(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Booting Your Raspberry Pi for the First TimeĪfter you're done writing the Raspberry Pi OS to a microSD card, it's time for the moment of truth.ġ. There are other ways to do this, namely by downloading a Raspberry Pi OS image file and then using a third-party app to “burn it,” but the Imager makes it easier. Available for Windows, macOS or Linux, this app will both download and install the latest Raspberry Pi OS. Download and install the official Raspberry Pi Imager. Insert a microSD card / reader into your computer.Ģ. These steps should work on a using a Windows, Mac or Linux-based PC (we tried this on Windows, but it should be the same on all three).ġ. Once you have all the components you need, use the following steps to create the boot disk you will need to set up your Raspberry Pi. Downloading and Installing Raspberry Pi OS Follow our separate instructions for how to do a headless install on the Raspberry Pi, and you can control the device from the desktop of your PC or Mac, using VNC or SSH remote access software. If you just want to experiment with the Pi or use it to control physical objects like lights, motors and sensors, you don't need to give it its own screen and keyboard. It almost goes without saying, but you'll need some kind of card reader to write the OS to it from your PC. Be sure to get a card that's at least 8GB, preferably 32GB or higher, and has class 10 speed (see our list of best Raspberry Pi microSD cards). The Raspberry Pi has no internal storage, but instead boots off of a a microSD memory card that you provide. However, Raspberry Pi OS, a special version of Debian Linux that's optimized for the Pi, is the best platform for most use cases so that's the one we'll be explaining how to set up.

There are more than a dozen different OSes for Raspberry Pi, and there's even a way to run full Windows 11 on the Pi 4.

However, to avoid data loss, you'll want to use the shutdown feature in your operating system (OS) before unplugging or switching it off. You can also find power supplies with built-in on / off switches. The Pi doesn't have a built-in power switch, so the default way to turn it on is to plug it in. There are a number of power supplies that are made specifically for Raspberry Pis, including the official Raspberry Pi 4 power supply (opens in new tab) and the CanaKit 5V 2.5A supply (opens in new tab)for other Raspberry Pi models.

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