The Raspberry Pi 400 is the most beginner-friendly Raspberry Pi ever made. It combines the full Raspberry Pi 4 computer into a keyboard, so there is no soldering, no bare board handling, and no separate case to assemble. Plug it into any TV or monitor, connect a mouse, and you have a complete Linux desktop computer in minutes.
This step-by-step setup guide walks first-time Pi 400 users through every stage — from unboxing to running your first Python script — with plain-language explanations designed for people who may be using Linux for the first time.
What You Need
Before you start, make sure you have these items ready:
Essential (must have)
- Raspberry Pi 400 — the keyboard computer itself
- MicroSD card — at least 16GB, Class 10 or faster recommended (32GB or 64GB is better)
- USB-C power supply — 5V, 3A minimum. The official Raspberry Pi USB-C supply is recommended; generic phone chargers may not deliver enough current
- Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable — the Pi 400 uses micro-HDMI (not standard HDMI); you need at least one cable to connect to your display
- Display — any monitor or TV with an HDMI port works perfectly
- USB mouse — a simple USB wired mouse; the Pi 400 does not include a mouse
- A second computer — to download and flash the OS onto the microSD card (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
Recommended (nice to have)
- Ethernet cable — for a more reliable internet connection than Wi-Fi during setup
- USB hub — for connecting multiple USB peripherals (the Pi 400 has 3 USB ports)
- Micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter — more compact than a full cable if you already have HDMI cables
Installing Raspberry Pi OS on a MicroSD Card
The Pi 400 needs an operating system on a microSD card to boot. The easiest way is to use the official Raspberry Pi Imager tool, which downloads and flashes the OS in one step.
Step 1: Download Raspberry Pi Imager
On your second computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux), go to raspberrypi.com/software and download the Raspberry Pi Imager for your operating system. Install and open it.
Step 2: Choose Device, OS, and Storage
- Insert your microSD card into your computer (using an SD card reader if needed)
- In Raspberry Pi Imager, click Choose Device and select Raspberry Pi 400
- Click Choose OS and select Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) — this is the Desktop version, recommended for beginners
- Click Choose Storage and select your microSD card (be careful to select the correct drive)
Step 3: Customise Settings (Important — Do This!)
Before flashing, click the gear icon (Settings) or click Next → Edit Settings. Here you can pre-configure:
- Username and password — set a memorable username (lowercase, no spaces) and password
- Wi-Fi network name and password — enter your home Wi-Fi details so the Pi 400 connects automatically on first boot
- Locale — set Timezone to Asia/Kolkata and Keyboard Layout to US (or your preference)
- Enable SSH — optional, but useful if you want to manage the Pi remotely from another computer
Pre-configuring these settings is much easier than configuring them through the desktop setup wizard later. Save the settings and proceed.
Step 4: Flash the Card
Click Write and confirm. The Imager will download Raspberry Pi OS (approximately 1.2 GB) and write it to the microSD card. This takes 5–15 minutes depending on your internet speed and card write speed. Do not remove the card until the Imager says it is complete and verified.
Physical Setup and First Boot
Connecting Everything
- Insert the microSD card into the slot on the underside of the Pi 400 (near the right edge when the keyboard faces you)
- Connect the micro-HDMI cable between the Pi 400’s left HDMI port (labelled HDMI0) and your TV or monitor
- Connect your USB mouse to any of the three USB ports on the rear of the Pi 400
- If using a wired Ethernet connection, plug it in now
- Finally, connect the USB-C power supply to the USB-C port on the rear
First Boot
As soon as power is connected, the Pi 400 starts booting. There is no power button — the Pi 400 powers on the moment the USB-C supply is connected. You will see the Raspberry Pi logo and a rainbow splash screen on your display within a few seconds, followed by the boot process (text scrolling briefly), and then the Raspberry Pi OS desktop.
If you pre-configured your settings in the Imager, first boot will take a couple of minutes as it expands the filesystem and applies your settings, then reboots and presents the desktop. If you did not pre-configure settings, a setup wizard will walk you through country, timezone, Wi-Fi, and password configuration.
First Boot Configuration
Once the desktop appears, take a few minutes to configure the essential settings.
Verify Internet Connection
Click the network icon in the top-right of the taskbar. If you pre-configured Wi-Fi, you should see your network listed as connected. If not, click your Wi-Fi network and enter the password. Verify connectivity by opening the Chromium browser and loading a webpage.
Set the Correct Display Resolution
Go to the Raspberry Pi menu (top left) → Preferences → Screen Configuration. If your display is not at its native resolution, right-click on your display in the layout editor and set the correct resolution. Click Apply. This is particularly important when using a TV as a monitor — Pi OS may not autodetect the correct resolution.
Enable Required Interfaces
If you plan to use GPIO sensors or cameras, enable the relevant interfaces now. Go to Raspberry Pi menu → Preferences → Raspberry Pi Configuration → Interfaces. Enable I2C, SPI, and/or 1-Wire as needed for your hardware projects. These can also be enabled later via the terminal.
Configure Sound
Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar to select your audio output. If using HDMI to a TV with built-in speakers, select HDMI as the audio output. For Bluetooth speakers, click the Bluetooth icon and pair your device.
