The desktop environment used in Tails is GNOME. This page describes some important features of the desktop in the context of Tails.
Top navigation bar
In the upper left corner of the screen there are two menus:
- the menu
- the menu
Applications menu
The included software and to GNOME configuration utilities.
menu provides shortcuts to the

To learn about the many keyboard shortcuts in GNOME, open the Settings utility and choose .

Favorites submenu
In the
submenu, a few shortcuts allow you to launch the most frequently used applications:
See the corresponding documentation

See the corresponding documentation

See the corresponding documentation

See the corresponding documentation


Places menu
The
menu provides direct access to different folders and storage media.Tor status and circuits
The Tor status icon and Onion Circuits allow you to view the status of Tor. See the corresponding documentation.
OpenPGP applet
Using the OpenPGP Applet you can encrypt and decrypt the clipboard using OpenPGP. See the corresponding documentation.
Universal access
The universal access menu allows you to activate the screen reader, screen keyboard, large text display, and other accessibility technologies. See the corresponding documentation.
Keyboard layouts
The keyboard layout menu allow you to change the keyboard layout and input method for non-Latin scripts.
System menu
In the top-right corner of the top navigation bar, the system menu allows you to manage your settings, connect to a Wi-Fi network, and restart your computer.
Networking
From the system menu, you can choose which Wi-Fi network to connect to.
See also the documentation on connecting to a network.
System settings
Click on the button to edit your system settings.
These settings will not be saved when you restart Tails.
Screen locker
Click on the button to lock your screen with a password.
If you set up an administration password when starting Tails, you can unlock your screen with your administration password.
Your screen will automatically lock after some time if you have set up an administration password. To disable this behavior, execute the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false
Otherwise, you can set up a password to unlock your screen when locking your screen for the first time.
Suspend
Click on the button to suspend your computer.
While suspended, your computer is not computing anymore but is still powered on, like if it was standing still but still alive.
To resume from suspend and go back to the Tails desktop, push the power button of your computer.
If you remove your Tails USB stick while suspended, your computer will not shut down immediately and will only shut down when resuming.
An attacker with physical access to your computer and capable of finding your screen locker password or setting up a cold-boot attack can compromise your Tails while suspended.
For more security, shut down Tails entirely.
Restart
Click on the button to restart your computer.
Shutdown
Click on the button to shut down your computer.
Activities overview
To access your windows and applications you can either:
- Choose .
- Throw your mouse pointer to the top-left hot corner.
- Press the windows key on your keyboard.
You can see your windows and applications in the overview. You can also start typing to search your applications, files, and folders.
Desktop shortcuts



The Files browser
To open the Files browser, you can either:
Choose
.Open one of the shortcuts from the
menu.
To connect to a remote SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) server:
Choose Other Locations in the sidebar of the Files browser.
Specify an SFTP server in Connect to Server at the bottom of the right pane. For example:
ssh://user@example.com/
Click
.