[[!meta title="Installing additional software"]]

[[!toc levels=2]]

Which additional software can I install in Tails?

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

Wait until <span class="application">Synaptic</span> finishes downloading new package information from the Debian servers.

You can:

Browse the packages by sections from the left sidebar.

- Search the Internet for alternatives to other software.

For example: "*debian alternatives to photoshop*".

- Ask a friend who is knowledgeable about Linux.

<div class="caution">

<p>The packages included in Tails are carefully tested for security.
Installing additional packages might break the security built in Tails. For
example, installing OpenVPN might modify the firewall rules that Tails uses to
force network traffic to go through Tor. So, be careful with what you
install.</p>

</div>

If you are unsure:

Packages that use the network need to be configured to go through Tor. They are otherwise blocked from accessing the network.

Examples of additional useful software

<a id="language-packages"></a>

Language packages and dictionaries

Replace <span class="command-placeholder">lang</span> with the code for your
language. For example, `vi` for Vietnamese.

Tails already includes language packages and dictionaries for Arabic, German, Spanish, Farsi, French, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Simplified Chinese.