Updating Software
Before doing anything else, update all installed software to the latest versions. This is critical for security and compatibility. Open the Terminal (black icon in the taskbar, or Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yThis downloads a list of available package updates (update) and installs them (upgrade). The first time you run this on a fresh install, it downloads and installs a significant number of updates — this can take 10–30 minutes depending on your internet connection. Let it complete fully before rebooting.
After the update completes:
sudo rebootYour Pi 400 will restart and come back to the desktop, fully updated.
Installing Recommended Software
Raspberry Pi OS Desktop comes with a good selection of pre-installed software, but here are additional tools most users will want.
Visual Studio Code (for Programming)
sudo apt install code -yThe official VS Code ARM64 build is available in the Raspberry Pi OS repository from 2023 onward. After installation, find it under Programming in the applications menu. Install extensions for Python, C++, and any other languages you need.
Git (Version Control)
sudo apt install git -y
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"Python Libraries
pip3 install numpy pandas matplotlib requests flaskNote: On Bookworm, use pip install inside a virtual environment or use sudo apt install python3-numpy python3-pandas etc. for system-wide installation.
VLC Media Player
sudo apt install vlc -yVLC handles hardware-accelerated video playback on Pi and is the best media player for the Pi 400.
Useful Utilities
sudo apt install htop neofetch curl wget unzip -yIntroduction to GPIO on Pi 400
The Pi 400’s 40-pin GPIO header is accessible at the rear of the keyboard, just to the right of the USB ports. Unlike a bare Pi board where the GPIO header sticks up vertically, the Pi 400’s header is flush-mounted horizontally. This means standard breadboard jumper wires can connect, but it is slightly less convenient than a standalone Pi board.
GPIO Pinout
The Pi 400 uses the same 40-pin GPIO layout as all other Raspberry Pi models with this header. Refer to the standard Raspberry Pi GPIO pinout diagram (available at pinout.xyz). Key pins:
- Pins 1, 17: 3.3V power
- Pins 2, 4: 5V power
- Pins 6, 9, 14, 20, 25, 30, 34, 39: Ground
- GPIO 2, 3: I2C SDA/SCL
- GPIO 9, 10, 11: SPI MISO/MOSI/SCLK
First GPIO Project: Blink an LED
Here is the simplest Python GPIO project — blinking an LED:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time
LED_PIN = 18 # GPIO 18 = physical pin 12
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(LED_PIN, GPIO.OUT)
try:
while True:
GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH)
time.sleep(1)
GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)
time.sleep(1)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
GPIO.cleanup()Connect an LED with a 330Ω resistor between GPIO 18 (pin 12) and Ground (pin 14). Run the script with python3 blink.py — the LED will blink once per second.
Tips for Getting the Most from Pi 400
Use a Quality MicroSD Card
The microSD card is effectively the Pi 400’s SSD — its speed directly affects boot time, application launch speed, and overall responsiveness. Invest in a Class 10 / A1 or A2 rated card (Sandisk Ultra or Samsung Evo series). Avoid generic no-name cards which are often much slower than advertised.
Manage Storage with Symbolic Links
If your microSD fills up, you can attach a USB flash drive or external SSD and move large folders (downloads, projects) to external storage with symbolic links:
mv ~/projects /media/username/usb-drive/projects
ln -s /media/username/usb-drive/projects ~/projectsShutdown Correctly
Always shut down via the menu (Raspberry Pi → Shutdown) or sudo shutdown now before removing power. Pulling the USB-C while the Pi is running can corrupt the microSD card.
Keep the OS Updated
Run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y monthly to keep your system secure and benefit from performance improvements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the Pi 400 without any configuration using a pre-loaded SD card?
Yes. You can buy microSD cards pre-loaded with Raspberry Pi OS from some Indian electronics retailers. However, pre-loaded cards may have an older OS version — running the update process as described above is still recommended. Using the Raspberry Pi Imager yourself ensures you get the latest OS version with all security patches.
What should I do if the Pi 400 shows no display on first boot?
First check that you are using the correct HDMI port — the Pi 400 has two micro-HDMI ports. By default, the left port (HDMI0) is the primary output. Also ensure your TV/monitor’s input is set to the correct HDMI channel. If the display shows a blank screen (not even the Pi logo), re-check your micro-SD card is fully inserted and the OS was correctly flashed — remove and re-insert the card while powered off.
How do I connect the Pi 400 to mobile hotspot?
Click the network icon in the taskbar, select your mobile hotspot’s Wi-Fi network name, and enter the hotspot password. The Pi 400 supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi. Mobile hotspot speeds are adequate for software downloads and general use. For intensive downloads, using an Ethernet cable with a USB-to-Ethernet adapter on your phone or router is more reliable.
Can I overclock the Raspberry Pi 400?
The Pi 400 already runs at 1.8 GHz, which is overclocked versus the standard Pi 4 (1.5 GHz). The keyboard chassis acts as a heat spreader, enabling this. Further overclocking to 2.0 GHz is possible by editing /boot/config.txt or /boot/firmware/config.txt, but results vary by unit and it may cause instability. Given that the Pi 400 already uses the thermal headroom effectively, further overclocking has limited benefit for most use cases.
How do I take a screenshot on the Raspberry Pi 400?
Press the Print Screen key on the Pi 400 keyboard to capture the full screen. Screenshots are saved to the home directory (/home/username/) by default. You can also use the Screenshot application found under Accessories in the applications menu for more options like timed screenshots and window-specific captures.
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