Raspberry Pi OS (2026-04-13)
The official Debian-based operating system for Raspberry Pi hardware, running the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel with a tuned desktop, first-party hardware support, and 32-bit and 64-bit builds.
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Raspberry Pi OS is the first-party Debian derivative for Raspberry Pi boards, and the default answer for anyone starting with the hardware. The April 2026 release runs the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel, supported upstream until December 2028, and ships a substantially reworked Control Center.
Passwordless sudo is now off
The headline change in this release is a security default: passwordless sudo is disabled. Historically the default user could escalate without a prompt, which was convenient on a hobby board and indefensible on anything reachable from a network. New installs now prompt for a password like any other Linux system.
Which image to choose
The full image includes the desktop and recommended applications; the “with desktop” image drops the extra applications; and Lite is a headless image with no GUI at all, which is what you want for a server, a Pi-hole box, or anything that will only ever be reached over SSH. 64-bit builds suit Pi 3 and newer; the 32-bit builds remain for older boards and for software that still expects armhf.
Writing the image
Raspberry Pi Imager is the supported route and handles decompression, writing, and first-boot configuration (hostname, user, Wi-Fi, and SSH keys) in one pass. From a shell, the manual equivalent is:
xz -d 2026-04-13-raspios-bookworm-arm64.img.xz
sudo dd if=2026-04-13-raspios-bookworm-arm64.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsyncConfirm the target device with lsblk first; dd will not ask twice.
Supported hardware
Every current and most legacy boards are supported, from the original Model B and Zero through the Pi 4, Pi 5, the 400 and 500 keyboard units, and the Compute Module range.
Verify Your Download
SHA256 checksums are published next to each image on the Raspberry Pi software page.