側面板上 會出現一個電腦上所有儲存設備的清單

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

en	A new device appears in the list of storage devices. This new device corresponds to the USB stick that you plugged in. Click on 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, 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:
zh-tw	在格式磁碟 對話視窗中:

en	If you want to overwrite all data on the device, choose **Overwrite existing data with zeroes** in the **Erase** menu.
zh-tw	a. 如果要安全地清除所有資料，選擇 下拉式選單的清除選項 當中的以零覆寫珼有的資料

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.
zh-tw	a. 選擇相容所有作業 系統和設備 (MBR/DOS)，其位於 分割磁區 的下拉式選單中

en	Click **Format**.

en	In the confirmation dialog, click **Format** to confirm.
zh-tw	在確認的對話視窗中，點擊格式化按鍵以確認。

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

en	[[!img lib/media-eject.png alt="Eject" 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 for [[resetting a USB stick using the *Disks* utility|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.