Raspberry Pi OS Installation
There are many operating systems available to run on the Raspberry Pi, but we'll be using the latest version of the Raspberry Pi OS for this tutorial. There are also several different ways to install the OS on your Raspberry Pi, but the easiest is using the official Raspberry Pi Imager software.
Note: What happened to N00BS (New Out Of the Box Software) for customizing the installation? That software has been discontinued, but there are similar options available for dual-boot or multi-boot installations.
This is the simplest way to get Raspbian installed on your Raspberry Pi. Official installation instructions are available from the Raspberry Pi website.
From the official Raspberry Pi Downloads page, download Raspberry Pi Imager for your OS (Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu apps are available).
Next, open the Raspberry Pi Imager app and insert the microSD card into your computer. Choose your device, then an operating system to install. We'll stick with Raspberry Pi OS Lite (port of Debian 12 Bullseye in this case) for a headless Raspberry Pi (you'll want the 64-bit version if you're using a Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or 400). Then choose your microSD card from the Storage options.
Click Next and check out the Advanced Options by choosing the Edit Settings from the OS Customisations modal. You'll be prompted to prefill the wifi password from your System Keychain (if on a Mac). I declined this option as I'll be adding this Raspberry Pi to a wired network.
From the OS Customisation modal you can set a hostname, username and password, configure the wireless LAN, enable SSH, and more. This will speed up your OS setup time, but all of these options can be done from the Raspberry Pi Configuration Tool later as well.
Note: It's highly recommended to set the hostname, username, password, and then enable SSH here during setup. This allows you to continue setup of your Raspberry Pi without ever having to connect it to a monitor, mouse, or keyboard. Just SSH in to the device from your Mac or PC!
Save your customisations and then continue with the format and install. The process may take several minutes to format the microSD card, write the files, and verify everything (you may have to enter your computer's username/password to continue).
After the write is successful, Raspberry Pi Imager should automatically eject the volume and you can remove the microSD card from your computer when prompted.
Now insert the card into your Raspberry Pi and boot it up to a fresh install of Raspberry Pi OS. If you connect the device to a monitor, you should see the boot sequence and eventually a login prompt. Enter your custom username and password to login (if you didn't add them in the OS Customisations, the default username and password from a Raspberry Pi are pi and raspberry, respectively).
