Raspberry Pi Desktop is now available as a live Debian image for PCs and Macs. You can try it from a bootable USB, optionally save changes to that USB with persistence, or run the included Calamares installer to install it on the computer’s internal drive. The PC/Mac edition also includes Raspberry Pi Connect for screen sharing or a remote terminal.
Choose how you want to run Raspberry Pi Desktop
| Mode | Where it runs | What happens to changes | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live USB with persistence | From the USB stick | Saved to that USB; the boot menu also offers a reset option that deletes saved changes and restores a clean image. | Trying the system without installing it to internal storage. |
| Internal installation | The computer’s hard drive or SSD | The system is installed on the computer’s internal storage. | Using Raspberry Pi Desktop as an installed operating system. |
These are distinct options: a persistent live session continues to run from removable media; installing with Calamares puts the system on the computer’s internal storage. Raspberry Pi’s announcement does not document dual-boot behavior, partitioning choices, or rollback procedures, so do not assume how installation will affect an existing operating system or files.
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Try Raspberry Pi Desktop from a live USB
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Download the PC and Mac ISO from Raspberry Pi’s announcement, which points readers to the Raspberry Pi website for the image.
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Use an image-writing tool to write the ISO to a USB stick. Raspberry Pi’s announcement specifies USB media but does not name a preferred writing tool or a required capacity.
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Insert the prepared USB stick and start the PC or Mac from it. The exact boot-menu method depends on the computer; the announcement does not provide manufacturer-specific keys or firmware instructions.
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Choose “run with persistence” from the boot menu if you want changes saved to the USB stick. The menu’s reset-persistence option deletes those saved changes and returns the stick to a clean original image, so use it only if that is what you intend.
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Install Raspberry Pi Desktop on the computer
Once the live system has reached its desktop, launch Calamares, the standard Debian installer, using either the desktop shortcut or System Tools > Install Raspberry Pi OS. The installer can put Raspberry Pi Desktop on the PC or Mac’s hard drive or SSD.
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This is an installation to internal storage, not another way of saving a live session to the USB. The announcement does not specify partitioning behavior, supported dual-boot configurations, or backup and recovery steps. Before proceeding, make sure you understand which storage device you are selecting and have protected any files you need to keep.
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Connect to the PC or Mac remotely
The PC/Mac release includes the Raspberry Pi Connect client. During setup, give the computer a name. When you sign in to the Raspberry Pi Connect website, that name identifies the machine in your device list; the announcement says you can then start screen sharing or open a remote terminal.
Raspberry Pi’s general Connect documentation describes screen sharing, remote shell, and remote update, and states that Connect is included by default in Raspberry Pi OS Desktop and Full, with Bookworm or later required. For the PC/Mac image specifically, follow the release announcement’s instructions to name the computer and access it through the Connect website.
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What this release does—and does not—establish
Raspberry Pi announced the PC and Mac edition on October 6, 2026, describing it as an updated Debian Trixie with Raspberry Pi Desktop, distributed as a downloadable live image. The announcement does not list supported computer models, minimum hardware requirements, architecture details, Secure Boot guidance, or USB capacity requirements. It therefore does not establish compatibility for a particular PC or Mac.
This process is for installing the PC/Mac image. Raspberry Pi’s separate hardware setup documentation covers setting up a Raspberry Pi board, including remote-access approaches such as SSH and VNC. Those board setup instructions are not a substitute for booting the PC/Mac image from USB and installing it with Calamares.
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