Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Zero W and Python 3

You can set up an original Raspberry Pi Zero W with Raspberry Pi OS and start writing Python 3 code using only a microSD card and a suitable power supply. A monitor, keyboard, and mouse are optional: Raspberry Pi Imager can preconfigure Wi-Fi and SSH for a headless setup. The original Zero W has an unpopulated GPIO header, so a first hardware project also requires a header-equipped board or a separately attached header.

Check which Raspberry Pi Zero you have

This guide covers the original Raspberry Pi Zero W, not the faster Zero 2 W. The Zero W uses a BCM2835 processor, has 512MB of memory, and supports 2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0/BLE. Its 40-pin GPIO header is not populated. The Zero WH is the header-populated variant. See the Raspberry Pi Zero product page and the Raspberry Pi hardware table for model details.

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The Zero W has a microSD slot, mini-HDMI port, and two micro-USB ports: one for power input and one for peripherals. A standard HDMI display needs a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable or adapter. If you want to connect jumper wires directly to the board, you need a header-equipped model or a separately attached GPIO header.

Gather the essentials

• Raspberry Pi Zero W: Confirm that it is the original Zero W if you are following these model-specific details.
• microSD card: Raspberry Pi recommends at least 32GB for Raspberry Pi OS or 16GB for Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
• Power supply: Use a micro-USB supply. Raspberry Pi recommends 5V/2.5A for Zero models; plug it into the port marked POWER IN, PWR IN, or PWR.
• Computer with a card reader: You will use it to run Raspberry Pi Imager and write the operating system to the card.

For a desktop setup, add a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable or adapter, a display, and USB input devices. For a headless setup, you can skip those peripherals and connect over the network instead. The official Raspberry Pi getting-started guide covers the recommended card sizes, imaging, and display connection.

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Choose a desktop or headless setup

For the operating system, choose Raspberry Pi OS if you want a graphical desktop, or Raspberry Pi OS Lite if you are comfortable working at a command line. Lite is the leaner command-line option. The storage recommendations differ: at least 32GB for Raspberry Pi OS and 16GB for Lite.

Write Raspberry Pi OS to the microSD card

1. Download and open Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer.
2. Insert the microSD card, choose the Raspberry Pi Zero W as the device if prompted, and select Raspberry Pi OS or Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
3. Open Imager’s OS customization options. Set a hostname and username and password. For headless use, configure the Wi-Fi network and password, and enable SSH. Imager labels can change, so follow the current prompts in the version you install.
4. Write the image to the card and wait for Imager to finish. Remove the card safely, then insert it into the Pi while the Pi is unpowered.

Preconfiguring Wi-Fi and SSH is what makes the headless route possible. For a desktop setup, customization is still useful, but you can interact with the Pi directly after it boots.

Start the Pi and connect

Desktop path

1. Connect the display to the mini-HDMI port and attach the keyboard and mouse using compatible USB connections or an appropriate hub.
2. Connect the power supply to the port marked POWER IN, PWR IN, or PWR. Allow the Pi to boot, then follow the on-screen setup prompts if shown.

Headless path

1. Apply power and give the Pi time to start and join the configured Wi-Fi network.
2. From another computer on the same network, connect with an SSH client using the hostname and username you configured in Imager. For example, if the hostname is pizero and the username is alex, the command is ssh alex@pizero. If the hostname does not resolve, find the Pi’s address in your router’s connected-device list and use that address instead.
3. Accept the SSH host-key prompt only if you are confident the device is your Pi, then enter the password set during customization.

Confirm Python 3 and run a script

Raspberry Pi OS includes Python 3 pre-installed. Check it from a terminal or SSH session:

python3 --version

The command prints the installed Python 3 version. To try a program, create a file named hello.py containing:

print("Hello from the Raspberry Pi Zero W!")

Run it from the same directory with:

python3 hello.py

Install Python packages without changing system Python

Use apt for packages supplied by Raspberry Pi OS. Use pip inside a virtual environment when a project needs a package from Python’s package ecosystem. On Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and later, pip cannot install packages into the system Python environment; do not bypass that restriction because changing system-managed Python packages can cause operating-system problems. Raspberry Pi’s Python and GPIO documentation explains the distinction.

For example, install a distribution package with apt using the package name from its documentation:

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sudo apt update
sudo apt install <package-name>

For a pip package, create and activate a project virtual environment first:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install <package-name>

Replace <package-name> with the actual package you need. When the environment is active, run the project with its Python interpreter; deactivate it with deactivate when finished.

Try a GPIO Zero LED program safely

GPIO Zero is Raspberry Pi’s beginner-oriented library for controlling GPIO devices with Python. Before wiring anything, note that the original Zero W’s GPIO header is unpopulated. For an LED build, use a GPIO header and breadboard or another appropriate connection method, an LED, and a current-limiting resistor. GPIO operates at 3.3V: do not feed 5V to 3.3V components, and never connect a motor directly to a GPIO pin. Motors require a suitable H-bridge or motor controller. Raspberry Pi’s GPIO guidance describes these safety points and GPIO Zero.

After the hardware is safely assembled, the following documented example controls an LED assigned to GPIO17:

from gpiozero import LED
from time import sleep

led = LED(17)

while True:
    led.on()
    sleep(1)
    led.off()
    sleep(1)

The example turns the LED on and off with a one-second pause between states. The code assumes GPIO Zero is available in the Python environment running the script. The pin number here uses GPIO/BCM numbering, not the physical position number on the 40-pin header.

Quick Recap

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