en	[[!meta robots="noindex"]]

en	Download Rufus
es	Descargar Rufus

en	[[!img inc/infography/install-rufus.png link="no" alt=""]] [[!img inc/infography/install-rufus-with-intermediary.png link="no" alt=""]]

en	In the following steps, you will install an intermediary Tails using the Tails USB image that you downloaded earlier.

en	Rufus is the Free Software tool that we recommend to install Tails from Windows.

en	Click on the following button to download *Rufus*:

en	[[Download Rufus for Windows|https://tails.net/rufus/rufus-portable.exe]]

en	Save your download to your usual *Downloads* folder and not to the USB stick.

en	<div class="attack">

en	We [[stopped recommending|news/rufus]] balenaEtcher to install Tails from Windows in 2025 because balenaEtcher shares [[!tails_ticket 16381 desc="sensitive information"]] to the Balena company that allows identifying who is installing Tails.

en	</div>

en	Install an intermediary Tails using Rufus

en	[[!img install/inc/infography/install-tails.png link="no" alt=""]] [[!img install/inc/infography/install-upgrade-usb-only.png link="no" alt=""]]

en	Open the *Rufus* download.

en	At the security warning, confirm that you want to open *Rufus*.

en	In the update policy dialog, click **No**.

en	[[!img install/inc/screenshots/rufus-update.png class="screenshot" alt=""]]

en	*Rufus* starts.

en	[[!img install/inc/screenshots/rufus.png class="screenshot" alt=""]]

en	Plug in the USB stick on which you want to install Tails. the intermediary Tails.

en	<div class="caution">

en	All the data on this USB stick will be lost.

en	Some data might still be recovered using advanced forensics tools.

en	</div>

en	The Persistent Storage of your Tails USB stick will not be copied to the temporary Tails.

en	Wait a few seconds until *Rufus* detects your USB stick.

en	Choose your USB stick in the **Device** menu.

en	If your USB stick doesn't appear in the **Device** menu, make sure that you saved *Rufus* to your usual *Downloads* folder and not to the USB stick itself.

en	Click the **Select** button.

en	Choose the USB image that you downloaded earlier.

en	<div class="note"> <p>Make sure that the USB image is called <i>[[!inline pages="inc/stable_amd64_img_filename" raw="yes" sort="age"]]</i> and has an <i>.img</i> file extension.</p>

en	<p>If the image has an <i>.iso</i> file extension, it is the wrong image. Please go back to the <span class="windows">[[download step|windows#download]].</span> <span class="upgrade-windows">[[download step|doc/upgrade/windows#download]].</span></p> </div>

en	Click **Start**.

en	Enter your password if you are asked for it.

en	The installation takes a few minutes.

en	Close *Rufus*.