Debian 13 “Trixie” is here! In this full review, I take a close look at the latest Debian release, covering what’s new in Debian 13, upgrade considerations, and the pros and cons you should know before you decide whether to move from Debian 12.
In this video, you’ll learn about the updated software stack, the installation and upgrade process, and my thoughts on where Debian 13 shines — and where it still falls short. Whether you’re a long-time Debian user or just curious about trying one of the most stable Linux distributions, this review will give you the insights you need.
Debian 13 Review
Intro
Hello and welcome back to Learn Linux TV!
In this article, I’m going to give you a full review of Debian 13, which was released on August 9th. I’m really excited about this one, because Debian is one of my favorite distributions and I know it’s a big hit within my audience, since you guys really seem to love it as well. Debian is my go-to distro for the majority of my servers and I always have a few laptops laying around that run it as well. Now that Debian 13 has been released after a little over two years of development, it’s time to check it out.
If you haven’t ever had a chance to check out Debian before, it’s one of the oldest and most respected Linux distributions out there. It’s become well known for its rock-solid stability, and works quite well overall. With Debian 13 (code-named Trixie) the legendary project takes another step forward with a release that blends the reliability Debian is famous for with updated packages, new hardware support, and a handful of subtle but meaningful changes. Whether you run Linux on a server, desktop, or something in between, Debian 13 aims to deliver a polished, predictable experience.
In this article I’ll go over some of the highlights of the new release, as well as my overall thoughts. In fact, I’ve been using Debian 13 for around four months or so, as I started using it on my non-production systems prior to release so I can keep up with its progress. Overall, I’ve found Debian 13 to be a fantastic release, although (as I’ll talk about later) some antiquated design decisions keep it from being perfect.
Without any further hesitation, let’s check out Debian Trixie!
Updated Software
Let’s start with the biggest draw of any new Debian release: updated software. Debian isn’t known for introducing flashy, headline-grabbing features. Instead, each release focuses on refreshing the entire software stack and making behind-the-scenes improvements to keep the system stable and reliable. These updates are important because they’re how Debian gains most of its new features — by including newer versions of the software you use every day, complete with their latest enhancements and refinements.
For desktop users, the biggest changes in Debian 13 come from GNOME 48 — the latest version available at the time of this article. That’s a big jump from GNOME 43 in the previous release, meaning you’ll gain all the improvements and features introduced across five major updates to the desktop environment.
Some of the more noteworthy improvements since GNOME 43 include the ability to share your Wi-Fi password with a QR code, support for accent colors, notification stacking, a brand-new font, and numerous small refinements across the desktop. There’s also HDR support for compatible displays, and dynamic triple buffering has been introduced for smoother performance.
That said, GNOME typically evolves through incremental improvements rather than dramatic overhauls. Each release tends to bring a collection of smaller changes, but upgrading from Debian 12 to Debian 13 means jumping ahead by five major GNOME versions — so you’ll see a lot more new features all at once compared to users who upgrade GNOME gradually.
On the other hand, some of these features may be less impactful for Debian users. For example, dynamic triple buffering arrived in GNOME 48 and can significantly improve performance, but Debian 12 had already backported this feature — so you might not see a noticeable speed boost in Debian 13. Likewise, accent color customization is a nice touch for personalizing your desktop, but the change is subtle and easy to miss. If theming is a priority, desktops like Cinnamon offer more visible customization, but having the option in Debian 13 is still a welcome addition.
If you’re a fan of the Plasma desktop, Debian 13 brings a big milestone—this is the first Debian release to ship with Plasma 6, specifically version 6.3. Because Plasma 6 is a major new chapter for the project, users will see far more changes here than GNOME users will in their update. It’s a visually stunning desktop with an extensive feature set, and the leap to Plasma 6 gives KDE fans plenty to get excited about.
But that’s just two of the desktop environments available in Debian 13—there are many more to choose from, and switching between them is simple. During installation, Debian presents you with a list of popular desktop environments, and adding them is as easy as checking a box. All the major options are here, including Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce, and more.
