We are very excited to present you Tails 7.0, the first version of Tails based on Debian 13 (Trixie) and GNOME 48 (Bengaluru). Tails 7.0 brings new versions of many applications included in Tails.

Dedication

Tails 7.0 is dedicated to the memory of Lunar (1982–2024). Lunar was a traveling companion for Tails, a Tor volunteer, Free Software hacker, and community organizer.

Lunar has always been by our side throughout Tails' history. From the first baby steps of the project that eventually became Tails, to the merge with Tor, he's provided sensible technical suggestions, out-of-the-box product design ideas, outreach support, and caring organizational advice.

Outside of Tor, Lunar worked on highly successful Free Software projects such as the Debian project, the Linux distribution on which Tails is based, and the Reproducible Builds project, which helps us verify the integrity of Tails releases.

Lunar will be deeply missed, both in our community and in the many other communities he participated in.

See also what other projects have written about Lunar.

Changes and updates

Faster startup

Tails 7.0 starts 10–15 seconds faster on most computers.

We achieve this by changing the compression algorithm of the Tails USB and ISO images from xz to zstd. As a consequence, the image is 10% bigger than it would be with the previous algorithm.

While testing this change, we noticed that Tails on USB sticks of poor quality can also start 20 seconds slower than on quality USB sticks.

If you are in a place where counterfeit electronics are common, we recommend that you buy your USB stick from an international supermarket chain, which should have a more reliable supply chain.

Included software

• Replace GNOME Terminal with GNOME Console.

• Replace GNOME Image Viewer with GNOME Loupe.

• Update Tor Browser to 14.5.7.

• Update the Tor client to 0.4.8.17.

• Update Thunderbird to 128.14.0esr.

• Update Electrum from 4.3.4 to 4.5.8.

• Update OnionShare from 2.6.2 to 2.6.3.

• Update KeePassXC from 2.7.4 to 2.7.10.

• Update Kleopatra from 4:22.12 to 4:24.12

• Update Inkscape from 1.2.2 to 1.4.

• Update GIMP from 2.10.34 to 3.0.4.

• Update Audacity from 3.2.4 to 3.7.3.

• Update Text Editor from 43.2 to 48.3.

• Update Document Scanner from 42.5 to 46.0.

Changes in GNOME

• Many sections of the Settings utility have been redesigned, for example Accessibility, Sound, and Mouse & Keyboard in GNOME 44

Accessibility settings also include new accessibility features, such as Overamplication and Always Show Scrollbars.

• The Activities button has been replaced with a dynamic workspace indicator in GNOME 45.

• The Screen Reader has been improved in different ways, for example, with better table navigation and a sleep mode in GNOME 46.

• A new option to perserve battery health is available in the power settings in GNOME 48.

Removals

• Remove the Places menu.

You can access the same shortcuts from the sidebar of the Files browser.

• Remove Kleopatra from the Favorites menu.

To start Kleopatra , choose Apps ▸ Accessories ▸ Kleopatra.

• Remove unar.

The File Roller utility still opens most RAR archives.

• Remove the aircrack-ng package.

You can still install aircrack-ng using the Additional Software feature.

• Remove the Power Statistics utility.

• Remove the sq package.

• Remove the obsolete Network Connection option from the Welcome Screen.

Hardware support

• Update the Linux kernel to 6.12.43.

This improves support for newer hardware: graphics, Wi-Fi, and so on.

• Increase the memory requirements from 2 GB of RAM to 3 GB. (#21114)

Tails 7.0 displays a notification when the RAM requirements are not met.

We estimate that less than 2% of users are affected.

Fixed problems

• Fix selecting the correct keyboard for certain languages. (#12638)

For more details, read our changelog.

Get Tails 7.0

To upgrade your Tails USB stick and keep your Persistent Storage

• Automatic upgrades are only available from Tails 7.0~rc1 and 7.0~rc2 to 7.0.

All other users have to do a manual upgrade.

To install Tails 7.0 on a new USB stick

Follow our installation instructions:

• Install from Windows

• Install from macOS

• Install from Linux

• Install from Debian or Ubuntu using the command line and GnuPG

The Persistent Storage on the USB stick will be lost if you install instead of upgrading.

To download only

If you don't need installation or upgrade instructions, you can download Tails 7.0 directly:

• For USB sticks (USB image)

• For DVDs and virtual machines (ISO image)

Support and feedback

For support and feedback, visit the Support section on the Tails website.