Effortlessly flash OS images to UBS drives and/or SD cards with the help of this cross-platform utility
What’s new in balenaEtcher 1.5.122:
- Restore image file selection LED-drive pathing [Lorenzo Alberto Maria Ambrosi]
- Update scripts submodule [Lorenzo Alberto Maria Ambrosi]
- Change LEDs colours [Lorenzo Alberto Maria Ambrosi]
- Windows images now show the proper warning again [Lorenzo Alberto Maria Ambrosi]
Burning an image file (ISO file) to a flash drive or other external mediums can be accomplished with ease, especially with the help of various specialized apps.
balenaEtcher is one such app and it works just as well on all major operating systems out there: Windows, macOS, and Linux. It’s an Electron-based app (built with Electron, JS, HTML, and node.js) and its main purpose is to make the whole burning process as enjoyable as it can be.
It allows you to burn ISOs to either flash drives and SD cards, as well as other external storage devices.
Etcher’s advantages
balenaEtcher is not the only app of this sort, but it’s definitely one of the best, especially for beginners or day-to-day users.
It’s fast, boasts a very pleasing and functional GUI, and validates the whole flashing procedure, so you don’t have to repeat the process by using corrupted storage devices.
Perfect for beginners, but not the most complex tool out there
balenaEtcher’s simplicity can be considered a double-edged sword. While it may prove to be ideal for beginners, some users might want something more from a tool of this sort.
To keep it short, balenaEtcher offers little in terms of customization. You can tweak aspects such as format options, cluster size, and file system. With Etcher, you simply select the location of an image file, select the drive you want to burn it to, and press the all-mighty “Flash!” button. It’s as simple as that.
Verdict
balenaEther stands out from the crowd thanks to a very beautiful interface and its overall simplicity. It’s one of those tools that “just works” for just about anybody as it doesn’t require configuration. It’s also really fast, something that might come as a surprise for many.