Beyond the desktop environments, Debian 13 brings updates to the entire application stack—meaning nearly every included program is now several versions newer than what shipped with Debian 12. For example, you’ll get LibreOffice 25.2, GIMP 3.0.4, and many other updated applications. For many users, this refreshed software stack is one of the most compelling reasons to upgrade to a new Debian release.
Installation
Let’s shift gears and talk about the installation process. When it comes to setting up a fresh install of Debian 13, there’s two primary methods – the “Net” installer, and also a series of live images.
If you use the network installer, you’ll be guided through a long series of setup questions before the installer downloads the latest packages directly from Debian’s servers. This method tends to take the most time—not only because of the downloads, but also because Debian’s installer asks more questions than any other distro I’ve used. The upside is that you get a high degree of customization over your installation, but for newcomers, the sheer number of prompts can feel a bit overwhelming.
Alternatively, you can use the live media installer, which I recommend for most laptop and desktop users. If you’ve used other Linux distributions before, this will feel familiar: you boot into a fully functional demo environment where you can try Debian before committing. The live installer is simpler, quicker, and—most importantly—it lets you test hardware compatibility before replacing your current OS. This is crucial, because you don’t want to install Debian only to find that your Wi-Fi or other essential hardware doesn’t work. By testing first, you greatly improve your chances of a smooth installation.
Debian features a separate live media installer for each of the various desktop environments that it makes available, so all you have to do is choose your favorite desktop and download the appropriate image. On the other hand, the network installer will give you a menu you can use to install a specific desktop, or even multiple if you want. So for those of you that intend on installing more than one desktop environment, the network installer is the way to go – otherwise I suggest using one of the live images.
All in all, even though there’s a number of options available for setting up a fresh install of Debian 13, the process isn’t too bad and most people should be able to navigate it just fine.
Upgrading
Next, let’s talk about the upgrade process.
If you already have Debian 12 installed and want to upgrade to the latest version, the process isn’t quite as straightforward as a fresh install — but in my experience, it generally works very well. The Debian team puts a lot of effort into testing the upgrade process, and so far, as I’ve been updating my own systems to Debian 13, everything has gone smoothly.
If you haven’t gone through the process before, here’s how it works: First, create a full backup of your current system — just in case something goes wrong. Then, update your Debian 12 installation so it’s completely up to date. After that, you’ll begin the upgrade by editing your sources.list file and replacing every mention of “bookworm” with “trixie.” Once that’s done, run apt update followed by apt dist-upgrade, and your package manager will handle the rest. On my systems, the upgrade typically updated between 500 and 1,000 packages and took around 5–10 minutes to complete. While it’s a manual process, it’s not overly complicated, and it’s worked well for me.
One important tip: check carefully before confirming the upgrade. The process often removes certain packages, and you may need to reinstall them afterward. For example, on a server running PHP, Debian will remove all PHP packages during the upgrade, which could break a web server until you reinstall them. This can also happen with other software too.
For example, what you’re seeing on screen is the upgrade of this channel’s main web server to Debian 13. As you can see, several packages were removed during the process, and I had to reinstall them manually afterward. For someone experienced with package management, this isn’t a big deal — but if you’re less familiar, it can be a bit time-consuming.
A good approach is to copy the list of packages marked for removal, paste it into a text editor, and then use that list later to reinstall what you need. Keep in mind that some package names change between releases, so if a package is no longer available, you’ll need to find its new equivalent. It’s not too difficult, but it’s something to be prepared for.
Performance
Next, let’s talk about performance.
Overall, I haven’t noticed any major performance improvements in Debian 13 — but to be fair, Debian has been fast and efficient for years, and this release is no different. Debian 12 was the first to bring Dynamic Triple Buffering to GNOME, which gave a noticeable boost at the time. That benefit is still present in Debian 13, but there’s nothing new this time around that delivers a similar jump.
