Reinstalling OS

PureOS

These instructions reflash the stock Operating System (OS) image on a Librem Server.

Note

Librem Servers shipped before August 2025 shipped with PureOS GNOME. To install PureOS GNOME, see Install PureOS.

Warning

This process irrecoverably erases all data from your Librem Server! Back up any of your data you wish to retain before reinstalling.

  1. Obtain the latest Librem Server PureOS Crimson image

  2. Copy that file to a flash drive as a file

    • Do not dd it to the flash drive. Simply copy it as an ordinary file.

  3. Boot to the PureOS recovery console

    • If PureBoot stops boot with an error, select Continue to main menu, then navigate to the recovery console

    • If PureBoot says it will boot automatically, press the space bar to interrupt boot, then navigate to the recovery console

  4. Plug in the flash drive containing the OS image

  5. Run the command: mount-usb, then follow prompts if any occur (none if device has only one unencrypted partition)

  6. Run the command: xzcat /media/pureos-11-server-flash-luks-20250812_amd64.img.xz | dd of=/dev/nvme0n1 bs=1M conv=fsync

    • Adjust the path and PureOS image name if needed.

  7. After completion, run the command: reboot

  8. The Librem Server will boot to the new OS. If you are using PureBoot’s tamper-evident boot, PureBoot will prompt you to set up tamper-evident boot again.

Another OS

Most Linux distributions work on Librem Server. USB boot and installation are the same for all PureBoot devices.

PureBoot requires a separate, unencrypted /boot partition. If the OS defaults to an encrypted /boot, partition manually.