Overview
The majority of the official micro:bit products, such as the BBC micro:bit GO, are sold with a micro USB cable and battery pack.
The micro:bit should be connected to your computer or Android device using the supplied micro USB cable. The cable provided is capable of data transfer and power supply. If you misplace the original micro USB cable, you need a like-for-like replacement micro USB cable. Some USB cables are only capable of supplying power and so will not work correctly with the micro:bit.
Connection via USB cable
When the micro:bit is connected to your computer or Android device with the correct micro USB cable, data can be sent and received between the BBC micro:bit and the computer. Programs can be downloaded, using webUSB from Windows, macOS, ChromeOS (Chromebooks), Android, and Linux (including Raspberry Pi) devices onto the micro:bit via this USB data connection.
How to connect the micro:bit to the computer
Connect the small end of the cable to your micro:bit and the other end to your computer's USB port. The micro:bit will show up as a disk drive called MICROBIT. If your computer does not have a Type-A USB port, you may need a special connector to convert the USB-A connector to your device or a cable with a Type-C connector. Please see 'Getting Started' to try out your first program.
If you see a disk drive named MAINTENANCE, and you didn't intend to switch the micro:bit to maintenance mode, then unplug the smaller USB cable connection and re-plug in the micro:bit, ensuring your fingers are not pressing the reset button on the back of the micro:bit.
If you are using a micro:bit V1. x
On a micro:bit V1.x, a yellow LED will flash (on the back of the micro:bit) momentarily when you connect, and then stay on. If you are using a micro:bit V1.3x, please ensure you are also using the most up-to-date firmware to enable webUSB downloads. For more information, refer to the V1-tuneup guide.
If you are using a micro:bit V2. x
On a micro:bit V2. x, a yellow LED will flash momentarily (on the back of the micro:bit) and then stay on, and a new red LED will be on (situated on the other side of the plugged-in USB cable to the yellow LED). All micro:bit V2.x supports webUSB downloads, so there should be no need to update the firmware, unless you are advised to do so when troubleshooting issues.
Connection via Bluetooth
It is not possible to connect a USB cable to an iPhone or iPad to download a program, as Apple does not allow this form of connection. The transfer of a program from an iPhone or iPad can only occur using the iOS app with Bluetooth.
For Android users, you can use a USB cable or the micro:bit app for Android, allowing you to transfer a program via
Bluetooth. For all iOS and Android app users, please see the getting started user guide for iOS and Android users.
If you have a BBC micro:bit Go pack, you will have been provided with a battery pack and 2xAAA batteries for use with the iOS and Android apps. Please use batteries sensibly, and refer to our complete safety guide for more information.
Troubleshooting USB cable connection
1. Check that the USB cable is capable of data transfer. See "What type of USB lead do I need for the micro:bit?".
2. Try another computer.
3. See if the micro:bit will show as a disk drive (also referred to as ' mounting ' in some Operating Systems; a computing term meaning to connect a file storage device [external] to a computer) in MAINTENANCE mode - this is achieved by holding down the power/reset button as you plug the micro:bit into the computer.
4. Check the operating system to see if the drive has mounted, but isn't showing up:
Windows - Open Device Manager and look under Disk Drives
Mac OS - Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities
Chrome OS - Open the Files app.
Ubuntu - Open Disks
Raspbian - Open File Manager
In each utility, the micro:bit should be listed as an external drive.
Disconnect
To disconnect the micro:bit, remove the USB cable from the computer or the device.
The micro:bit will store the last program that was running on it, so you can safely remove the USB, and the next time you plug it in, the program will start running again.
The micro:bit will also eject itself when it is reset and then reconnect. This also happens each time a new program is downloaded.
On Windows, you may receive a "Select to choose what happens with removable drives" notification.
On macOS, you may receive a "Disk Not Ejected Properly" notification.
This is normal behaviour, and you can safely ignore these messages.
On Chrome OS, open the Files app, look for the micro:bit device (down the left-hand side) and click the eject icon (the arrow icon pointing upwards to the right of the micro:bit drive).
On Ubuntu and Raspbian OS, the process is similar to Chrome OS; there will be an eject icon to allow you to safely remove your micro:bit.
If you are still having issues, see our article on troubleshooting with the BBC micro:bit or open a support ticket.
If you decide to raise a support ticket, please provide the following information:
- The version of the micro:bit used.
- The OS and browser used.
- The name of any anti-virus software you are running.