Welcome to Arduino! Before you start controlling the world around you, you'll need to set up the software to program your board.

The Arduino Software (IDE) allows you to write programs and upload them to your board. In the Arduino Software page you will find two options:

1. If you have a reliable Internet connection, you should use the online IDE (Arduino Cloud Editor). It will allow you to save your sketches in the Cloud, having them available from any device and backed up. You will always have the most up-to-date version of the IDE without the need to install updates or community generated libraries.

2. If you would rather work offline, you should use the latest version of the desktop IDE.

Code online on the Arduino Cloud Editor

To use the online IDE simply follow these instructions. Remember that boards work out-of-the-box on the Cloud Editor, you only need to install Arduino Create Agent to get started.

Install the Arduino Desktop IDE

To get step-by-step instructions select one of the following link according to your operating system.

• Windows

• macOS

• Linux

• Portable IDE (Windows and Linux)

• ChromeOS (Arduino Create App) in the Chrome Web Store

Choose your board in the list here on the right to learn how to get started with it and how to use it on the Desktop IDE.

Learn Arduino

• Read an introduction on what is Arduino and why you'd want to use it.

• What is the Arduino Software (IDE)?

• Libraries: Using and installing Arduino Libraries.

• Cores: Need to add a new board to your Arduino Software? Install the related core and manage it.

• Troubleshooting: Advice on what to do if things don't work.

For a complete list of Guides visit the Learn section, where you will find in-depth knowledge about the principles and techniques behind the Arduino platform.

Making the Arduino Starter Kit projects and reading the book 'Getting Started with Arduino' are great ways to start learning and tinkering with coding and electronics.

Arduino Education

The text of the Arduino getting started guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Code samples in the guide are released into the public domain.

General Care - Cleaning Your Board

Now you know how to get started with your Arduino board, so here are a few basic tips on caring for your Arduino in the future:

• Despite the temptation to carry on with your project through dinner, try to avoid eating and drinking whilst using your Arduino board - it doesn’t like getting wet, and there’s nothing worse than food crumbs in your headers!
• If your Arduino has been running a project for the past few months and gathered a fair amount of dust, try using any readily available Air Duster - these are ideal for removing dust and debris from the surface of the board and difficult to reach areas such as the ports and between the pins.
• Please do your best to not spill liquid on your board. As accidents do happen though, if you inadvertently spill something sticky on your board and are lucky enough that it still works then we’d recommend using an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) wipe to safely remove grease, dirt and dust from the board. N.B. please ensure your board is disconnected from the computer or battery before applying the IPA wipe.
• Open source and Arduino are all about sharing ideas, content, software and even hardware. Given these challenging times with Covid-19, if you are intending to share your Arduino board with other people to use (e.g. students in a classroom), we would recommend disinfecting the board by using a 222nm UV Sterilization Lamp - ONLY one that comes in a cabinet for safe use.

Finally, please wash your hands.

License

The text of the Arduino getting started guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Code samples in the guide are released into the public domain.