How to install Operating System on the Raspberry Pi from Windows, Mac and Linux

If you are interested in carrying out different projects with the Raspberry Pi , the first thing you need to know is how to install the operating system to this versatile board. So, that’s what we’re going to see. What tools do you need to install a new OS on the Raspberry Pi on Windows, Mac and Linux.

How to install an operating system on the Raspberry Pi from Windows

Raspberry-Pi
Before you begin, you should know that Raspberry Pi operating systems are installed on SD or MicroSD cards. Therefore, you will need a card with enough capacity to house the system and the possible data that you want to store as well. Between 8 and 16 GB is usually more than enough, although it will depend on the project. It is also important that it is Class 10 to reduce the maximum reading and writing times.

To correctly format the memory card you can use the SD Memory Card Formatter application , available for both Windows and Mac.

With that controlled, the next point you should know is how to install the operating system. For this you will need an application that dumps the data from the compressed file or image downloaded to the card.

BerryBoot

BerryBoot is one of the applications that make it easier to install any operating system on a Raspberry Pi on Windows computers. You can also use Wind32DiskImager . The steps to follow to do it are the following:

  1. Download and install BerryBoot from this link .
  2. Run the application and after accepting, select the unit where you are going to install the system (SD card).
  3. Select the operating system to install. If the options you are not interested in can be added.
  4. Ready, in a matter of minutes everything will be done.

You can now insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi and connect it to the power so that it turns on and everything starts.

Install a new operating system on the Raspberry Pi from macOS

ApplePi-Backer

If you use macOS as an operating system, the most recommended application to install new operating systems on the Raspberry Pi is ApplePi-Backer , which you can download from here.

Once the application starts you will see a window with a very simple interface. The first thing you should do is select the drive where you are or want to install the Raspberry Pi operating system, that is, the SD or microSD card.

If you want to make a backup copy of your current installation then you click on the Backup option, if on the contrary you want to install a new system you give Restore and select the image you are going to use.

Install Raspberry Pi OS on Linux

Linux users are the ones who will work the least to install an OS on their Raspberry Pi. Even so, if you want to do it and don’t know where to start, you will only need to use the command line and the flash utility.

To do this, follow these instructions commented by Ricardo Vega, and if you want to make an installation that you can then access directly via SSH visit this article .

  1. Install everything you need to make Flash work. Execute the following commands from the Terminal.
    sudo apt-get install -y pv curl python-pip unzip
    sudo pip install awscli
    uname -s
  2. Then, what you return is replaced by Darwin in the first of the following commands that we must execute: wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hypriot/flash/master/Darwin/flash
    chmod +x flash

    sudo mv flash /usr/local/bin/flash For example, if the uname -s command returns ‘Linux’ the command to be entered will be

    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hypriot/flash/master/Linux/flash

You can start your projects for Raspberry Pi

Now that you know how to install any operating system for Raspberry Pi, it’s time to start your projects. If you need inspiration, here is a good selection of ideas to entertain you.