• To learn what you can do with Tails, refer to our documentation.

• For more general questions about Tails, refer to our FAQ.

• For issues with graphics cards, see our known issues with graphics cards.

Tails not starting at all

Mac

This section lists known problems with specific hardware.

Tails does not start at all on Mac models that use the Apple M1 chip and on many other Mac models.

Apple does not prioritize collaborating with Free Software projects. Their newest hardware is usually very hard for Free Software developers to get working with Linux, and thus Tails. PC hardware tends to be more open and work better with Linux.

PC

This section lists known problems with specific hardware.

Dell Latitude E5250

Does not start on Tails USB sticks.

Dell Latitude E6430 and E6230

Does not start on USB sticks.

With BIOS versions A03 06/03/2012 (and A09, A11, and A12)

Error message: Invalid partition table!

Workaround (at least with BIOS versions A09, A11, and A12): just hit enter and it will continue with the boot.

HP Notebook BCM943142HM

Does not start Tails 4.13.

System76 Oryx Pro

This machine does not start from a Tails USB stick: the Linux kernel included in at least Tails 3.11 to 3.13.1, inclusive, does not support the hardware USB controller.

Tails not starting entirely

Mac

This section lists known problems with specific hardware.

MacBook Air Retina 2018 and 2019

To start Tails successfully, add the following boot option when starting Tails:

modprobe.blacklist=thunderbolt

Still, the trackpad and keyboard might not work. You can use an external mouse and keyboard.

PC

This section lists known problems with specific hardware.

"Soft lockup" error

On some laptops, Tails starts with the following error:

soft lockup - CPU#N stuck for Ns

To start Tails successfully, try to add the following boot option when starting Tails:

acpi_rev_override=1

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 and 4

The keyboard and mouse do not work on this laptop. If you find a workaround, please let us know.

Shim SBAT verification error

This section applies if you get the following error message, either when starting Tails or when restarting your regular Linux operating system after starting Tails.

Verifying shim SBAT data failed: Security Policy Violation
Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation

Or

Verifiying shim SBAT data failed: Security Policy Violation
Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation

• If you get this error message when starting Tails, then do a manual upgrade of your Tails USB to Tails 6.7 or later.

• If you get this error message when starting your regular Linux operating system, then it means that your Linux operating system is outdated.

  1. Edit your UEFI settings to disable Secure Boot.

     With Secure Boot disabled, your regular Linux operating system should start again.

     To learn how to edit the BIOS or UEFI settings, search for the user manual of the computer on the support website of the manufacturer.

  2. Update your regular Linux operating system.

  3. Try to enable Secure Boot again in your UEFI settings.

     If your regular Linux operating system still doesn't start, then disable Secure Boot again. You can try to enable Secure Boot again in the future.

     It might take several months for your Linux distribution to provide updates before you can enable Secure Boot again.

Networking issues

Problematic Wi-Fi interfaces

Check in this section if there is a workaround to get your Wi-Fi interface work in Tails.

To know the model of your Wi-Fi interface:

1. Open Terminal and execute the following command:

   lspci -v | grep "Network controller"
   

88W8897 [AVASTAR] 802.11ac Wireless

On some computers with a Marvell Avastar 88W8897 Wi-Fi adapter, such as some Microsoft Surface Pro models, Tails fails to connect to Wi-Fi networks.

If you experience this problem, you can try to disable MAC address anonymization that sometimes fixes it.

RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter

On some computers with a RTL8723be Wi-Fi adapter, Tails might fail to discover Wi-Fi networks, provide unreliable Wi-Fi connections, or have poor Wi-Fi performance.

You can try to add the following boot options when starting Tails until you find a combination that works for you. The exact combination of options that works depends on the computer:

• rtl8723be.fwlps=0 rtl8723be.ips=0

• rtl8723be.ant_sel=1

• rtl8723be.ant_sel=2

• rtl8723be.ant_sel=1 rtl8723be.fwlps=0 rtl8723be.ips=0

• rtl8723be.ant_sel=2 rtl8723be.fwlps=0 rtl8723be.ips=0

Broadcom Wi-Fi network interface needing broadcom-sta-dkms

Some Broadcom Wi-Fi interfaces require the wl driver, provided by the broadcom-sta-dkms Debian package, to work in Tails.

The wl driver is not included in Tails because it is proprietary.

Your device requires the wl driver if it is in the list of devices supported by the broadcom-sta-dkms package on the corresponding Debian wiki page. If you find your device in the list of supported devices, then it is impossible to use your Wi-Fi card in Tails.

Authentication issues with Broadcom 43602

The Broadcom 43602 Wi-Fi interface asks for the password of Wi-Fi networks in a loop when trying to connect.

To fix this, try the following, if you have an iPhone:

1. Start Tails.

2. Set up a personal Wi-Fi hotspot from your iPhone with the Maximize Compatibility option turned on.

3. Connect to your personal Wi-Fi hotspot from Tails.

4. Disconnect.

5. Connect to any other Wi-Fi network.

Lenovo Legion Y530

Wi-Fi adapter does not work.

To fix this issue, add the following boot option when starting Tails:

modprobe.blacklist=ideapad_laptop

Other hardware issues

Touchpad configurations

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Touchpad

This touchpad does not work by default. To fix this problem, add the following boot option when starting Tails:

pci=nocrs

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e

Tails might be unstable and stop working regularly on some Lenovo ThinkPad 11e laptops, such as the 2015 model.

To fix this problem, add the following boot option when starting Tails:

intel_idle.max_cstate=1

USB devices are not working on some GIGABYTE motherboards

To workaround this issue, you can try to:

• Use other USB ports. For example, use USB 2 ports instead of USB 3 ports and vice versa.

• Enable these 3 options in the BIOS

  • xHCI handoff
  • EHCI handoff
  • IOMMU controller

• Add the following boot option when starting Tails:

  amd_iommu=on iommu=pt
  

• Disable IOMMU in the BIOS then enable it again.

Some of these workarounds might disable some of the USB ports.

Graphics corruption in Tor Browser and Thunderbird

On some computers, Tor Browser and Thunderbird are displayed incorrectly:

• The application window is initially empty and white.

• The icons and menus only appear when hovered by the mouse.

• The contents of the window is only displayed in stripes when scrolling.

To workaround this issue, add the following boot option when starting Tails:

intel_iommu=off

This problem affects at least the following computers:

• MacBookPro11,5

• Other MacBooks with a Radeon R9 graphics adapter

Acer Swift 3

In order to allow Tails to use all available memory, start Tails from the F2 EFI setup firmware entry.

Dell XPS 15 7590 with Nvidia graphics card

When using the Nvidia card of a Dell XPS 15 7590 laptop, the system may become unresponsive while using Tails.

To fix this, start Tails with the following boot option:

pcie_port_pm=off

Other issues

Tails does not erase video memory

Tails doesn't erase the video memory.

When you restart your computer after using Tails, it might briefly display the last screen that was displayed in Tails.

If you shut down your computer instead of restarting it, the video memory will erase itself automatically after some time.

See Erase video memory on shutdown.