Early versions of the Raspberry Pi could only boot from SD cards, but newer ones can boot from any USB device, like an external drive or USB stick. Here's how.

USB boot has been possible since the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (v1.2), but it has only become really worthwhile with the Pi 4. Here is some information, tips, tricks and opinions explaining why and how.

Some USB thumb drives do not work, but as long as you stick with a Sandisk or Samsung, you should be okay. More interesting than USB booting is the ability for the Pi 3 to boot over the network.

The Pi-Desktop Kit add-on board includes a connection for an mSATA SSD drive. I am going to look at adding one, and using it for simple disk storage expansion and for booting the Raspberry Pi.

1. What to Do if Your Raspberry Pi 5 Won't Boot As the fifth full generation of Raspberry Pi boards, the Pi 5 is a little more reliable than earlier models.