Installing an operating system on your Raspberry Pi just got a whole lot easier
I don’t know about you, but there’s always been something a little magical to me about installing an operating system on a fresh Raspberry Pi. It feels a bit like christening a new ship—this small, personal moment where you “wake up” a piece of hardware for the first time. And for years, most of us have turned to Raspberry Pi’s official Imager tool to get the job done.
I’ve personally never had any real problems with the old Imager, but clearly the team at the Raspberry Pi Foundation felt it could do even better. They’ve just rolled out version 2.0 of the Raspberry Pi Imager, and honestly, it looks like they’ve made the setup process smoother and more beginner-friendly than ever.
The new Raspberry Pi Imager v2.0 is here, and it makes the whole setup feel effortless
- Select your Raspberry Pi model
- Choose your operating system
- Pick your storage device
- Configure your system (hostname, location, user account, Wi-Fi, remote access, Raspberry Pi Connect, and interface settings)
- Write your image
- Done!
If you’ve installed an OS on a Pi more times than you can count (I see you, fellow hobbyists), you probably noticed something new here: you can now set up Raspberry Pi Connect during installation. No more fiddling with remote access later—just enter your Connect details, and your Pi will be ready to talk to you right from its first boot. It’s a small thing, but it feels like such a relief.
But the improvements aren’t just technical. The Raspberry Pi team clearly realized that this wizard might be someone’s first-ever experience with a Pi. So they made sure it feels welcoming: full screen-reader support, complete keyboard navigation, and even a fresh new color theme inspired by that classic Raspberry Pi red. It all feels more polished—like the software is happy you’re here.
If you want to dive deeper, the full announcement is on the Raspberry Pi blog. But if reading isn’t your vibe today and you’re itching to set up a new Pi, you can download the updated Imager right now. Just head over to the Raspberry Pi Imager download page and grab the latest version. Enjoy that “new hardware” excitement!
