Raspberry Pi Pico Hardware Setup
What You'll Need
- A Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico W board
- A Micro-USB cable with data lines
- A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
No additional USB drivers are required for the Pico on Windows 10/11, macOS, or Linux — it uses standard USB CDC/UF2 modes recognized natively.
Connect Your Pico in Bootloader Mode (First Time Only)
- Press and hold the BOOTSEL button on your Pico.
- While holding it, plug the Pico into your computer via USB.
- Release the button — the Pico will mount as a USB mass-storage drive named RPI-RP2.
This step is only needed the first time, or if you need to recover a board that won't connect normally. Once Arduino-compatible firmware is flashed, the IDE can upload directly without BOOTSEL.
Troubleshooting
- Pico shows up as a drive (RPI-RP2) but not as a port — this is normal before the first sketch upload; 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 to force bootloader mode, then try again.
Next: Install the Software
Once your Pico is connected, head to the Software Setup guide to install the Arduino IDE and the Pico board package.
➡️ Continue to Software / IDE Setup
