Sparrow Wallet and Tails

This guide has been tested with Sparrow Wallet version 1.7.1 and Tails version 5.8, but it has been replicated on other versions.

Sparrow Wallet is a desktop Bitcoin wallet for people who value their privacy and online security. Tails is a security, privacy, and anonymity focused desktop operating system that connects through the Tor network.‌

Preparation

First, you need to install Tails and create an encrypted persistent storage. It's important to create the persistent storage so you can use Sparrow Wallet in future sessions with a minimal setup. Next, you need to download and verify the release for Sparrow Wallet's Ubuntu/Debian file (.deb). You can use Kleopatra and GtkHash in "Applications" to verify the Sparrow Wallet manifest signature and hash of the Sparrow Wallet .deb file.

After you successfully downloaded and verifed the .deb file, move it to "Persistent" in the places menu in the "Files" browser.

Launching Sparrow

Navigate to the top navigation bar, select "Applications", select the "Files" browser, and select "Persistent" in the places menu. Make sure you are in "Persistent" and the .deb file is there. Secondary click the .deb file, select "Properties", select "Permissions", check "Allow executing file as program", and exit the menu by primary clicking the "x".

Open "Persistent" in Terminal by secondary clicking inside of the folder and select "Open in Terminal". Next, you need to run this command:

‌                   sudo dpkg -i sparrow_1.7.1-1_amd64.deb

Navigate to the top navigation bar, select the "Applications" menu, select "Other", and select "Sparrow".

You now have Sparrow Wallet working on Tails.

*This guide was last updated on 12/20/22