Next, you will need to install the Raspberry Pi Imager. Usually, you will find, after downloading the installer, it will be placed into the downloads directory.

Installation is self-explanatory, although you may want to read over each explainer in the prompt that appears during installation. Our advice would be to leave all the default configurations, including the installation directory.

In our instance, following the installation, we found there was no icon placed on the desktop to launch the application; therefore, we searched the start menu with the phrase “Raspberry Pi Imager” and clicked on it from the search results.

If you have followed each step correctly, you will find a nice bright prompt appear on your screen with Raspberry Pi written on the window; there’s no way it can be missed!

Go ahead and insert the memory card into your device. Remember, in our instance, we have used an external memory card reader since ours didn’t have a built-in option.

We need to start by making some alterations in accordance with your setup. Firstly, you will need to click on the dropdown for Raspberry Pi Device. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be using a Raspberry Pi 4. You will need to select the correct option according to the type of Raspberry Pi you own. Next, click on the Operating System option. I would recommend selecting the very first option, which should be Raspberry Pi OS (64-BIT). Lastly, we need to select the storage option and select where you would like the Raspberry Pi OS to be installed. Usually, there should be only one option on the dropdown list; however, if there is more than one option, you should identify it by the storage capacity. For example, we are using a 32GB memory card, so we selected the option that stated a 32GB memory card.

Press Next, and you will see a window prompt asking whether you would like to apply OS Customization Settings. Select No.

Another window will prompt to confirm any existing data stored on the memory card will be erased. Generally, you would select the Yes option; however, in your case, if you have anything stored on the memory card, it may be a good idea to create a backup before you continue.

You made it through. If that all went well, you will see a progress bar on the Raspberry Pi Imager displaying a percentage of how far it’s into writing the OS onto the memory card.

Allow a few moments for the verification to complete. The Raspberry Pi Imager will verify whether it has written the OS file correctly. Upon completion, you will have a message on your screen stating a successful installation. At that stage, you may select the continue option to close the confirmation window. It will also be safe to close the Raspberry Pi Imager window by clicking on the X in the top right-hand corner.

You may now insert the memory card into the Raspberry Pi and proceed to power it on for the first time. (Just to be on the safe side, don’t forget to eject your memory card.)

We appreciate instructions can be helpful, but if you want to see these instructions live in action, we have crafted a video especially for you that runs you through each step. You can visit our YouTube Channel by clicking here or to be redirected directly to the instructions, you may also click here.