Debian 13 Trixie released with Linux kernel 6.12 LTS, GNOME 48, KDE 6.3, and more

Debian 13 “Trixie” has been officially released, featuring the Linux kernel 6.12 LTS, which brings support until December 2026. This kernel introduces open source Nvidia driver support, RISC-V hibernation, QR codes for Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) kernel panic messages, and enhances filesystems like EXT4 and Btrfs. New Bcachefs filesystem support, along with hardware compatibility for Wi-Fi 7, MIDI 2.0, and USB4 v2.0, broadens device and connectivity options.

Official support for the 32-bit i386 architecture has been removed, although Multiarch remains available to run i386 software on 64-bit systems. For hardware-only i386 machines, upgrades are not recommended, and Debian advises reinstalling as amd64 where possible or retiring the hardware. The release also introduces full 64-bit RISC-V support, placing Debian alongside Fedora and openSUSE in adopting this open hardware standard.

On the desktop, GNOME updates from version 43 to 48, adding a digital wellbeing dashboard, improved notifications, a battery health tool, editing features for the image viewer, and experimental RAW file support. KDE Plasma advances to 6.3, delivering better graphics tablet support, improved fractional scaling, and refined notifications. Xfce moves to 4.20, offering experimental Wayland support, high-res scrolling, and display setting enhancements.

Other software notable upgrades include LibreOffice 25.2 with metadata removal on export and new presentation and chart features, as well as GIMP 3.0.4, which brings a refreshed interface, editable filters, and enhanced color management.