In this guide, we will learn to install Raspberry Pi OS (Raspbian) in Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi needs an operating system to work. The official supported operating system is Raspberry Pi OS, formerly called Raspbian. You can skip these steps if your microSD card has NOOBS preinstalled.
Before moving on make sure to check out
Raspberry Pi Imager
Raspberry Pi Imager is the quick and easy way to install Raspberry Pi OS and other operating systems to a microSD card, ready to use with your Raspberry Pi. Download Raspberry Pi Imager from the official website here.
Mounting microSD Card to Computer
It is necessary to have a microSD card of minimum 32GB for best performance. You can use SD card of any storage capacity above this.
If your computer does not provide a SD card slot, you can either use
- microSD Card Adapter
- USB Adapter microSD Card Reader
Once you have connected to your computer, and it has been detected you are ready to install.
Installation
In your Imager,
- Choose the type of Raspberry Pi device, i.e. the model of Raspberry Pi that you have.
- Choose the operating system, in our case it is the Raspberry Pi OS, you will have the subtitle stating “(Recommended)”. It is advised to choose 64 bit OS rather than 32 bit OS, if the option shows up, for better functionality and combability.
- Choose the storage device, i.e. the SDHC Card which you have inserted to your computer.
Click on “NEXT”. You will get a pop up for OS customization. Click on “EDIT SETTINGS”.
Throughout the guide, we will use the following settings. Some of these settings would already be filled for you by Imager.
Select GENERAL in the ViewPager. Tick all the major checkboxes and set to following
Hostname: raspberrypi
Username: pi
Password: raspberry
SSID: It is your network LAN, you can put the name of you Wi-Fi or Hotspot.
Password: It is the password of LAN / Wi-Fi / Hotspot
Make sure to uncheck Hidden SSID, if you are not aware.
Wireless LAN Country: 2 letter country code, your country code should match to you network, Check your country code here.
Time Zone: Scroll through the drop down to set your zone
Keyboard Layout: Different countries have different keyboard layouts according to their preferences, set yours through the drop down.
It should look like this.
Select SERVICES in the ViewPager. Tick Enable SSH and opt for Use password authentication. It should look like this
Select OPTIONS in the ViewPager. All these settings are optional, I prefer tick all checkboxes.
Finally, click on SAVE and YES.
You might get a warning stating that all the data on your micoSD card would be erased, click on YES.
The installation has started and would take anywhere from few second to up to minutes depending on your system speed and the speed of your SD card.
The Imager would write data, verify and then eject the SD card. After the installation you would get a success prompt.
Inserting microSD Card into Raspberry Pi
Remove the SD card. Insert it underneath in a slot in Raspberry Pi such that the top of your SD Card faces downwards while inserting it into the Raspberry Pi.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Raspberry Pi OS into your Raspberry Pi.
Next check out on how to power on your Raspberry Pi.
