1 [[!meta title="Persistence"]]
3 If you have started Tails from a USB stick, you can create a
4 persistent volume in the free space left on the USB stick by the <span
5 class="application">Tails USB installer</span>. The files in the persistent
6 volume are saved and remain available across separate working sessions.
8 You can use this persistent volume to store different kinds of files:
10 - your personal files and working documents
11 - the software packages that you download and install in Tails
12 - the configuration of the programs you use
13 - your encryption keys
15 The persistent volume is an encrypted partition protected by a passphrase.
17 Once the persistent volume is created, you can choose to activate it or not
18 each time you start Tails.
20 [[!inline pages="doc/first_steps/persistence.caution" raw="yes"]]
22 How to Use the Persistent Volume
23 =================================
25 - [[Warnings About Persistence|first_steps/persistence/warnings]]
26 - [[Create & Configure the Persistent Volume|first_steps/persistence/configure]]
27 - [[Enable & Use the Persistent Volume|first_steps/persistence/use]]
28 - [[Delete the Persistent Volume|first_steps/persistence/delete]]