Raspberry Pi Pico First Program Guide

Select the Board and Port in the IDE

1. In the Arduino IDE, go to Tools → Board → Raspberry Pi RP2040 Boards and select Raspberry Pi Pico (or Raspberry Pi Pico W if applicable).
2. Go to Tools → Port and select the port your board appears on:
   • Windows: COM3, COM4, etc.
   • macOS: /dev/cu.usbmodemXXXX
   • Linux: /dev/ttyACM0

If the port doesn't appear yet and the Pico still shows as the RPI-RP2 drive, that's expected — it will switch to a serial port automatically after the first sketch is uploaded. See Hardware Setup for entering bootloader mode.

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Run a Test Sketch

1. Open File → Examples → 01.Basics → Blink.
2. Click Upload. The first upload may take slightly longer as the IDE puts the board into the correct mode automatically.
3. The onboard LED should start blinking once your sketch runs.

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Troubleshooting

• Pico shows up as a drive (RPI-RP2) but not as a port — flash any sketch once and it will switch to a serial port for future uploads.
• Upload fails / board not detected — hold BOOTSEL while plugging in the USB cable — see Hardware Setup — then try uploading again.
• Garbled text in Serial Monitor — make sure the monitor's baud rate matches your sketch's Serial.begin() value (commonly 115200).

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What's Next?

• Browse Raspberry Pi Pico tutorials & projects
• Try JustFlash to flash pre-built firmware directly from your browser — no IDE required
• Explore Basic Electronics fundamentals like resistors, LEDs, and breadboards

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