Raspberry Pi Makes OS Installation Easier, More Accessible with Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0

Raspberry Pi has announced the launch of a "complete reimagining" of its Imager tool for downloading and installing operating systems for its eponymous single-board computer and computer-on-module product families — promising improved accessibility and a new easier-to-understand wizard-based interface.

"Today, I’m delighted to introduce Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0: a complete reimagining of the application that’s been brewing in our development pot for the past year," says Raspberry Pi's Tom Dewey of the new software. "Five years ago, we introduced Raspberry Pi Imager in the hope that we could make getting started with Raspberry Pi much simpler than the typical workflow of the time.

"Since then, we’ve added new features, expanded customization options, and listened carefully to your feedback. But as the application progressed, so did the strain on the interface. Eventually, the size of the customization form grew so large that it became unwieldy. Today’s update responds to this challenge."

Raspberry Pi traditionally offered its Linux-based Raspberry Pi OS as a disk-image download, for installation onto a microSD Card — or, later, USB storage, M.2 SSDs, or the eMMC of a Raspberry Pi Compute Module — using a tool like dd or Balena's Etcher. To assist those new to computing, Raspberry Pi Imager was born — a tool that can both write existing images to disk and also download new images, both of Raspberry Pi OS itself and third-party Raspberry Pi-compatible operating systems like RISC OS.

The new release doesn't change this core functionality, but does expose it in a more accessible way: the evolution of the Raspberry Pi range from a 32-bit processor to a 64-bit one means that multiple versions of the operating system are developed side-by-side, and not all versions will work on all models of Raspberry Pi. The new Imager addresses this with a "wizard" interface walking the user through selecting the right version of Raspberry Pi OS for their target Raspberry Pi.

Other improvements include the ability to pre-configure Raspberry Pi Connect, the company's browser-based remote access solution, and improved accessibility with full labeling for screen readers and the ability to navigate the app by keyboard alone.

The software is now available to download for Raspberry Pi OS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Apple macOS from the Raspberry Pi downloads page.