Debian 11.0 was released on August 14th, 2021. The codename of Debian 11 is Bullseye. Debian is one of the widely used Linux operating systems and a popular choice for setting up and configuring servers for businesses has just got the latest release called Bullseye. Bullseyes come with tons of new packages, support for the exFAT file system, and an enhanced manual page.

This write-up is focusing on the installation of Debian 11 Bullseyes on your system. So if you are new to Debian or want to upgrade simple follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1 – Downloading Debian 11 ISO

Before proceeding to the installation procedure first we need the latest Debian distro ISO. To download the current version of Debian distribution visit Debian, click on the “Download” button to get the ISO file.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Download Debian 11 ISO Image

Step 2 – Creating a bootable USB

Once you get the Debian ISO downloaded, time to make a bootable USB containing Debian 11 ISO. A third-party utility is required to make a bootable USB, for that there are a couple of choices. Either Rufus or balenaEtcher can be used. BalenaEtcher is a much more simple and straightforward tool.

Insert USB and open balenaEtcher:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Insert USB and open balenaEtcher

Now, select the image file, which is Debian 11 ISO file:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select Debian 11 ISO Image

Select the USB drive, click on Flash:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select USD Drive and Click Flash

The process will take a few minutes.

Step 3 – Boot settings

Bootable USB with Debian 11 operating system is ready. Now, insert a USB into the target PC and turn it on. Enter the boot menu: it is important to note that every machine manufacturer has different keys for the boot menu, possible keys are F1, F2, F10, or Esc. If you are a mac user simply restart your PC, press, and hold the options/alt key to enter the boot disks menu.

Once you are in the boot menu select bootable USB and press Enter to boot.

Step 4 – Installing Debian 11 Bullseye

You will get an installer menu indicating different installation methods. Choose one of the given methods for installing Debian 11 on your system. In this tutorial we will go with the easiest method ie “Graphical Install” option:

01. Choose the Graphical install option and hit enter to continue.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select the Graphical Install Option

02. Select your preferred language and click on “continue”. English will be th edefault selected language.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select the default languege

03. Now, select your location, and Debian will set the time accordingly:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Set the default timezone

04. Next, configure the keyboard, you are using. choose the keyboard language and click continue.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select Keyboard Laungage

04. Upon clicking “continue”, Debian will configure network settings:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Configuring network by installer

05. Now, the installer will prompt you to enter the hostname. A hostname is a single word that identifies your system to the network. Click continue.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Set the default hostname

06. Next, the installer will ask for the domain name. If you don’t have any domain name, just leave it empty and click continue.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Set a domain name or leave empty

07. Time to set a strong password for the root user. As root has unlimited privileges, so keep its password more strong and don’t share it.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Set Password for root account

08. Enter a name for a user and click on “continue”, though the user can be created later. First type the full name of the user:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Full Username for New Account

09. Give a username, this will be a sudo privileged account for your working.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
New Account Username

10. Now enter a password for the new user:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Set Password for New Account

11. Choose a peffered timezone for your Debian 11 system and click Continue.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select timezone for your system

12. Partition method depends upon the personal preference, for most users default method “Guided- use entire disk” is recommended:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select disk partitioning method

13. On this screen, all the attached hard disks will be listed here. Now be careful while selecting the disk because of other attached drives.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select drive for installing Debian 11

14. The next step is about partition scheme, leave it default and click on “continue”:. You can also choose second or third options as your choice.

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select Disk Partitioning

15. Next, you will be prompt with the partition settings. With the default selection in the previous second, you will see a root (/) and a swap partition. After reviewing it click on “continue”:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Finish disk partitioning

16. Confirm the configuration by selecting “Yes” and click on “continue”:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Say “yes” for disk partitioning

17. The base system installation will begin:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Base system installation is running

18. Now, set up the package manager, if it asks for scanning storage media then select “no”, and continue:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Say “no” to media check

19. Now the installer will configure the package manager via the internet. Select the archive mirror country:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Configure the Package Manager

20. After selecting a country, choose archive mirror:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Choose Mirror for PPA

21. Leave the HTTP proxy blank:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
HTTP Proxy Settings (Leave Empty)

22. Now, wait for package manager configuration:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Wait for the Package Manager Configuration

23. After that, you will be prompt with a package usage survey option, if you want to participate select “yes” otherwise “no”:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Configuring Popularity-contest

24. Now, choose the desktop environment from the list and other utilities such as SSH to install:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select Desktop for Debian 11

25. Wait for the installation process to finish:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Let the Installation Finish

26. The next, step is boot loader installation, press “yes” to install the GRUB boot-loader, it is important to install because without it Debian will not load:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Install the GRUB boot-loader

27. Now, select the storage media on which Debian is installed, it is usually “/dev/sda”, click “continue”:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Select disk for boot loader

28. Wait for the installation:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Wait for boot loader installation

29. Now, the installation is completed:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Debian 11 Bullseye Installation Finished

30. Now you will see the login screen, enter credentials created in the previous steps to begin using the latest Debian 11 Bullseye:

How To Install Debian 11 (Bullseye) with Screenshots Bullseye Debian Debian 11 Linux Distributions
Login to Debian 11 Bullseye

Congratulations, You have installed the most stable version of Debian Linux on your system.

Conclusion

Debian 11 Bullseye comes with a lot of enhanced features and to access the latest enhancements, it is recommended to upgrade if you are using an older version of Debian. There are various ways to get Debian 11 on your machine; a bootable USB drive with Debian ISO is recommended because of its convenience. This write-up gave a thorough guide on how to install Debian 11 on your machine.