How To Update Raspberry Pi

Keep up with new software, bug fixes, and more

Loved by kids and adults alike, the Raspberry Pi is one of the best single-board computers out there, often used at the heart of thousands of projects. Like all computers, however, it’s important to keep your Raspberry Pi up-to-date to ensure it has the latest features and fixes.

Most Raspberry Pi devices use Raspbian, the Debian-based Linux operating system specially designed for this tiny PC. If you’ve used Linux before, and you’re comfortable using the terminal, updating your Raspberry Pi won’t be too difficult. If you’re unsure, here’s how to update a Raspberry Pi to the latest version.

How to Update Raspberry Pi Software

The Raspberry Pi is a tiny, feature-filled computer. It may not look like much, but it’s more than capable of running thebest Linux apps, whether you’re using Raspbian, Ubuntu, or another Linux operating system with it.

That means that, like any other Linux PC, you’ll want to keep the software packages your Raspberry Pi use up-to-date using Raspbian’s built-in package manager—apt.

While it isn’t necessary in most instances, feel free to restart your Raspberry Pi by typingsudo rebootonce any package updates have finished installing to ensure the process finishes correctly.

How to Update Raspberry Pi Firmware

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is responsible for the development of the Raspberry Pi, as well as the firmware it runs. From time to time, new firmware is released to add important security fixes or updates to your Raspberry Pi.

To update your Raspberry Pi firmware, run the commandsudo apt updateorsudo apt full-update, which will update your Raspberry PI with stable firmware releases. If that isn’t good enough and you need to update to the latest available firmware (for critical bug fixes, for instance) you’ll need to use therpi-updatetool instead.

The Raspberry PI should come installed with Raspbian, but it’s also compatible with other Linux operating systems. You can download and install it from therpi-update GitHub page.

You’ll need to reboot once your Raspberry Pi firmware has updated—typesudo rebootto do this if the rpi-update tool doesn’t do it automatically.

How to Install a Major Raspbian Update on a Raspberry Pi

While theapt updateprocess will update your software packages, it won’t update your system. While Raspbian can be updated to a major new release manually, there’s no automatic tool to do this.

Performing a manual update from one Raspbian version to the next is extremely problematic, especially given the changes to packages and features from one release to the next. To perform a major update from an older Raspbian release, you should first back up your Raspberry Pi and flash the latest version of Raspbian to your Raspberry Pi’s microSD card (or SD card for older Pi models).

This is also the method that theRaspberry Pi Foundation recommendsover an in-place upgrade because it’s the cleanest, quickest, and best way to move from one major Raspbian release to the next. Doing this will wipe your microSD card, so make sure any files you wish to keep are backed up to an external drive before you begin.

You’ll be able to safely remove the microSD card, insert it back into your Raspberry Pi and power it up at this point. If the process was successful, you’ll be able to proceed with the initial setup process and restore any backed up files to your new Raspbian installation.

You should also open a terminal window and runsudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgradeto ensure that the latest software packages are installed for your fresh Raspbian installation.

Keeping Your Raspberry Pi Updated

While Linux devices like the Raspberry Pi are generally considered to be more secure than their Windows counterparts, that doesn’t mean it isn’t essential to keep your Raspberry Pi updated. Regular updates bring new software, bug fixes, advancements, and more.

Now you know how to update a Raspberry Pi, it’s probably a good idea to get comfortable using the Linux terminal, especially with somecool Linux terminal commandsyou can try on your Pi. Let us know your own Raspberry Pi tips and project ideas in the comments section below.

Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio

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How To Update Raspberry Pi#

How to Update Raspberry Pi Software#

How to Update Raspberry Pi Firmware#

How to Install a Major Raspbian Update on a Raspberry Pi#

Keeping Your Raspberry Pi Updated#