The Tails project announced the release of its privacy-focused Linux distro, Tails 6.13, with several improvements and fixes that aim to make users’ experiences more reliable and user-friendly.
Among the most noteworthy additions is a new feature that helps detect problems with Wi-Fi hardware. In light of this, now, if Tails doesn’t detect wireless hardware, you’ll see a clear warning message: “No Wi-Fi hardware detected.”
Transitioning to the updates under the hood, Tails 6.13 ships with Tor Browser 14.0.7 and updates the Tor client to 0.4.8.14. On top of that, Tails 6.13 also resolves a few pesky issues that users may have bumped into:
- Partitioning Error Detection: The OS now detects partitioning problems even when Tails is started for the first time. This fix prevents failures when creating brand-new Persistent Storage on a fresh Tails USB stick.
- Additional Software Installation Buttons: Users previously encountered trouble with unresponsive Configure and Show Log buttons when installing additional software. This release fixes those glitches, ensuring that you receive clear notifications, such as “The installation of your additional software failed,” and can then easily act on them.
For a full list of changes, consult the changelog or refer to the release announcement.
If you are currently running Tails 6.0 or later, you can upgrade automatically to 6.13. A manual upgrade is recommended if the automatic upgrade fails to start or if Tails does not boot correctly afterward.
If you are new to Tails or wish to do a fresh installation without preserving your Persistent Storage, you can follow the installation instructions for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Please note that if you choose a fresh install instead of an upgrade, the Persistent Storage on your old Tails USB stick will be lost.
