🍓 Raspberry Pi OS Installer for macOS

Interactive bash script for creating a bootable SD card with an operating system for Raspberry Pi directly from macOS.

Purpose

The script automates the entire OS installation process on an SD card:

• Raspberry Pi model selection
• Operating system and architecture selection
• Image download
• Bootable media creation
• Headless access configuration (SSH, WiFi)

Supported Models

Category	Models
32-bit only	Pi 2 Model B v1.1
32-bit / 64-bit	Pi 3B, 3B+, 3A+, Pi 4B, Pi 400, CM3, CM3+, CM4, CM4S, Zero 2 W
64-bit only	Pi 5, Pi 500, Pi 500+, CM5

Supported Operating Systems

• Official: Raspberry Pi OS (Lite, Desktop, Full)
• Ubuntu: Server 22.04/24.04, Desktop 24.04
• Minimal: DietPi, Alpine Linux
• Media Center: LibreELEC, OSMC
• Retro Gaming: RetroPie, Batocera, Lakka, Recalbox
• Smart Home: Home Assistant OS
• Audio: Volumio, moOde Audio
• Security: Kali Linux, OpenWrt
• Desktop: Manjaro ARM, Twister OS
• Advanced: Arch Linux ARM, RISC OS

Requirements

• macOS with Bash 3.2+
• Installed tools: curl, xz, gzip, unzip
• SD card (min. 8 GB recommended)

# Install dependencies via Homebrew
brew install xz

Usage

chmod +x rpbios_install.sh
./rpbios_install.sh

Installation Flow

1. Model selection – script displays list of compatible Pi models
2. OS category selection – 10 categories by purpose
3. OS selection – only compatible systems for chosen model
4. Architecture selection – 32-bit/64-bit (if available)
5. Confirmation – selection summary before download
6. Download – with option to enter custom URL on failure
7. SD card selection – waits for insertion if not found
8. Image write – using dd to raw disk
9. Headless configuration – optional SSH and WiFi setup
10. Completion – safe card ejection

Safety Features

• Displays only external disks (cannot accidentally erase system disk)
• Requires YES confirmation before writing
• Verifies downloaded file integrity
• Offers manual URL entry on download failure

Troubleshooting

Download failed

Script offers options:

1. Enter custom URL
2. Retry download
3. Use existing image
4. Quit

SD card not found

Script waits for card insertion – press Enter to refresh.

Extraction error

File may be corrupted. Try downloading again or enter an alternative URL.

License

MIT