Insert the USB Thumb Drive into a USB slot on your computer.
Turn On/Restart the computer and immediately start tapping the Boot Media Key (If it continues to boot into the operating system – turn off/restart the computer and try again.):
> Boot Media Key: On different computer brands, there will be a different key for triggering the boot menu: Usually it's "F1," F2," F10," "Del" or "Esc.", here is the list of common brands and the corresponding boot menu keys:
>> ACER: Esc, F9, F12
>> Apple: [Intel CPU ONLY]: Turn on the computer and immediately hold Option/Alt key * If mac continues to boot with no boot menu appearing: Boot into "Startup Security Utility" settings by restarting the mac and immediately holding Command+R, then switch "Secure Boot" to "No Security" and "Allowed Boot Media" to "Allow booting from external or removable media":
>> ASUS: Esc, F8
>> COMPAQ: Esc, F9
>> DELL: F12
>> EMACHINES: F12
>> GATEWAY: F10 or ESC, then F10 (To get into BIOS: ESC > Del)
>> HP: Esc, F9
>> IBM LENOVO: F12 (or Fn+F12), F10, F8
>> INTEL: F10
>> NEC: F5
>> PACKARD BELL: F8
>> SAMSUNG: Esc, F12
>> SONY: F10, F11
>> TOSHIBA: F12
Once the boot menu comes up, select the USB option and press Enter.
Typical boot menu will look something like this.
* Immediately if it shows: “Press any key to boot from USB” during which you have several seconds to press any key to continue - please observe the computer screen if it happens, if it continues to boot into operating system - restart the computer and try again.
* If it will simply not boot with some sort of an unknown/weird error - it could be a one time glitch, turn off the computer and try again.
If USB boot device is missing from boot menu - enable "Legacy Boot Mode"
Boot into BIOS/UEFI: Turning On/Restart the computer and immediately start tapping the BIOS Setup Key
> BIOS Setup Key: Similar to Boot Media Key, BIOS Setup Key is different depending on the computer brand. Usually, you will see which key it is during the BIOS splash screen (on the bottom or top of the screen), which is the very first thing that will appear on the monitor when computer is turned on/restarted.
> If it is not displayed, usually it's: F1, F2, F8, F12 or Del key, here is the list of common brands and the corresponding BIOS Setup keys:
>> ACER: F2, Del
>> ASUS: F2, Del
>> COMPAQ: F1, F2, F10, DEL
>> DELL: F2, F12
>> EMACHINES: F10
>> GATEWAY: F1, F2, ESC > Del
>> HP: Esc, F10
>> IBM LENOVO: F2 (or Fn+F2), F1
>> INTEL: F2
>> NEC: F2
>> PACKARD BELL: F2
>> SAMSUNG: F2
>> SONY: F2
>> TOSHIBA: F2
Once inside the BIOS/UEFI setup and configuration section, you’ll be presented with a number of options and parameters that can be configured for the firmware environment. The option you’re looking for has many names, depending on the make and model of the PC or laptop and the EFI firmware. Here is a list of common/typical settings, which need to be turned on to enable Legacy Mode:
>> Legacy Support: "On" or "Enabled"
>> Legacy CSM: "On" or "Enabled"
>> UEFI/Legacy Boot: "Both" or "Legacy Only"
>> Boot Mode: "Legacy Support"
>> Boot Option Filter: "UEFI and Legacy" or "Legacy Only"
When exiting BIOS/UEFI, make sure configuration options are saved.
If USB boot device is still missing from the Boot Menu - check to see if USB Booting is turned off completely and turn it on.
If you are getting "Verification failed: (0x1A) Security Violation":
- Press OK, Press any key to perform MOK management > Enroll key from disk > YUMI > ENROLL_THIS_KEY_IN_MOKMANAGER.cer > Continue > Yes > Reboot and try again.
- If still not booting - try turning off "Secure Boot" in BIOS, restart the computer and try booting with the USB again.
Once booted with the USB - you should see a menu where you can navigate with Arrow Keys/Enter to select and boot with the desired Operating System or Utility:
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Use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship: Browse securely and access restricted content.
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Important Note: Linux Tails is designed to run LIVE directly from USB flash drive, so you can run it on almost any computer alongside other operating systems such as Windows, macOS or another Linux already installed on the hard drive or even if the hard drive is fully empty. Tails leaves no traces on the computer after a session is closed.