There are many different official varieties. The next step is then to select which operating system you would like. Raspberry Pi have recently released a new tool called 'Raspberry Pi Imager' that simplifies the process of flashing SD cards with the operating system.įirstly, you'll need to download the Raspberry Pi Imager for your specific operating system, you can find all of the links at the top of the Raspberry Pi Downloads Page.Īfter you've downloaded the imager, install and launch it:

For this step you'll need a separate computer. The next step is to install the operating system onto the SD card. 8GB is the recommended minimum for Raspbian but you could possibly fit it all on a smaller SD card. SD cards also come in a variety of sizes. The SD card that I have below is class 10 (which you can see by the 10 in the small circle). Most places online recommend a class of 10 or higher. SD cards are given a class which summarises what kind of speeds you should expect to get from the SD card. I have a small collection of ones that work fine in Raspberry Pis but if you're looking for a new one it's good to look out for: Unlike most other things, it's quite important to have a good quality SD card for your Raspberry Pi. I often find myself setting up a Raspberry Pi and I always forget the right way to set it up headlessly (without anything plugged in but power) so I thought I'd write a quick post about how I end up setting them up.Īlthough, I'm referring to a Pi Zero W for this post, these same instructions can be applied to any Raspberry Pi with a built-in Wi-Fi adapter or a compatible USB Wi-Fi adapter.

Raspberry pi zero setup