Raspberry Pi Imager

Overview

Raspberry Pi Imager is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation for burning operating system images (such as .img and .zip files) to a microSD card or USB drive, creating bootable media for running Raspberry Pi devices (such as the Raspberry Pi 3, 4, 5, and Zero). It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, is based on the Qt 6.7.2 framework, and is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Raspberry Pi Imager is designed to simplify the installation of Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) and other operating systems (such as Ubuntu, LibreELEC, and Home Assistant). It provides an intuitive graphical interface (GUI) and advanced configuration options (such as presetting Wi-Fi, SSH, and hostname settings), making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

History and Development

• Origin:
  • March 2020: The Raspberry Pi Foundation released Raspberry Pi Imager 1.0, based on the PiBakery and NOOBS tools and developed by Floris Bos to simplify SD card flashing.
  • This version addresses the complexity of finding the latest images and flashing them for beginners, surpassing the manual process of balenaEtcher.
• Development History:
  • March 2021 (1.2): Added advanced configuration menu (Shift+Ctrl+X), supporting preset Wi-Fi and SSH.
  • February 2022 (1.7): Advanced configuration moved to the gear icon, supporting Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
  • 2023: Support for USB drives and more distributions (such as Home Assistant and Ubuntu Core) will be added. - June 2025 (1.9.6): The latest version uses Qt 6.7.2, features an optimized UI, supports arm64 and x64 architectures, fixes Windows signing issues, and adds .zip file handling.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the open source community, the GitHub repository (github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-imager) has 3,000 stars.
  • Support channels: Raspberry Pi forums (forums.raspberrypi.com), GitHub Issues, and official documentation (raspberrypi.com/documentation).
  • A Reddit user commented, "Raspberry Pi Imager is more user-friendly than balenaEtcher, and the automatic download is very convenient."
• Open Source License:
  • Apache License 2.0.

Key Features

Raspberry Pi Imager is designed for simplicity, speed, and customization, making it ideal for burning images of Raspberry Pi OS or other operating systems. Here are its key features:

1. Intuitive Graphical Interface
   • Three-step operation: select the device (Raspberry Pi model), select the OS (automatically download or locally image), and select the storage (microSD/USB).
   • Supports .img, .zip, and other formats, and automatically formats to FAT32.
2. Cross-Platform Support
   • Supports Windows (7 and above), macOS (10.14 and above), and Linux (.deb, Snap, and source code compilation), and can be run on the Raspberry Pi itself.
3. Automatic Download and Extensive OS Support
   • Built-in support for Raspberry Pi OS (Full, Lite, Legacy), Ubuntu, LibreELEC, RetroPie, Home Assistant, and more.
   • Supports custom images, which require manual download.
4. OS Customization
   • Preconfigured hostname, Wi-Fi, SSH, username/password, time zone, and keyboard layout.
5. Authentication and Security
   • Automatically verifies image integrity after burning to prevent corruption.
   • Supported formats: .img, .zip, .xz, etc.
6. Raspberry Pi and IoT Support
   • Supports all Raspberry Pi models (Pi Zero, 3, 4, and 5), and is compatible with microSD and USB booting.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Ease of Use:
  • Automatically downloads the OS in three steps, perfect for beginners and superior to UNetbootin's outdated interface.
  • Post X says, "Raspberry Pi Imager 38-second tutorial video, really easy."
• Cross-Platform:
  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and even the Raspberry Pi itself.
• OS Customization:
  • Preconfigured Wi-Fi, SSH, and hostname, surpassing the basic functionality of balenaEtcher.
• Wide OS Support:
  • Built-in support for Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, Home Assistant, and more, caching downloads to speed up re-burning.
• Open Source and Free:
  • Apache License 2.0, ad-free.

Limitations

• Telemetry Controversy:
  • Telemetry is enabled by default and must be disabled manually.
  • Solution: Run with --disable-telemetry or edit Imager.conf.
• Resource Usage:
  • The Qt framework results in a file size of approximately 100 MB, requiring 1-1.5 GB of RAM, less than balenaEtcher's Electron.
  • Solution: Use a lightweight alternative like Ventoy:
• Supports only physical devices:
  • Cannot create .img files directly; Win32 Disk Imager must be used.
• Limited Windows ISO Support:
  • Windows ISOs are not supported; Rufus must be used.

Summary

Raspberry Pi Imager is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation for burning Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, and other images to microSD cards or USB drives. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and the Raspberry Pi itself. The latest version, 1.9.6 (June 2025), is based on Qt 6.7.2 and offers an intuitive GUI, OS customization (Wi-Fi, SSH, hostname), automatic download and verification, and is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Raspberry Pi Imager is suitable for both beginners and advanced users, simplifying Raspberry Pi system installation. It surpasses the outdated interface of UNetbootin and the basic functionality of balenaEtcher, but telemetry must be manually disabled and .img file creation is not supported. Compared to Ventoy (which supports multiple ISO boots) and Rufus (which is Windows-only), Raspberry Pi Imager's customization and official support make it a better choice for Raspberry Pi projects.