🔌 Setting Up Raspberry Pi on macOS

Before I officially started my internship, I reached out to my manager to see if there was anything I could prepare in advance. I wanted to make sure my onboarding would go as smoothly as possible. I was asked to get familiar with the Raspberry Pi (4B) environment and try some light-edge computing experiments. Honestly, I was more familiar with web development and cloud-based APIs, so getting hands-on with hardware was a brand-new challenge for me.

This blog post is a quick guide for those, like me, using a Mac and setting up a Raspberry Pi for the first time. I’ll walk through what I bought, how I chose my tools, and why I opted for the official Raspberry Pi OS.

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💻 My Laptop Setup

I'm using a MacBook Air with the M3 chip (24GB RAM), and I also purchased a few specific tools to flash the SD card and access the Pi without a monitor. (SSH)

🧰 What I Bought: The Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

To save time and avoid compatibility issues, I bought a Raspberry Pi 4B (1GB RAM) starter kit, which included all I needed to get started:

• Raspberry Pi 4B board (1GB)

  The official website provides 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB options, but I purchased the 1GB one to save money. ( which I regretted later )

• USB-A microSD card reader (note: not Type-C)

• 32GB microSD card (preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS a.k.a. Raspbian)

  If your card doesn’t come preloaded, you’ll need to flash the OS yourself — don’t worry, I’ll walk through that shortly.

• Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable

• Pre-installed heat sinks and a cooling fan

• Transparent acrylic case

• Official power supply (5V 3A USB-C with on/off switch)

💡 Heads-Up for MacBook Air M3 Users

Since the MacBook Air M3 only has Type-C ports, and the card reader in my kit is USB-A, I had to use a USB-C hub or adapter (aka docking station) to plug everything in. If you're a Mac user, make sure your hub supports both USB-A and HDMI, in case you ever want to connect a monitor directly to the Pi.

This setup should be enough to power and run the Raspberry Pi without any additional peripherals. If you're planning to connect a display, mouse, or keyboard, you can always buy them later, but for most Mac users doing headless setup and remote SSH, this base kit is all you need.

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🛠️ Flashing the OS with Raspberry Pi Imager (macOS)

To install the operating system on the microSD card, I recommend using the official tool: Raspberry Pi Imager. It’s beginner-friendly, works well on macOS, and simplifies the process to just a few clicks.

Even if your SD card came preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS, I still suggest re-flashing it to make sure you're using the latest version.

🧭 Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Download the Imager

   • Visit the official Raspberry Pi Software page and download the macOS version of Raspberry Pi Imager.

   • Once downloaded, drag the .dmg file into your Applications folder and open the app.

2. Launch the Imager

   • After launching, you’ll see a simple window pop up.

     

   • You’ll need to select three things:

     • Raspberry Pi Device (optional, but helps tailor settings)

     • Operating System (OS)

     • Storage (your SD card + card reader)

       

       If you have difficulty finding the microSD card, try: Finder → (Search) Disk Utility

   • Click on Next, and then you can customize the OS settings (Optional)

     • You can hit the gear icon (⚙️) to pre-configure options like:

       • Enabling SSH

       • Setting up Wi-Fi

       • Creating a default username and password

     • Although this step is optional, it is super useful if you plan to run your Pi headlessly (without a screen or keyboard).

     • First, go to General

     • Second, go to Services

     • Please write down your SSH password! If you forget about it, you’ll need to re-flash them again. When you see writing 0%, your laptop has started writing to the SD card!