Welcome to TF2 Basics!

The purpose of this website is to provide basic information regarding TF2 that you might not find in beginner guides, as well as collating common information and providing links to offsite resources such as videos and Steam links.

Technical Baseline

Team Fortress Two requires a Windows or Linux OS, a Steam Deck, or an emulator running on Mac. TF2 used to be compatible with Mac OS, but has since become incompatible, due to Mac OS no longer supporting the older program type.
Due to the "Source spaghetti code", Team Fortress Two has become increasingly difficult to run and its file size has increased with time. Currently, it takes up around 7GB of space, although custom or community-made content can increase this number significantly. In addition, older operating systems may have problems running the game without optimisation measures.
While not necessary, TF2 is significantly easier for most people to play when they have a mouse set up, rather than using a trackpad. A keyboard - or some device that sends keystrokes - is required.