balenaEtcher: Flash OS Images to USB Drives & SD Cards
Cross-platform, open-source, and obsessively simple to use.
What is balenaEtcher?
balenaEtcher is a modern OS image flasher designed to simplify the process of creating bootable drives. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux—giving developers and tinkerers alike a clean, cross-platform solution for safely writing images to USB and SD storage media.
Whether you’re flashing Raspberry Pi images, bootable Linux distros, or experimental OS builds, Etcher ensures write validation and reduces the risk of accidentally nuking your internal drive.
Download Etcher
| Platform | Installer | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | x64 Installer (.exe) | Download |
| macOS | Universal (.dmg) | Download |
| Linux (AppImage) | x64 (.AppImage) | Download |
| Linux (Debian) | .deb package | Download |
| Linux (Red Hat) | .rpm package | Download |
Core Features
- Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Write validation: Ensures the image was properly written and won’t fail at boot.
- Safe drive detection: Protects your system drives by default.
- Modern UI: Electron-powered with drag-and-drop support.
- Open Source: Built using JS, Node.js, and Electron.
- Multi‑write with EtcherPro: Flash up to 16 drives simultaneously.
About EtcherPro
EtcherPro is the hardware evolution of Etcher—capable of writing to multiple drives simultaneously at high speed. Ideal for mass deployments or industrial use.
Developer Links & Community
Download balenaEtcher: Flash OS Images to SD Cards & USB Drives
Flash. Flawless.
Flash OS images to SD cards & USB drives, safely and easily.
Why balenaEtcher?
Here at balena we have thousands of users working through our getting started process, we found there was no easy way for our users to flash an SD card that we could recommend to everyone.
So we built Etcher, an SD card flasher app that is simple for end users, extensible for developers, and works on any platform.
- Create USB installation media from bootable ISOs
- Install almost any OS to almost any flash drive
- Offer an easy way for your users to flash your OS using our ‘Flash with Etcher’ feature
Features
- Validated Flashing – Etcher confirms that your flash has completed, enjoy peace of mind that your card will boot and isn’t corrupted.
- Hard Drive Friendly – Etcher gives you warnings and hides your system drives by default to avoid accidentally wiping your entire hard-drive.
- Beautiful Interface – Who said flashing SD cards has to be an eyesore. Etcher has an intuitive 3-step process with no command lines!
- Open Source – Made with JS, HTML, Node.js and Electron. Etcher is built on open source tools and is and always will be free and open source to use!
- Cross Platform – Works for everyone whether you are on Windows, Linux or Mac with no complicated install instructions.
- Simultaneous Writing – Using balena EtcherPro you can flash up to 16 drives at once. Find out more here.
Download Etcher
Looking for Debian (.deb) packages or Red Hat (.rpm) packages?
balena Etcher Pro
EtcherPro: A standalone hardware device using balena Etcher to write up to 16 SD, mSD, SSD, or USB drives simultaneously at high speed.
Write to multiple cards or USB disks at once, at extreme speeds.
- Multi‑Write – Duplicate up to 16 SD Cards, USB Sticks, or External Hard Disks from a web source or physical drive.
- Insane Speeds – Up to 52 MB/s per port when flashing 16 drives; up to 200 MB/s on a single drive, if the drive supports it.
- Ergonomic Design – Large touchscreen, user‑friendly layout, angled slots for comfortable use.
Community & Support
If you have a question about Etcher, or are a fan and want to help other users troubleshoot, join us in our forums.
Etcher is free and open‑sourced, maintained by balena staff but welcoming contributions from the community. Go to GitHub to contribute.
Your users can now install your OS straight from your website using the ‘Flash with Etcher’ button. Get the code.
Explore More
- balenaCloud – Container‑based platform for deploying IoT devices
- Your first 10 devices are always free and fully featured. Learn more.
Note: All content above is directly sourced from balenaEtcher’s official download page, preserved here for accuracy.