Raspberry Pi OS Gets a Major Update with Debian 13 “Trixie”

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The new Raspberry Pi OS based on Debian 13 “Trixie” just got announced, and I’ve already had some time to try it out. From the refreshed desktop to the new config tool, it’s an interesting update that subtly improves the overall user experience. Here’s what you need to know about it.

On October 2, 2025, Raspberry Pi OS (Trixie) was announced. It introduces a new visual theme, a centralized Control Center app, and a more modular packaging system that makes customization easier than ever.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the key changes, show how they perform in real tests, and help you decide whether it’s worth switching now.

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Trixie on Raspberry Pi: What You Need to Know

Every two years, Raspberry Pi OS gets a big refresh when Debian releases a new stable version, so this announcement is not a surprise at all. This time, we’re jumping from Bookworm to Trixie, based on Debian 13.

While the base system is more up to date under the hood, here are the most noticeable changes for Raspberry Pi users:

New visual theme: Updated GTK themes (PiXtrix and PiXonyx), icons, wallpapers, and a modern font (Nunito Sans Light).
Control Center: A single app to manage all your system settings, replacing Raspberry Pi Configuration, Appearance, Printers, and more.
Modular packaging: It’s now much easier to build your own custom Raspberry Pi OS image or convert between Lite and Desktop installs.
Bookshelf update: Recent titles show a lock icon and can be unlocked early if you’re a subscriber.
New utilities: Tools like rpi-keyboard-config and rpi-keyboard-fw-update were added for improved keyboard management.
LXPanel rework: The classic panel was forked and cleaned up (now called lxpanel-pi) to better match the new interface.
Time fix for 2038: Internally, time is now stored as a 64-bit value (not something you’ll notice now, but it’s future-proofing).

That’s it for the TL;DR.
In the next sections, I’ll show you how it looks, how it runs, and how to get the most out of it.

Visual Changes: A Fresh Desktop Experience

The first thing you’ll notice after installing Trixie is the updated look. It’s subtle but polished, and definitely a welcome change after years of using the same desktop theme.

I’ve always said that Raspberry Pi OS looks outdated, so I won’t criticize this step in the right direction. It’s still pretty simple, I suppose on purpose, but it definitely looks more modern than the previous version.

It uses a new font, Nunito Sans Light, and flat icons, and everything looks more refined. If you were already using Raspberry Pi OS, you won’t be lost; just see it as an overall refresh.

As with every major update, the default wallpaper has been updated. It looks great in both light and dark mode (yes, there is a native dark mode in the options).

One small but useful change is that the taskbar now supports updated plugins, as it did with Bullseye and previous versions. For example, if you want to keep an eye on your CPU usage, you can add the tiny widget to your taskbar.

Overall, this is the best-looking version of Raspberry Pi OS yet. The desktop environment finally meets modern expectations. It’s not flashy, which is important since it will be used in schools on various models, but it’s simple and clean.

Control Center: Simplifying Configuration

Up to now, setting up Raspberry Pi OS was a mess. There was basically a tool for each setting (main configuration, display, appearance, etc.). If you’re used to modern distributions with Gnome or KDE, it was way more complicated to find anything.

Well, they finally put all the settings into one app: the “control centre” (yes, spelled the British way…).

The “Control Centre” is organized by tabs on the left, sorted in alphabetical order:

Defaults: Where you can switch the display settings in one click based on your monitor size (large, medium, small).
Desktop: Wallpaper and desktop shortcuts.
Display: Screen blanking and on-screen keyboard.
Interfaces: The usual tab where you can enable or disable services like SSH, VNC, SPI/I2C, etc.
Keyboard: Change the layout and a few other settings.
Localisation: Locale, timezone, wireless country, and keyboard (same option as in the previous tab).
Mouse: For left-handed switch and speed configuration.
Performance: Overlay and USB current limit.
Printers: Same tool as in previous versions, but included here to manage your printers.
Screens: The same way, the resolution and monitor configuration is not available here.
System: The first tab of the previous configuration tool, with password, hostname and boot options, as well as the default web browser.
Taskbar: Size, position and colors.
Theme: Switch between dark/light mode, main colors & font settings.

So, the good news is that everything is now in this mega tool, where you can configure everything and anything without wondering which tool to open.

But to be honest, it’s far from perfect. For now, it feels more like a patchwork of all the tools with shortcuts in the left menu than a revolution:

The left menu scroll isn’t the best. It’s not as smooth as the scroll bar on GNOME/KDE.
There are too many entries on the left. Many could be grouped together.
The current alphabetical order isn’t the best idea. It would be better to have the most important tabs at the top. Things like system, interfaces, and display.
It’d be great to have a search feature, like on most modern systems.

So, once again, it’s a step in the right direction, but it still feels a bit clunky at the moment. Maybe they’ll work on improving it in the next versions now that the base is here.

First Impressions with Raspberry Pi OS Trixie

After spending time with Trixie on a Raspberry Pi 5, the overall experience feels smoother and more polished than Bookworm. The new visuals are clean, the Control Center is a welcome improvement (even if a bit rough), and everything worked as expected out of the box.

Performance-wise, I didn’t notice any slowdown or instability. It boots quickly, apps launch fast, and the desktop feels responsive.

It’s not too shocking, since I tested it on a Raspberry Pi 5. The difference is likely to be more apparent in older models with less RAM. But I’ll need more time with it to properly evaluate the performance impact, especially on older models.

Many changes mentioned in the announcement are not visible or that important for the typical desktop user, so I won’t go into the details here. But we have seen in the past that these changes often come with unexpected bugs or impacts on our projects. Once again, this will need time to reference and find workarounds.

If you run into issues or have your own experience to share, please post inside the RaspberryTips community so we can talk about it.

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How to Get Raspberry Pi OS Trixie

How to Install Raspberry Pi OS Trixie

If you’re ready to try Trixie, you’ll already find it as the default option in Raspberry Pi Imager:

The installation process is the same as with the previous version, so you can follow our guide if you need a hand to install it on your Raspberry Pi:
Install Raspberry Pi OS on Raspberry Pi (Illustrated Guide)

I strongly suggest testing it on a new SD card. Check to see if your apps are available and working. Try a few projects with it and see how it goes.

How to Upgrade from Bookworm to Trixie

If you’ve already got a setup and you want to upgrade to the latest version, it’s best not to do an in-place upgrade (changing the APT settings to get the new version from the repository).

The Raspberry Pi team themselves said:

“We do not recommend or support attempting to upgrade a running Bookworm image… You do this at your own risk, and you shouldn’t even consider it without having backed up first.”

The best approach is to start from scratch: install everything on a different SD card (or whatever storage you use), and reinstall what you had in the previous setup, moving data from one system to the other along the way.

It takes more time than an upgrade, but it’s worth it to avoid hidden conflicts and validate step-by-step that everything is working as expected.

Should You Upgrade Now?

If you’re using your Pi in production (servers, important projects, etc.), the safest bet is to wait a bit. Even the Debian layer is still pretty new at this point.

If you’re just using your Pi as a desktop, or you want to try the new visuals and tools, go ahead. Trixie feels stable and responsive in my tests. But as always, make a backup first, and don’t switch everything over until you’ve confirmed it works for your use case.

From now on, we’re going to use Trixie for all new projects and tutorials on RaspberryTips, and we’ll let you know if you find any hidden bugs. But for new projects, you can safely try it.

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

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The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help (try it for just $1).

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.