Using the picotool utility to manipulate the Pico.

How to use Picotool

Picotool is a command-line utility that can do useful things with a Pico connected over USB.

Installation

The easiest way to install Picotool is to download the pre-built versions.

Inside the zip file will be an executable called picotool (picotool.exe on Windows)

If you’re on Linux or macOS, it’s also easy to build it yourself: https://github.com/raspberrypi/picotool

Connect the Pico over USB and place it in BOOTSEL mode.

Get info on the connected Pico:

<path to picotool executable>/picotool.exe info

Upload an executable file to the Pico:

<path to picotool executable>/picotool.exe load build/onboard_led.uf2

You can use the load command on a Pico that’s not in BOOTSEL mode, as long as it has USB serial functionality enabled (Try with the Serial Monitor programs).

Remotely reset the Pico:

<path to picotool executable>/picotool.exe reboot