How to Install a Desktop on Raspberry Pi OS Lite
Installing Raspberry Pi OS Lite is a great way to get the most out of any Raspberry Pi computer. It’s particularly useful on older models and the Pi Zero series.
But what if you suddenly need to use a desktop? Raspberry Pi OS Lite doesn’t ship with a desktop environment, so what should you do?
Well, you don’t need to switch to the standard Raspberry Pi OS. Instead, you can simply install the Raspberry Pi’s own desktop environment, PIXEL.
What Is Raspberry Pi OS Lite?
Many operating systems are available for the Raspberry Pi these days, but the recommended option is Raspberry Pi OS. This comes in three flavors:
- Raspberry Pi OS Lite
- Raspberry Pi OS Full
- Raspberry Pi OS Extended
In most cases, when installing a Raspberry Pi OS, you probably rely on the Full or Extended versions, which ship complete with a desktop environment and various apps. (The Extended version has more apps than Full).
But for scenarios where no desktop environment is required — such as running a server, or controlling a robot — Raspberry Pi OS Lite is the best option.
Based on Debian 11 (at the time of writing) and just 338MB in size (pre-installation), Raspberry Pi OS Lite isn’t the most lightweight option for the Raspberry Pi, but it is the official lightweight OS.
Note that there are 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
Why You Might Switch From Lite to Desktop
As you might have guessed, Raspberry Pi OS Lite is so slimline because it has no desktop environment. But you might need that to change. There might be an app that you need to run, or a service that is easier to manage using a mouse than a keyboard.
You might simply need to access the internet and prefer a desktop web browser to the Lynx text-based browser (or the other slower methods of accessing the web without a browser). There are many reasons for installing a desktop environment on Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
For example, I was using Raspberry Pi OS Lite for a barebones project recently. After getting into some difficulty and realizing I needed additional desktop-only software, installing a desktop environment became necessary.
While sticking to the Pi’s command line interface is preferable in many cases, sometimes you just need a desktop.
Read More: How to Install a Desktop on Raspberry Pi OS Lite – MakeUseOf
