How to Install Debian 13 "Trixie"

Step 1: pick the right image

Debian 13 "trixie" was released on 9 August 2025 and is the current stable release; point releases (13.1, 13.2 and so on) refresh the images every couple of months. The image names include the point release, so always take the latest one from the current directory.

Debian 13 dropped 32-bit PC (i386) as an installation target; any PC from the last 15 years runs amd64. Requirements are modest: 2 GB RAM and 20 GB disk for a desktop is a practical minimum, 4 GB+ RAM for GNOME or KDE.

Step 2: download and verify

From the download page, get the ISO plus SHA512SUMS and SHA512SUMS.sign from the same directory on cdimage.debian.org.

# 1. check the checksum file is signed by the Debian CD signing key
gpg --keyserver keyring.debian.org --recv-keys DF9B9C49EAA9298432589D76DA87E80D6294BE9B
gpg --verify SHA512SUMS.sign SHA512SUMS
# 2. check the ISO
sha512sum -c --ignore-missing SHA512SUMS

Example output:

gpg: Good signature from "Debian CD signing key <[email protected]>"
debian-13.x.y-amd64-netinst.iso: OK

Compare the key fingerprint with the one listed on Debian's verify page; that page is the authority if the keys ever change. A "WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature" line is normal; "BAD signature" or "FAILED" means download again.

Step 3: write the USB stick

Debian images are hybrid ISOs, so you write them byte-for-byte to the whole device. Use balenaEtcher, Rufus (choose DD image mode if it asks), Ventoy, or from Linux:

lsblk
sudo cp debian-13.x.y-amd64-netinst.iso /dev/sdX
sync

Step 4: boot and start the installer

Boot from the USB via the firmware boot menu (F12, F9, F8, F11 or Esc depending on the vendor) and pick the UEFI entry. Secure Boot can stay on. The boot menu offers Graphical install, Install (text mode, same questions), Advanced options (expert mode, rescue mode, speech synthesis) and, on live images, the live session.

Step 5: the installer, step by step

1. Language, location, keyboard. Location sets the timezone and mirror defaults.
2. Network. Ethernet is configured by DHCP automatically. For Wi-Fi, choose your network and enter the passphrase. The installer loads firmware from the image if your adapter needs it.
3. Hostname and domain. Any short name; leave the domain blank on a home network.
4. Root password. Leave both fields empty. The root account is then locked and the user you create next is added to the sudo group. If you set a root password, sudo will not work for your user until you fix it (see user is not in the sudoers file).
5. User account. Full name, username and password.
6. Partitioning.
   • Guided – use entire disk: erases the disk. Choose "All files in one partition" unless you have a reason for a separate /home.
   • Guided – use entire disk and set up encrypted LVM: the right choice for laptops. You set a passphrase entered at every boot.
   • Guided – use the largest continuous free space: for dual boot (below).
   • Manual: full control. On UEFI you need an EFI System Partition (reuse the existing one when dual booting).
   Review the summary carefully before selecting Yes to write changes.
7. Package manager. Pick a mirror close to you or keep deb.debian.org, which redirects to a fast mirror automatically. Leave the proxy blank unless you need one.
8. Popularity contest. Optional anonymous statistics.
9. Software selection. Tick one desktop (GNOME is the default; KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE, LXQt are available), and SSH server for remote access. For a server, untick the desktop entries and keep standard system utilities.
10. GRUB. On UEFI it installs automatically. On BIOS systems, install GRUB to the primary disk (for example /dev/sda).
11. Finish. Remove the USB and reboot.

The live image installer (Calamares)

From a live session, the desktop icon Install Debian launches Calamares, a simpler graphical installer with a disk slider for dual boot. It copies the live system to disk, so it does not ask for a mirror or software selection. Afterwards, check /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ and add a security line if it is missing.

Dual boot with Windows

1. In Windows, disable Fast Startup and, if BitLocker is on, write down the recovery key.
2. Shrink the C: partition in Disk Management and leave the space unallocated.
3. In the Debian installer, choose Guided – use the largest continuous free space. It creates Debian's partitions in the free space and reuses the Windows EFI partition.
4. GRUB on Debian runs os-prober during installation and adds Windows Boot Manager. If Windows is missing later, enable it and regenerate:

   echo 'GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false' | sudo tee -a /etc/default/grub
   sudo apt install os-prober
   sudo update-grub

After installing: first steps

Update and check your sources

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
cat /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.sources 2>/dev/null

You should see trixie, trixie-updates and trixie-security. To get proprietary drivers and some firmware, make sure the components include contrib non-free non-free-firmware, for example:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Fix sudo if you set a root password

su -
usermod -aG sudo yourname
exit
# log out and back in, then test
sudo -v

More on groups and accounts in Linux user management.

Drivers and firmware

# NVIDIA (needs contrib and non-free); check supported cards first
sudo apt install nvidia-detect
nvidia-detect
sudo apt install linux-headers-amd64 nvidia-driver
# CPU microcode
sudo apt install intel-microcode    # or amd64-microcode

With Secure Boot, DKMS modules such as the NVIDIA driver must be signed; Debian generates a key and asks you to enroll it with mokutil at the next reboot. See wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers.

Flatpak and Flathub

sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak   # plasma-discover-backend-flatpak on KDE
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Firewall and automatic security updates

sudo apt install ufw
sudo ufw enable
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

For the everyday apt commands, see the apt guide.

Installation problems

• "No network interfaces detected" / missing firmware: use the latest image (it bundles firmware), or connect with Ethernet or USB tethering and add firmware after install.
• Black screen after installing a desktop: boot with nomodeset (press e in GRUB), then install the right GPU driver. See kernel parameters.
• Installer cannot see the NVMe disk: set the SATA/storage mode to AHCI instead of RAID/RST in the firmware.
• Machine boots straight into Windows: choose debian in the firmware boot menu and move it to the top of the boot order, or run sudo efibootmgr to inspect entries.
• "You are in emergency mode" on first boot: usually an fstab or disk issue; see emergency mode.

Debian's full manual is the trixie installation guide. Coming from Debian 12 instead? Upgrade in place with upgrade Debian 12 to 13.

Frequently asked questions