That said, Debian’s performance and reliability remain excellent. In my experience, everything feels smooth, responsive, and easily keeps up with my workload. Of course, results will vary depending on your hardware and chosen desktop environment, but I think most people will be more than satisfied with how well it runs.
Downsides
Debian 13 is an excellent release overall — but it’s not without its drawbacks. Nothing critical, but some of Debian’s design choices feel outdated, and this release is no exception.
One of Debian’s biggest limitations is how strictly it “freezes” software versions. While each release does ship with an updated software stack, that doesn’t mean everything is truly up to date at launch — it’s often hit or miss. For example, GNOME 48 is included this time, which is great since it’s the latest version as of this recording. Plasma, however, is at version 6.3, which is newer than what shipped in Debian 12, but already behind the curve — Plasma 6.4 came out in July, and 6.5 is already in development. The catch is that Debian won’t ship newer desktop environment versions until the next major release — so whatever versions you get today will be the same until Debian 14, aside from security patches.
This strict freeze applies to point releases too. For instance, GNOME 48.4, which includes bug fixes and small improvements, was released last month — but Debian 13 users won’t get it. While avoiding major mid-cycle upgrades makes sense for stability, withholding minor bug-fix releases is absolutely baffling to me.
It’s not just desktop environments that are frozen — individual applications are also affected. There are exceptions, like Firefox, which is updated periodically. But others, like LibreOffice, remain locked at the version shipped at release. This is problematic because LibreOffice updates often improve compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, so running an outdated version could mean reduced interoperability over Debian 13’s lifecycle. Keeping LibreOffice updated is essential – in fact, it’s mandatory.
There are workarounds. For desktop apps, enabling Flatpak support is quick and provides access to newer versions — I have a separate video covering how to set that up. Another option is Debian Backports, an official repository that offers newer packages. However, Backports is hit-or-miss, with many packages missing — and desktop environments aren’t included — so its usefulness is limited.
All in all, using a stable version of Debian means your software stack is going to be behind other distributions. That’s just the way it is and sure, you can set up a mixed release and bring in packages from testing, but that’s not supported or recommended.
Another drawback of Debian is its upgrade process. Yes, it usually works very well — Debian’s developers have clearly put a lot of effort into making sure upgrades from one release to the next are stable and reliable. The problem is that while the process works, it’s far from user-friendly. You have to perform the entire upgrade manually. For me, that’s not a big deal since I’ve been doing it for years, but compared to other distributions, it’s a step backward in terms of convenience.
Take Fedora, for example: when a new release is available, you get a notification, click to confirm, and the upgrade happens automatically. Many other distros offer a similar one-click or guided process. Debian, on the other hand, still requires you to edit configuration files and run commands manually. So while the upgrade process is solid, it’s surprising that Debian hasn’t modernized it — especially when other distributions have been streamlining upgrades for years.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Debian 13 has dropped support for 32-bit systems. From this point forward, the 64-bit edition is the only option. In practice, this isn’t much of a drawback — nearly all CPUs released since around 2004 can run 64-bit software. While there may be some exceptions, such as older netbooks or niche legacy hardware, the vast majority of users won’t be affected. Still, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re working with very old machines. If that applies to you, then you should continue using Debian 12 for now, as it’ll be supported with security updates for some time to come.
Overall
Overall, Debian 13 is an excellent release. Upgrading gives you access to an updated application stack, along with the strong performance and reliability Debian is known for. If you’re looking for a rock-solid system that just works, Debian is a great choice.
That said, Debian does show its age in some areas. Most software versions are locked at release and won’t be updated until the next major version, which means your system will gradually feel more outdated over time. The trade-off is increased stability, since every package is thoroughly tested and curated.
It’s also worth noting that while many distributions have streamlined their in-place upgrade process, Debian’s remains entirely manual. This lack of focus on user-friendliness means it’s not the best choice for beginners. But for intermediate and advanced users who value stability above all else, Debian remains a fantastic option.
