bash: lsb_release: command not found on Debian: How to Fix It

Updated: 9 November 2026 · Applies to: Debian 13 (trixie, lsb-release 12.1-1) and Debian 12 (bookworm, lsb-release 12.0-1)

bash: lsb_release: command not found on Debian means the lsb-release package is not installed. Minimal installs, cloud images and containers leave it out. Install it as root with apt install lsb-release, or skip it entirely and read the version from /etc/os-release, which every Debian system has.

The error

Output on a fresh Debian 13 system:

bash: lsb_release: command not found

When you log in over SSH you may see it as -bash: lsb_release: command not found. It is the same problem. Scripts that call lsb_release -cs to find the Debian codename (for example to add a third-party repository) fail with it too.

Fix: install the lsb-release package

1. Refresh the package list (as root, or put sudo in front if your user has sudo rights):

   apt update

2. Install the package. Note the hyphen in the package name; the command has an underscore:

   apt install lsb-release

3. Run the command again:

   lsb_release -a

Output on Debian 13:

Distributor ID:	Debian
Description:	Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)
Release:	13
Codename:	trixie

Output on Debian 12:

Distributor ID:	Debian
Description:	Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Release:	12
Codename:	bookworm

On current Debian the package is a small shell script that reads /etc/os-release, so it adds almost nothing to the system.

Useful lsb_release options

Print only one value, which is handy in scripts:

lsb_release -cs

lsb_release -rs

lsb_release -ds

Output on Debian 13 (one line per command above):

trixie
13
Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)

-c is the codename, -r the release number, -d the description and -s short output without the label.

Alternative: read /etc/os-release (no package needed)

Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux all ship /etc/os-release (we checked Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 24.04 and AlmaLinux 9). It is the standard place for this information, so it is the better choice for new scripts.

cat /etc/os-release

Output on Debian 13:

PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="13"
VERSION="13 (trixie)"
VERSION_CODENAME=trixie
DEBIAN_VERSION_FULL=13.7
ID=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"

To use the values in a shell script, load the file and pick the fields you need. This replaces lsb_release -cs and lsb_release -rs:

. /etc/os-release
echo "$VERSION_CODENAME $VERSION_ID"

Output on Debian 13:

trixie 13

For the exact point release, read /etc/debian_version:

cat /etc/debian_version

Output on our test systems: 13.7 on Debian 13 and 12.15 on Debian 12. Debian 13 also shows the point release as DEBIAN_VERSION_FULL in /etc/os-release; Debian 12 does not have that line.

Which should you use?

• A script or install guide asks for lsb_release: install lsb-release. It is quick and safe.
• You write your own script: use /etc/os-release, so it also works on servers where nobody installed the package.
• You only want to know the version once: cat /etc/os-release is enough.

The minimal Ubuntu 24.04 image gives the same error and has the same fix (apt install lsb-release). AlmaLinux 9 does not include lsb_release either; there, /etc/os-release is the simplest choice. For more ways to check the version on any distribution, see how to find out what version of Linux you are running.

Official documentation: lsb-release package for Debian 13 and os-release manual.