How to Install Cake Wallet on Tails OS with Persistent Wallet Storage

Install Cake Wallet on Tails OS using the official GitHub build. Persist your wallet data and use Monero privately on a secure Linux system.

Why Use Cake Wallet on Tails?

• 🧅 Tails routes all network traffic through Tor
• 🔐 Cake Wallet is a trusted open-source Monero wallet
• 💾 With persistent storage, your wallet can survive reboots
• 📦 The GitHub release runs as a portable AppImage

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What You’ll Need

• Tails OS installed with Persistent Storage enabled
• Unlocked persistent volume
• At least 500MB of free space
• Internet access via Tor (default in Tails)

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Step 1: Create a Persistent Folder for Cake Wallet

mkdir -p /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet
cd /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet

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Step 2: Download the Cake Wallet AppImage from GitHub

Visit the official Cake Wallet GitHub releases page and copy the link to the latest Linux AppImage.

Then download it using torsocks:

torsocks wget https://github.com/cake-tech/cake_wallet/releases/download/v4.17.1/CakeWallet-4.17.1-x86_64.AppImage -O cakewallet.AppImage
chmod +x cakewallet.AppImage

(Update the version number if a newer release is available)

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Step 3: Set Up Persistent Wallet Location

Cake Wallet stores its wallet and configuration data in:

~/.config/cake_wallet

To make this persistent, you need to:

1. Create a persistent folder:

mkdir -p /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet-data

2. Remove the non-persistent config folder and symlink it:

rm -rf ~/.config/cake_wallet
ln -s /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet-data ~/.config/cake_wallet

This will ensure wallet files and settings survive Tails reboots.

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Step 4: Launch Cake Wallet

cd /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet
./cakewallet.AppImage

The GUI should start. On first run, you can create a new wallet or restore an existing one.

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Optional: Create a Startup Script

Create a launcher for future convenience:

nano /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet/start-cakewallet.sh

Paste this:

#!/bin/bash
ln -sf /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet-data ~/.config/cake_wallet
cd /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet
./cakewallet.AppImage

chmod +x /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet/start-cakewallet.sh

Launch Cake Wallet with:

/media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet/start-cakewallet.sh

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Optional: Add a Desktop Shortcut

nano /home/amnesia/Desktop/cakewallet.desktop

Paste:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cake Wallet
Exec=/media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet/start-cakewallet.sh
Icon=utilities-terminal
Type=Application
Categories=Finance;

chmod +x /home/amnesia/Desktop/cakewallet.desktop

Note: This shortcut will be lost unless you persist your dotfiles.

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Wallet Backup Tips

• Write down your 25-word Monero seed phrase and keep it offline
• Back up your persistent wallet folder:
  /media/amnesia/Persistent/cakewallet-data
• Use strong encryption if backing up to cloud or USB

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Troubleshooting

• AppImage won’t launch? → Check that you ran chmod +x
• Tor not connecting? → Restart Tails or check if Tor is working system-wide
• Wallet data not saving? → Verify the symlink is correctly set to persistent storage

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Final Thoughts

Running Cake Wallet from Tails OS gives you unmatched Monero privacy in a hardened environment. Using the official AppImage from GitHub ensures a clean, reproducible install. Combined with persistent storage for your wallet files, this setup is ideal for privacy-conscious users who need secure, portable access to their funds.

Next step? Load your wallet and test a transaction through Tor — Cake Wallet supports it natively!