meshtastic/docs/software/python-flasher.mdx

---
id: flasher
title: Using Meshtastic Python Flasher
sidebar_label: Python Flasher
slug: /software/python/flasher
sidebar_position: 5
---

import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
import Link from '@docusaurus/Link';

:::caution
Make sure not to power the radio on without first attaching the antenna! You could damage the radio chip!
:::

## Overview

Meshtastic Flasher (aka m-flasher) is a graphical user interface for flashing [supported devices](/docs/hardware) with Meshtastic.
The following operating systems are currently supported: Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu.

## Prerequisites

### Verify that Python3 is installed

<Tabs
groupId="operating-system"
defaultValue="linux"
values={[
{label: 'Linux', value: 'linux'},
{label: 'macOS', value: 'macos'},
{label: 'Windows', value: 'windows'},
]}>
<TabItem value="linux">

```shell title="Check python3 version"
python3 --version
# If version is less than v3.6, please update python3
```

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="macos">

```shell title="Check python3 version"
python3 --version
# If version is less than v3.6, please update python3
```

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="windows">

```shell title="Check python3 version"
python3 --version
# If version is less than v3.9+, please update python3
```

</TabItem>
</Tabs>

### Install or Update Python3

<Tabs
groupId="operating-system"
defaultValue="linux"
values={[
{label: 'Linux', value: 'linux'},
{label: 'macOS', value: 'macos'},
{label: 'Windows', value: 'windows'},
]}>
<TabItem value="linux">

```shell title="Install python3, pip, and venv"
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv
```

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="macos">

- [Download directly from python.org](https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/)
- [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/): `brew install python@3.9`
- [MacPorts](https://www.macports.org/)

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="windows">

- [Download directly from python.org](https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/)

</TabItem>
</Tabs>


### Install App

For **Windows**, the [installer](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-gui-installer/releases/download/winapp1.0.3/meshtastic-flasher.zip) will manage installing python and flasher updates automatically.

For **macOS** and **Linux**, it is recommended that you install using `pip`.

<Tabs
groupId="operating-system"
defaultValue="linux"
values={[
{label: 'Linux', value: 'linux'},
{label: 'macOS', value: 'macos'},
{label: 'Windows', value: 'windows'},
]}>
<TabItem value="linux">

```shell title="Install Meshtastic Flasher"
python3 --version
# ensure you are using at least python v3.6
# change to a directory where you want to create a python virtual environment
mkdir some_dir
cd some_dir
# if the following command fails, it might tell you what package to install
python3 -m venv venv
# activate the python virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate
# your prompt should change - it should include "(venv) in the front
# upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install meshtastic-flasher
```

```shell title="Running Meshtastic Flasher"
meshtastic-flasher
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="macos">

```shell title="Install Meshtastic Flasher"
python3 --version
# ensure you are using at least python v3.6
# change to a directory where you want to create a python virtual environment
mkdir some_dir
cd some_dir
python3 -m venv venv
# activate the python virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate
# your prompt should change - it should include "(venv) in the front
# upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install meshtastic-flasher
```

```shell title="Running Meshtastic Flasher"
meshtastic-flasher
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="windows">

```shell title="Install Meshtastic Flasher"
# open a command prompt
# create a new directory for the python virtual environment
cd c:\
mkdir some_dir
cd some_dir
# check that python version is sufficient, must be at least v3.9+
python -m venv venv
# activate the python virtual environment
venv\Scripts\activate
# your prompt should change - it should have (venv) at the beginning
pip install meshtastic-flasher
```

```shell title="Running Meshtastic Flasher"
meshtastic-flasher
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

## Flashing the Device

The Meshtastic Flasher will flash the latest firmware on esp32 and nrf52 devices. This is a newly developed application (as of February 1, 2022), so there may be some issues discovered as it is tested by users.

There are three steps:

1. Click the **GET VERSIONS** button to get the versions available (from GitHub).
2. Click the **DETECT DEVICE** button to determine the port and device variant connected.
3. Click the **FLASH** button to flash the version selected using the port selected to the device.

## Issues?

If you run into an issue, please create a ticket here: [Flasher Issues](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-gui-installer/issues)

The code can be found at the [Meshtastic-gui-installer repo](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-gui-installer)

## Known limitations

The following are known limitations:

- Raspberry Pi is not available, since it is arm-based and there are no pre-built libraries for [PySide](https://wiki.qt.io/Qt_for_Python)
- Ubuntu 20.04 is the version used for testing, it may work with other versions.
- See [README](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-gui-installer/blob/master/README.md) for more details.