Live install images

A live install image contains a Debian system that can boot without modifying any files on the hard drive and also allows installation of Debian from the contents of the image.

Is a live image suitable for me? Here are some things to consider that will help you decide.

Flavors: The live images come in several "flavors" providing a choice of desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, LXDE, Xfce, Cinnamon and MATE).
Architecture: Currently only images for 64-bit PC (amd64) are provided.
Installer: The live images contain the end-user-friendly Calamares Installer, a distribution-independent installer framework
Languages: The images do not contain a complete set of language support packages. If you need input methods, fonts and supplemental language packages for your language, you'll need to install these afterwards.

Official live install images for the stable release

These images are suitable for trying a Debian system and then install it from the same media. They can be written to USB keys and DVD-R(W) media.

Official live install images for the testing release

These images are suitable for trying a Debian system and then install it from the same media. They can be written to USB keys and DVD-R(W) media.

The FAQ explains how to write these images to a USB flash drive.

See the Debian Live Project page for more information about the Debian Live systems provided by these images.