The Raspberry Pi is a computer like any other, with a “proper” desktop OS in the form of Raspberry Pi OS that is packed with options. Whether you’re new to the world of single-board computers or are looking for blind spots you might have missed, here are some settings you should consider changing and how to do so.
Make these changes with the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool
All of these settings can be changed using a built-in configuration tool, whether you’re using Raspberry Pi OS in desktop mode or booting straight to the command line. To do this, open a new Terminal window (in desktop mode) and run the following:
sudo raspi-config
From here, use the arrow keys to navigate the menu. When you’re done, select “Finish” from the root menu to save and apply your changes.
Turn screen blanking on or off
System Options > Screen Blanking
Screen blanking determines whether your Raspberry Pi should ever stop outputting a video signal to the display it’s connected to. For most computers, this is a normal setting to have enabled, but that’s not necessarily true of the Pi. If you’re using your Pi to power a dashboard or photo frame that should always stay on, you probably want screen blanking off.
You can also change the time using the xset s [value] command, where [value] is the time in seconds. The default value is 600 (10 minutes), and you can see your current setting by running xset q.
Change your default password
System Options > Password
You set your Raspberry Pi password when creating an image, though older releases used the defaults of “pi” and “raspberry” for the username and password combination. If ever you need to change it, this is where you can do it for the current account.
Change your hostname
System Options > Hostname
The hostname is what your Raspberry Pi uses to identify itself on the network. You might want to change this if you have multiple Raspberry Pi units or if you build a Pi project for a specific purpose and you want to more easily identify it on the network.
The default here is raspberrypi (of course), but you can come up with another one using letters A to Z (it’s not case sensitive), numbers, and hyphens (though not at the start).
Enable SSH, VNC, and more
Interface Options > SSH or VNC
\Secure Shell, or SSH, allows you to communicate with your Raspberry Pi using a command line over a network connection. Virtual Network Computing, or VNC, is a means of achieving the same result but with a graphical user interface, also over a remote connection.
You can enable both of these under the Interface Options menu, alongside a few other protocols like Raspberry Pi Connect (a web-based remote access solution), serial communication, and remote GPIO access.
Toggle the USB current limit
Performance Options > USB Current
Having a USB device draw too much current from your Raspberry Pi could cause instability or damage to your Pi. This is especially true if you’re using an inadequate power supply that doesn’t provide the 5V over 5A (25-27W) that newer Pi 5 devices expect. The USB current limit can help limit the power draw that may cause problems.
The best way to overcome these limits is to add a powered USB hub to your Pi to cover any devices that introduce excessive power draw (like smartphones that try to charge).
Change your Pi’s boot order
Advanced Options > Boot Order
By default, your Pi will boot from SD card, but this isn’t always ideal. If you’re frequently messing around with new images but you have your core Raspberry Pi OS installed on an SSD, you might want to change this to avoid starting the wrong OS on boot.
You can also choose network boot here, which in the context of the Raspberry Pi means installing the operating system on a memory card over the internet (rather than Wake-on-LAN).
Choose an audio output
System Settings > Audio
The Raspberry Pi only supports HDMI output by default on account of there being no 3.5mm stereo port on the board. But you have the option of adding an aftermarket HAT that connects to your GPIO pins or even adding a USB audio interface. If you go this route, you’ll want to change where audio is routed using the Audio setting.
Switch window system between X and Wayland
Advanced Settings > Wayland
The X11 is a window system that’s been around since 1984 and was previously the default choice for Raspberry Pi OS before the Bookworm release. The project has since switched over to the newer Wayland system, with a choice of labwc and Wayfire compositors.
Wayland with labwc is arguably the “best” choice since it’s more modern, and the Wayfire compositor is no longer being maintained. Wayland is more efficient, has better scaling, and offers smoother animations. Unfortunately, some apps designed for X11 may experience problems.
If you’re having issues with older software, then you might want to use X11 as a fallback. If you’re not sure what you’re using, run the echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE command in Terminal. You’re not going to “break” your Raspberry Pi OS install by doing this, so experiment and see which works better for whatever apps you’re using.
Looking to get more out of your Pi? Consider adding active cooling to push the hardware to its limits.
