Tails is a free, Debian-based Linux operating system designed to run from a USB stick or DVD, route internet activity through Tor and erase session memory at shutdown. A hands-on review published October 2, 2026, reported a roughly 24-second boot and about 2.6 GB of RAM in use on one mini-PC. Those are observations from that system, not general performance figures for Tails.
Tails runs from removable media and routes traffic through Tor
The Tails Project describes Tails as a portable system that starts from a USB stick or DVD rather than relying on an installation on the computer’s internal drive. It runs in the computer’s memory and routes internet activity through Tor’s three-relay circuit.
Tails also blocks applications that try to connect to the internet without Tor. The Unsafe Browser is an exception for limited network-portal use.
What one hands-on review observed on a mini-PC
The review reported that its mini-PC reached the desktop in about 24 seconds, with roughly 2.6 GB of RAM in use. These figures describe a single system; they are not a benchmark for other computers or Tails setups.
What disappears at shutdown—and what Persistent Storage keeps
Tails’ default session is amnesic: session data held in memory is erased when the computer shuts down. Optional encrypted Persistent Storage on the USB stick can retain selected files and settings between sessions.
In a reported restart check, a file saved to the desktop was gone after restarting, while a file saved in unlocked Persistent Storage remained. The result illustrates the difference between the default session and data deliberately kept in persistent storage.
What Tails’ privacy protections do not promise
Tails’ privacy features do not guarantee anonymity. Signing in to a personal account can identify you to that service, and an internet service provider may see a direct connection to Tor. The Tails Project also warns that an infected computer or malicious hardware, such as a keylogger, can compromise a session.
Hardware compatibility matters, too. Tails requires a 64-bit x86-64 IBM PC-compatible processor and recommends at least 3 GB of RAM for smooth operation. The USB stick must have at least 8 GB of storage. The project lists ARM and PowerPC systems, Apple-processor Macs, smartphones, tablets and Raspberry Pi as unsupported; some graphics cards may also fail to work, with Nvidia and AMD Radeon cards often affected.
Tails and Kali are built for different jobs
Tails is designed for portable, privacy-focused computing, with internet activity routed through Tor and session data erased by default. Kali Linux is designed for information-security work, including penetration testing and security research. The right choice depends on the task: private sessions from removable media call for a different toolkit than security testing.
