If you’re running Raspberry Pi OS and want to ensure you’re on the latest patches, packages, and kernel without changing to a newer major release, this guide is for you. For example, if you’re already on Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and simply want to bring your system up-to-date, this post walks you through the safest and most effective way to do that.
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
Even if you’re not jumping between major versions (e.g., Bullseye to Bookworm), staying updated gives you:
- Security patches
- Kernel improvements
- Hardware compatibility
- Latest versions of utilities and libraries
Step-by-Step: Upgrade Raspberry Pi OS Within the Same Version
Step 1: Check Your Current Version
lsb_release -a
Or:
cat /etc/os-release
Make sure it shows something like VERSION=”Bookworm”.
Step 2: Update the APT Index
sudo apt update
This fetches the latest package list.
Step 3: Upgrade Installed Packages
sudo apt upgrade -y
This will install available upgrades that don’t require new packages to be installed or removed.
Step 4: Perform a Full Upgrade (Recommended)
sudo apt full-upgrade -y
This allows APT to install or remove packages as needed for major subsystem upgrades, including the kernel.
Step 5: Clean Up Unused Packages
sudo apt autoremove --purge -y
This gets rid of packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer needed.
Step 6: Reboot to Apply Kernel Updates
sudo reboot
This will finalize upgrades like kernel patches and system-level daemons.
Bonus: (Optional) Update Raspberry Pi Firmware
If you need newer firmware or you’re troubleshooting hardware support issues:
sudo rpi-update
Note: This pulls in bleeding-edge firmware and is not recommended for daily use unless you’re debugging hardware or need a specific update.
TL;DR: One-Liner Upgrade
Here’s a safe one-liner for regular upgrades within the same release:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y && sudo apt autoremove --purge -y && sudo reboot
Summary
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Check OS version | lsb_release -a |
| Update package list | sudo apt update |
| Standard upgrade | sudo apt upgrade -y |
| Full upgrade | sudo apt full-upgrade -y |
| Remove unused packages | sudo apt autoremove --purge -y |
| Reboot the Pi | sudo reboot |
| (Optional) Update firmware | sudo rpi-update |
Keeping your Pi up-to-date within the same release ensures stability, performance, and security — without risking the complexities of a major version upgrade.
