Raspberry Pi · current
Raspberry Pi OS
Raspberry Pi Ltd's official, free, Debian-based operating system for Raspberry Pi computers, offered in 64-bit and 32-bit builds and in desktop, Full and Lite editions.
Evidence: Inferred 2 sources · latest retrieved 2026-10-18 · audited
Key specs
- Based on
- Debian 13 (trixie) Evidence: Documented
- Latest release date
- 2026-10-06 Evidence: Documented
- Kernel version
- 6.18 Evidence: Documented
- Editions
- Raspberry Pi OS (desktop), Full (desktop plus extra applications), Lite (no desktop) Evidence: Documented
- Architectures
- 64-bit and 32-bit Evidence: Documented
- License cost
- Free Evidence: Documented
Works with
-
Works with
Raspberry Pi 5
Evidence: Documented
Pi 5 ("5") appears in the 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS compatibility list on the downloads page.
-
Works with
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Evidence: Documented
"Zero 2 W" appears in the 64-bit list; the 32-bit list is "All Raspberry Pi models".
-
Required by
Raspberry Pi 5
Evidence: Documented
Bookworm (legacy) and Trixie (current) work; older do not
Suggested for: Read an analog sensor with a Raspberry Pi, Compare boards: documented capabilities
All specifications 9
| Spec | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | Debian 13 (trixie) | Evidence: Documented |
| Latest release date | 2026-10-06 Release date shown on the downloads page on the retrieval date; changes with each release | Evidence: Documented |
| Kernel version | 6.18 Linux kernel version in the 6 Oct 2026 builds | Evidence: Documented |
| Editions | Raspberry Pi OS (desktop), Full (desktop plus extra applications), Lite (no desktop) | Evidence: Documented |
| Architectures | 64-bit and 32-bit | Evidence: Documented |
| License cost | Free "is free" per Raspberry Pi documentation | Evidence: Documented |
| Debian packages supported | 69000 packages "over 69,000 Debian packages" | Evidence: Documented |
| Python | Python 3 pre-installed | Evidence: Documented |
| Storage required 64bit desktop | 6432 MB 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (desktop) build of 6 Oct 2026 | Evidence: Documented |
Caveats
Release date, kernel and download details come from the downloads page as retrieved on 2026-10-18 and change with each release. Fetched via WebFetch because direct curl requests to raspberrypi.com returned HTTP 403. Not covered: per-model feature support, supported-package lists beyond the stated Debian count, and security-update periods.
Claims 7
Raspberry Pi OS is the official operating system for Raspberry Pi computers, is free, and is based on Debian Linux with support for over 69,000 Debian packages. Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
Raspberry Pi OS comes in three editions: the desktop edition, Full (adds applications such as LibreOffice, KiCad and Scratch) and Lite (command-line only, no graphical desktop). Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
Raspberry Pi OS is available in 64-bit and 32-bit versions; the 64-bit version targets models with 64-bit processors such as Raspberry Pi 3, 4 and 5 and can run both 64-bit and 32-bit software. Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
On the downloads page on 2026-10-18 the current Raspberry Pi OS builds are Debian 13 (trixie) with kernel 6.18, released 6 Oct 2026; the 64-bit compatibility list includes Raspberry Pi 5 and Zero 2 W, and the 32-bit list is "All Raspberry Pi models". Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-downloads
Raspberry Pi OS comes with Python 3 pre-installed; from Bookworm onwards pip installs into a Python virtual environment (venv) rather than into the system Python. Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
Raspberry Pi documentation describes controlling GPIO devices from Python with the GPIO Zero library, with examples for an LED on GPIO17 and a button on GPIO2. Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
Raspberry Pi OS is installed to a microSD card with Raspberry Pi Imager, available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Evidence: Documented
Source: src-rpios-docs
Sources 2
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Raspberry Pi Ltd · manufacturer_docs
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/operating-systems/
Locator: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) and (32-bit) sections: compatibility list and release table · Retrieved 2026-10-18
Raspberry Pi OS (previously called Raspbian) is our official, supported operating system. | A port of Debian Trixie with the Raspberry Pi Desktop | Release date | 6 Oct 2026 | Kernel version | 6.18 | Debian version | 13 (trixie) | Storage required | 6,432 MB | 3B 3B+ 3A+ 4B 400 5 500 500+ CM3 CM3+ CM4 CM4S CM5 Zero 2 W | All Raspberry Pi models
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Raspberry Pi Ltd · manufacturer_docs
https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/os.html
Locator: Raspberry Pi OS: intro; OS installation (Editions, Architecture); Use Python on a Raspberry Pi; Use GPIO from Python · Retrieved 2026-10-18
Raspberry Pi OS is the official operating system (OS) for Raspberry Pi computers and is free. | Raspberry Pi OS is based on the Debian Linux distribution and supports over 69,000 Debian packages. | Raspberry Pi OS comes in three editions: | Raspberry Pi OS Lite (a command-line-only version without a graphical desktop). | Raspberry Pi OS is available in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions. | Raspberry Pi OS comes with Python 3 pre-installed. | Using the GPIO Zero library makes it easy to control GPIO devices with Python.