Learn the basics of uploading a sketch in Arduino IDE:

1. Open Arduino IDE
2. Connect the board to your computer
3. Board package installation
4. Select board and port
5. Upload a sketch

What you’ll need:

• A computer running Windows, macOS or Linux
• Arduino IDE
• An Arduino board
• A compatible data USB cable

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1. Open Arduino IDE

If you haven’t done so already, download Arduino IDE from the software page. You can find installation instructions here.

2. Connect the board to your computer

Next, connect to board to your computer with a USB cable. This will both power the board and allow the IDE to send instructions to the board. You’ll need a data USB cable (a charge-only cable will not work), with connectors that fit both the board and your computer.

Arduino boards use different USB connectors:

• USB-B (UNO Rev3, UNO WiFi Rev2, Mega boards)
• Mini-B USB (Nano)
• Micro-B (Nano Family boards (except the classic Nano), MKR Family boards)
• USB-C (Portenta boards, UNO Mini Limited Edition)

The most common USB connector is USB-A, but newer laptop computers may only have USB-C.

3. Install board package

To compile and upload sketches for your board Arduino IDE needs a collection of files for that board called a board package.

When Arduino IDE detects a board with a missing board package, it may ask you to install the missing files:

• In IDE 2, click Yes.

  

• In IDE 1, click Install this package:

  

If no prompt appears, proceed with the next step. If you at any point need to manually find and add a missing board package, see Add boards to Arduino IDE.

4. Select board and port

Port and board selection can be managed in two ways:

• Using the board selector (requires IDE 2)
• Using the Tools menu

Using the board selector

Follow these steps to use a connected board:

1. Find the board selector and click to open.

2. A list of ports will be displayed. If a board could be identified, the board name will be displayed, otherwise, it will display “Unknown”.

   

3. Click on a port to select it.

When you select a board, the following may occur:

• If it is unknown, the “Select Other board and port” dialog will open. See Select board and port in Arduino IDE for details.

• If the board could be identified, but you are missing the board platform, you may be asked to install it:

  • Select Yes to automatically install the board package in the background.

  • Select Install manually to view the package in the Board Manager.

To learn more about installing boards, see Add a board to Arduino IDE.

Using the Tools menu

Select board:

1. Click on Tools in the menu bar and find the Board row. If a board is currently selected it will be displayed here.

   

2. Hover over the Board row to reveal the installed board packages. These packages contain some popular boards:

   Package	Boards
   Arduino AVR boards	Arduino Uno, Arduino Mega, Arduino Nano (classic)
   Arduino megaAVR boards	Arduino Uno WiFi Rev2, Arduino Nano Every
   Arduino SAMD (32-bits ARM Cortex-M0+) Boards	MKR Zero, MKR WiFi 1000, MKR WiFi 1010, and other MKR boards
   Mbed OS Nano boards	Arduino Nano 33 BLE, Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense, Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect

   Troubleshooting: If you don’t know which package to use, or if it’s missing from the list, see Add a board to Arduino IDE.

3. Click on a board to select it.

Select port:

1. Click on Tools in the menu bar and find the Port row. If a board is currently selected it will be displayed here.

   

2. Hover over the Port to reveal all ports. For Arduino devices, the board name will typically be displayed after the port, for example:

   • COM3 (Arduino Uno)
   • /dev/cu.usbmodem14101 (Arduino Uno)
   • /dev/ttyACM0 (Arduino Uno)

3. Click on a port to select it. If the port with your board is already selected you don’t have to do anything. If you don’t see your board in the list, see If your board does not appear in the port menu.

   Troubleshooting: If you don’t see your board in the list, or if the port menu is missing, see If your board does not appear in the port menu.

5. Upload a sketch

1. Write a sketch, or use an Example such as Blink (File > Examples > 01.Basics > Blink).

2. Optional: Click the Verify button to try compiling the sketch and check for errors.

3. Click the Upload button to program the board with the sketch.

Your sketch will start running on the board. It will run again each time the board is reset.

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Troubleshooting

• Make sure you’ve followed the steps before, especially selecting the board and port correctly.
• If you can’t find your board in the port menu, or if the Tools > Port port menu is missing, see If your board does not appear in the port menu.
• If you get an upload error, see Errors when uploading a sketch.