The quality of your USB stick is crucial when using Tails. A bad USB stick will be slower and more likely to corrupt the files in your [[Persistent Storage|doc/persistent_storage]].
**Buy USB sticks from well-known brands, such as [[Kingston|https://www.kingston.com/en/usb-flash-drives]], [[Samsung|https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/usb-flash-drives/]], and [[SanDisk|https://www.sandisk.com/product-portfolio/usb-flash-drives]].**
If you are in a place where counterfeit electronics are common, buy your USB stick from an international supermarket chain, which should have a more reliable supply chain.
<p>In 2020, the [[FBI warned US companies to avoid malicious USB sticks received by mail|https://www.cybereason.com/blog/fbi-warns-us-companies-to-avoid-malicious-usb-devices]] because some of them contained malicious software, such as [[!wikipedia BadUSB]].</p>
USB 3.0 can be up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 2.0 has a maximum read speed of around 50 MB/s on USB sticks, while USB 3.0 has a maximum read speed of around 500 MB/s.
Most quality USB sticks nowadays have read speeds of at least 100 MB/s and are faster when used on USB 3.0 ports. Some USB sticks advertised for USB 3.0 have even greater speeds.
If you want to store personal files and configuration in an encrypted [[Persistent Storage|doc/persistent_storage]], we recommend that you buy 2 USB sticks, ideally 3: