How to Update Debian 12 to Debian 13

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:41:54 +0200

Foreword
#

This guide is again very brief. The only important thing is that you create a backup of your installation before performing the upgrade. Debian is very robust, and I had no problems with 15 servers, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Updating
#

Before you can upgrade to Debian 13, the system must be up to date. Simply enter these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt full-upgrade

The system should then be restarted.

sudo reboot

Upgrade to Debian 13
#

To update Debian, you must first tell Debian to use the new repositories. Debian 12 is called “Bookworm” and Debian 13 is called “Trixie.”

This setting must be adjusted in this file. To do this, simply copy the command into the terminal again.

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Here, you must rename everything related to “Bookworm” to „Trixie”. I am referring specifically to these three things:

Bookworm → Trixie

Bookworm updates → Trixie updates

Bookworm security → Trixie security

Once that is done, we need to enter three more commands into the terminal:

To update the repository.

sudo apt update

This prepares the system for the upgrade. Press “Q” when prompted:

sudo apt upgrade --without-new-pkgs

Now perform the full upgrade to Debian 13 with the following command:

sudo apt full-upgrade

This will install new packages, update existing ones, and remove outdated dependencies. Once the update is complete, restart the system with the following command:

sudo reboot

After restarting, run the following to check that the upgrade was performed correctly:

lsb_release -a

If you now see “Debian 13”, your system has been successfully updated.

Services from XenoElectronics
#

If you need help with your projects or with open source software. Take a look at our contact page and let us know what you need. We will help you to realize your projects.

https://xenoelectronics.com/contact/

Open source support & coffee fund
#

Did this guide save you hours of troubleshooting? We are happy to make this knowledge available to the community free of charge. If you would like to support our work on further open source tutorials, we would appreciate a “virtual coffee” or your support on Patreon.

Thank you for reading and for your time!

Become a Patreon supporter

Support via PayPal

Support via Stripe

If you like to share this artikel click the icons below.

Debian on

How to Update Debian 12 to Debian 13

Foreword #

Updating #

Upgrade to Debian 13 #

Services from XenoElectronics #

Open source support & coffee fund #

Foreword
#

Updating
#

Upgrade to Debian 13
#

Services from XenoElectronics
#

Open source support & coffee fund
#