Raspberry Pi Raspbian 64bit headless setup

raspbian-64bit-headless.md

Raspberry Pi Raspbian 64bit headless setup

A step-by-step guide for running a headless Raspbian 64bit kernel and OS on Raspberry Pi. The provided configuration has been tested on models 3B, 3B+ and 4B.

Instructions

1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager application.

2. Use the application to download Raspbian Lite (under Raspbian (other)) and write the image on your SD card.

3. Setup wireless connection configuration by creating wpa_supplicant.conf file in the boot folder:

   ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
   update_config=1
   country=<country alpha-2 code here>
   
   network={
   	ssid="<wifi name here>"
   	psk="<wifi password here>"
   }
   

   • You can find your country code here
   • Alternatively, you can use Ethernet cable to connect to the network

4. Enable SSH access by creating an empty ssh file in the boot folder.

5. Enable 64bit kernel by adding the following line at the end of config.txt file in the boot folder:

   arm_64bit=1
   

6. Safely eject the SD card from your computer, insert it into Raspberry and connect the power cable.

7. Find an IP address of the Raspberry through router web interface (or other methods) and connect to it through SSH:

   ssh pi@<ip address here>
   

   • You will be asked to authenticate. By default, the password is raspberry.
   • Optionally, you can also set a static IP address for easier access in the future.

8. Change following settings in raspi configuration by running:

   sudo raspi-config
   

   1. Set up custom password in Change User Password
   2. Update timezone in Localisation Options -> Change Timezone
   3. Enable full capacity utilization of the SD card through Advanced Options -> Expand Filesystem

9. Update installed packages:

   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
   

10. Reboot the Raspberry:

    sudo reboot
    

Notes

• You can check the currently used kernel with:

   uname -a
  

• Some models might only support 2.4GHz wireless network connections
• A forum thread about 64bit Raspbian with troubleshooting tips can be found here