Get the Etcher application and use that to write the image to your SD card (no need to extract it from the archive, just write it).ģ. Lite is usually preferred for headless, but either version will work (don't use NOOBS).Ģ. So this is how you setup a Pi for headless boot.ġ. And when people say to put the 'ssh' and 'wpa_nf' files into /boot, they are referring to the tiny FAT32 partition (not a folder named boot).

So after writing a Raspbian image your Windows (or Mac) computer will only see a tiny SD card called boot. The second partition will expand to fill the card and is formatted with the Linux ext4 file system which Windows can't read by default (you will only see the tiny FAT32 partition in Windows). The first partition (labelled boot) is a tiny Windows readable FAT32 partition. This is found on the underside of the PCB, on the back of the Mini HDMI port.Writing a Raspbian image to an SD card with Etcher will result in 2 partitions. Note that you can also connect a Pi Zero to a non-HD display via the TV header. A utility for installing the operating system (either Raspberry Pi Imager or Etcher)Įven if you plan to use the Pi Zero 2 W in headless mode (that is, without a display), having a display handy for the set-up is useful.USB keyboard and mouse or similar input device.Mini-HDMI cable: this should have a full-sized HDMI connector at one end.USB card reader (if your PC doesn’t have one built-in).microSD card: 32Gb is a good size, but up to 1TB is supported.Power supply unit (PSU): the official Raspberry Pi PSU with micro-USB power connector is the best option.To get your Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W up and running, you will need: What You Need to Set Up a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

Raspberry pi zero w headless setup