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Raspberry Pi Headless Setup Guide

Raspberry Pi Headless Setup Guide

Setting up a Raspberry Pi without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse (headless setup) is a convenient way to configure your Pi for remote use. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from flashing the OS to connecting via SSH and setting up Wi-Fi.

Prerequisites

  • A Raspberry Pi (any model, preferably with built-in Wi-Fi like the Raspberry Pi 4, 3B+)
  • A microSD card (16GB or larger, Class 10 recommended)
  • A microSD card reader
  • A power adapter suitable for your Raspberry Pi
  • A computer (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
  • A stable internet connection

Step 1: Download Raspberry Pi OS

Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) is the recommended operating system. You can download it from the official site:

Alternatively, use Raspberry Pi Imager to download and flash the OS.

Step 2: Flash Raspberry Pi OS to MicroSD Card

Use one of the following methods:

  1. Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager.
  2. Insert your microSD card into your computer.
  3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager and select:
    • Choose OS → “Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)”
    • Choose Storage → Select your microSD card
  4. Click Next and then select Settings (⚙️ icon) to configure headless setup:
    • Enable SSH (Use password authentication or set up an SSH key)
    • Set Wi-Fi SSID & Password (For Wi-Fi connection)
    • Set Hostname (Optional, but recommended)
  5. Click Write and wait for the process to complete.

Option 2: Using Balena Etcher

  1. Download and install Balena Etcher.
  2. Open Balena Etcher and select the downloaded Raspberry Pi OS .img file.
  3. Choose your microSD card as the target.
  4. Click Flash! and wait for the process to finish.

Step 3: Enable SSH and Configure Wi-Fi Manually

If you used Raspberry Pi Imager’s advanced settings, skip this step.

  1. After flashing, eject and reinsert the microSD card into your computer.
  2. Open the boot partition of the microSD card.
  3. Create an empty file named ssh (without any extension). This enables SSH access.
  4. Create a file called wpa_supplicant.conf and add the following content:
    country=US  # Change to your country code
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
network={
    ssid="Your_WiFi_SSID"
    psk="Your_WiFi_Password"
    key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}
  5. Save the file and eject the microSD card safely.

Step 4: First Boot and SSH Connection

  1. Insert the microSD card into the Raspberry Pi and power it on.
  2. Find the Pi’s IP address:
    • Check your router’s admin page
    • Use a network scanner like Angry IP Scanner
    • Use ping raspberrypi.local (only works on some networks)
  3. Open a terminal (or Command Prompt on Windows) and connect via SSH:
    ssh pi@raspberrypi.local
    OR
    ssh pi@<Raspberry_Pi_IP>
    Default password: raspberry

Step 5: Basic Configuration

Once connected via SSH, update and secure your system:

  1. Change the default password:
    passwd
  2. Update the system:
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
  3. Configure the Pi:
    sudo raspi-config
    • Change Hostname (System Options → Hostname)
    • Enable SSH and Wi-Fi (if not already set)
    • Expand Filesystem (Advanced Options → Expand Filesystem)
  4. Reboot the Raspberry Pi:
    sudo reboot

Step 6: Optional Enhancements

Set Up Static IP

To avoid IP changes on reboot:

sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf

Add at the end:

interface wlan0
static ip_address=192.168.1.100/24  # Change to desired IP
static routers=192.168.1.1  # Change to router's IP
static domain_name_servers=8.8.8.8  # Google DNS or your ISP’s

Save (CTRL+X, Y, Enter), then reboot.

Set Up SSH Key Authentication

For added security:

  1. On your local machine, generate an SSH key (if not already done):
    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
  2. Copy the key to the Raspberry Pi:
    ssh-copy-id pi@<Raspberry_Pi_IP>
  3. Disable password authentication for SSH:
    sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    Set PasswordAuthentication no, then restart SSH:
    sudo systemctl restart ssh

Install Useful Tools

sudo apt install vim htop git curl -y

Conclusion

Your Raspberry Pi is now fully set up for headless operation! You can SSH into it anytime and start using it for various projects like a media server, home automation, or a web server.