A new board sits idle until an operating system reaches its memory card. Raspberry Pi Imager does that job, and it hides two expert extras as well: setup with no screen attached, and cable-only installs on the Pi 4 and Pi 5. Version 2.0 rebuilt the app as a wizard. Here is what each stage does, and what to try when a write fails.
What Raspberry Pi Imager Does
The official tool writes bootable media for every board the Foundation sells. Choose a system and it pulls the file down, unpacks it, then burns it onto a microSD card, thumb drive or attached SSD.
Its edge over BalenaEtcher or Win32DiskImager is the built-in library. No archives to fetch by hand.
Beside Raspberry Pi OS you get LibreELEC, RetroPie, Recalbox and Home Assistant.
How to Download Raspberry Pi Imager on Windows, macOS and Linux
It costs nothing, with builds for Linux, macOS and Windows at raspberrypi.com/software. Windows and macOS users run the installer.
Debian-family machines use the terminal instead, and it pays to confirm which Ubuntu release you are on if the package version looks odd.
sudo apt updatesudo apt install rpi-imager
Choosing a Board and OS in Raspberry Pi Imager
Release 2.0 turned the app into a wizard, the left column listing every stage: Device, OS, Storage, Customisation, Writing, Done.
Screen one lists boards. Naming yours hides unsuitable builds later, since a first-run Zero has a 32-bit chip and no 64-bit support.
- Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit): Pi 5, Pi 4 and Pi 3. Apps run faster and all fitted memory, 8 GB included, gets used.
- Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit): required on the Pi 1, Pi 2 and Zero W.
- Raspberry Pi OS Lite: servers, smart-home hubs, Docker machines. No desktop, so demands stay tiny.
Below those sit Other specific-purpose OS and Other general-purpose OS. At the bottom, Use custom writes an .img or .iso from your own disk.
Picking the Drive at the Storage Stage
Slot the card or adapter in and choose it at Storage. Whatever sits there vanishes permanently, so leave Exclude system drives ticked, and a quick list of attached partitions confirms the target before you commit.
For projects meant to last, buy an A2-class card such as the SanDisk Extreme 64GB.
Raspberry Pi Imager Customisation Settings
The wizard walks itself into Customisation, posing one question per screen. Prefer a display and keyboard? Hit Skip customisation below.
Through version 1.9 these fields hid behind the cog icon or Ctrl + Shift + X, which 2.0 dropped in November 2025. App options at bottom left keeps only the program’s own preferences.
- Hostname: a name such as raspberrypi, reached later as raspberrypi.local.
- Localisation: capital city, which fixes the clock zone, wireless region and keyboard layout.
- User: a lowercase admin login. The old pi account is gone.
- Wi-Fi: name and passphrase, a Secured or Open switch, plus Hidden SSID.
- Remote access: switch on SSH, then password or public key authentication. An SSH config generator tidies the client side, and a permissions calculator settles key file modes.
- Raspberry Pi Connect: new in 2.0. A browser sign-in grabs the token for you.
Writing the Card and the First Startup
The Writing stage summarises board, system and drive, plus everything queued under Customisations. Press Write, agree to the prompt, and let the check finish. It proves no damaged data reached the card.
Slot the card into the board and power it through the official 27W supply. Allow two or three minutes while settings apply and the filesystem grows; the board sometimes restarts itself before answering on your network.
Cable-Only Network Install on the Pi 4 and Pi 5
Network Install suits the Pi 4, Pi 400 and Pi 5, which carry a bootloader chip (EEPROM). Keep it current through Choose OS, Misc Utility Images, Bootloader, Network Boot, and treat it the way you would any other firmware-level boot setting.
Then start the board with no card fitted but an Ethernet lead attached. A slimmed copy of Raspberry Pi Imager arrives on your display, and you burn the card there, with no computer involved.
Sorting Out Raspberry Pi Imager Errors
- Error writing, verification failed: faulty hardware causes 99% of cases. Swap the reader or the worn card.
- Card will not format: normal, since ext4 is unreadable to Windows. Use Erase (Format as FAT32).
- No Wi-Fi: recheck letter case in the network name, and any MAC filter on the router.
- failed to write to device, 0x0000045D: check the card’s lock slider, try another adapter, and right-click the icon to Run as administrator, which some setups need.
Copying a Card Into a Backup Image
Raspberry Pi Imager only writes. Reading a card back was asked for officially and closed as not planned.
Win32 Disk Imager, free from SourceForge, does both on Windows. Halt the board with sudo shutdown -h now, move the card across, start that tool as administrator, set a save path ending .img, pick its drive letter, then press Read, never Write.
Expect five to fifteen minutes and a file as big as the whole card, so shrink it with 7-Zip.
diskutil listlsblksudo dd if=/dev/diskX of=~/pi-backup.img bs=4M status=progressgzip ~/pi-backup.img
To restore, pick Use custom inside Choose OS and write your .img, or run sudo dd if=pi-backup.img of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress on Linux.
FAQs
Can I set up a Raspberry Pi with no monitor?
Yes. Fill in hostname, user, Wi-Fi and SSH during Customisation before writing. The board joins your network on first boot and answers at raspberrypi.local.
What causes verification failed in Raspberry Pi Imager?
Hardware, in 99% of cases. Test a different card reader or a fresh A2-rated card, then write the image again.
Can Raspberry Pi Imager back up an SD card?
No. It writes only. Use Win32 Disk Imager on Windows, or dd on macOS and Linux, to read a card into an .img file.
Which Raspberry Pi OS build should I pick?
64-bit for the Pi 3, Pi 4 and Pi 5. The Pi 1, Pi 2 and Zero W need 32-bit. Lite fits servers and hubs running without a desktop.
Does Network Install work on every board?
No. It needs the bootloader chip found in the Pi 4, Pi 400 and Pi 5. Older boards must be written from a separate computer.
