Why do we use Pi OS 32-bit for troubleshooting?

Why do we ask to test with Pi OS 32-bit?

We recommend Raspberry Pi OS 32-bit for troubleshooting because it’s the officially supported system from the Raspberry Pi Foundation and guaranteed to be compatible with all Pi boards. New hardware is often supported there first, with bug fixes released quickly. It also has the largest user base, meaning most common issues already have known solutions.

If a problem shows up in 32-bit for you but not for our technical team, it usually points to a hardware issue with your Pi, not to the OS.

Third-party operating systems are often based on Raspberry Pi OS or another Linux build, but bug fixes in Raspberry Pi OS need to be ported over by their developers. This typically means delays in compatibility updates and sometimes different behavior during troubleshooting.

Because these systems are developed and supported by independent teams, we have far less experience with them. That makes it harder to know if an issue comes from the OS itself or from the hardware. Therefore, we recommend you contact the third-party OS developers directly for software support. They can usually help faster than we can.

This is why we ask you to test with Raspberry Pi OS 32-bit. It’s the only version officially supported by the Raspberry Pi team, it has the widest knowledge base, and it’s the system we know best. Using it makes troubleshooting faster and clearer. And that means your issue gets resolved sooner and with less back-and-forth.

And hey, the quicker we solve your problem, the faster you get back to doing the fun stuff with your Pi. 🕹️