Raspberry Pi OS Installation

Install Raspberry Pi OS for Raspberry Pi 5 on an SD card directly from MacBook

Step 1: Download the Raspberry Pi OS

1. Visit the Raspberry Pi website and download the Raspberry Pi Imager for macOS.
2. If you want a specific version of Raspberry Pi OS, you can also download an image from the OS images section. Save it to your computer.

Step 2: Install Raspberry Pi Imager on macOS

1. Open the downloaded Raspberry Pi Imager .dmg file.
2. Drag the Raspberry Pi Imager icon into your Applications folder.

Step 3: Write the OS to the SD Card

1. Insert the SD card into your MacBook using an SD card reader if needed.
2. Open the Raspberry Pi Imager from your Applications folder.
3. Select Choose OS and pick the version of Raspberry Pi OS you want. You can choose from standard Raspberry Pi OS versions or select “Use custom” if you downloaded a specific image.
4. Choose your SD card under Choose Storage.
5. Click Write and confirm. The Imager will download the OS (if not already downloaded) and write it to the SD card.

Step 4: Eject the SD Card

Once the writing process completes, safely eject the SD card from your MacBook.

You’re now ready to insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi 5 and power it up! It should boot directly from the SD card with the installed Raspberry Pi OS.