How to find the Operating System and Version of Your Raspberry Pi

Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) …


Updated September 17, 2023

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Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)

If you have a Raspberry Pi, chances are that it is running some type of Linux-based operating system such as Raspbian or Ubuntu. However, if you are unsure about the specific OS installed on your device or want to check its version, there are a few easy steps to follow using the terminal.

Open the terminal by clicking on the icon in the top left corner and typing “terminal” into the search bar. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T to open the terminal.

  1. First, type the following command and press enter:
uname -a

This will display information about your operating system, including its name and version number. For example, on a Raspbian device, you might see something like this:

Linux raspberrypi 4.19.75-v7+ #1253 SMP Thu Oct 24 18:09:16 BST 2019 armv7l GNU/Linux

This output indicates that the device is running Raspbian version 4.19.75.

  1. If you want to find out which distribution of Linux is running on your Raspberry Pi, use this command:
cat /etc/os-release

This will display information about your operating system, including its name and version number. For example:

PRETTY_NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)"
NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="10"
VERSION="10 (buster)"
VERSION_CODENAME=buster
ID=raspbian
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianForums"
BUG_REPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianBugs"

This output indicates that the device is running Raspbian version 10 (codename buster).

  1. If you want to see more detailed information about your operating system, use this command:
lsb_release -a

This will display even more details about your OS, such as its codename and release number. For example:

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Raspbian
Release:        10
Codename:       buster

This output confirms that the device is running Raspbian version 10 (codename buster).

Remember, these commands work on devices with Linux-based operating systems. If you are using a different OS or want to check the version of another software package, there might be different commands available. Always refer to the documentation for your specific OS for more information.