Very soon after former, Raspberry Pi OS version 2025-12-04 It arrives with improvements focused on usability, stability, and support for external peripherals, especially hard drives (HDDs) and NVMe drives connected via USB. With these changes, safely removing an external drive from a Raspberry Pi is now as simple and secure as on conventional desktop systems. In addition, several bugs have been fixed and details of the graphical environment and window manager have been refined.
This update represents a significant step forward for Raspberry Pi users who utilize external drives, whether for extra storage, backups, or as part of home server projects. It includes improvements to quick access, system stability, and compatibility with modern hardware.
Raspberry Pi OS 2025-12-04 introduces secure “eject” function for USB drives
The most notable new feature is that Raspberry Pi OS now allows safely expel Hard disk drives (HDDs) and NVMe drives connected via USB. This reduces the risk of data corruption when disconnecting external drives.
A new keyboard shortcut is added (Alt + F2To open the "Run" dialog in the Labwc-based Wayland session, ideal for those who prefer a fast keyboard workflow. Additionally, the "Displays" configuration panel no longer automatically generates a kanshi configuration file on startup, thus preventing unnecessary overwrites.
Several bug fixes and stability improvements in Raspberry Pi OS 2025-12-04
This version fixes several crashes and errors reported by users, including:
- Blocks when using mounted drives or the trash can in the "Places" view.
- Problems downloading the System Monitor plugin.
- Failures when disconnecting audio devices with power.
- Error switching to text mode (TTY) from the file manager.
- Correction to the display of the Bluetooth plugin icon on devices without Bluetooth hardware.
Stable base and maintained compatibility
The system continues to use the Linux kernel 6.12 (version 6.12.47) along with the usual Raspberry Pi Foundation firmware, ensuring compatibility with the full range of Raspberry Pi models, both 32-bit and 64-bit ARM.
Who is this update intended for?
This version is especially interesting for Raspberry Pi users who use external drives: whether for additional storage, backups, multimedia, personal servers, or home NAS projects. It's also for those who use the Wayland graphical interface and are looking for a more stable and complete environment with modern hardware and productivity support. If you use SSH or the command line, the improved "safe eject" for USB drives adds a significant layer of security.
Download and installation
Raspberry Pi OS 2025-12-04 is now available for download from the Official siteExisting users can update simply by running:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
and restart to enjoy the new features.