Installing the ESP32 Board add-on in Arduino IDE (Windows, Linux, Mac OS)

Arduino IDE supports many third-party development boards. To use a third-party board like ESP32, there is an add-on for the Arduino IDE. The add-on allows you to upload programs to the ESP-32 board and write the program in Arduino language. The add-on comes with some examples and the necessary library. 

This tutorial will explain installing and setting up a board for ESP32 in Arduino IDE. The process will work for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Let's dive into how to install ESP32 in Arduino ide?

Program ESP32 board in Arduino IDE

Preparation: Installing Arduino IDE

Before installing, you must install the latest version of Arduino IDE. To download Arduino IDE for free, Click Here/download/button. If you already have an older Arduino IDE, uninstall and install the latest version. Otherwise, the ESP-32 board add-on installation may not be possible.

Installing the ESP32 Board add-on in Arduino IDE

Follow the following steps to install the ESP32 board add-on in Arduino IDE:

    1. Open Arduino IDE and go to File > Preferences 

Step 1: Go to Preferences

    2. In the "Additional Board Manager URLs" field, enter the following URL and click ok:
https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json code-box

Step 2: Add ESP32 Board Package Index URL

Note: If you already have other boards' URLs, like the ESP8266 boards, you can separate the URLs with a comma (,) as follows:

http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json,https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json code-box

    3. Go to Tools > Board > Boards Manager… 

Step 3: Go to Board Manager

    4. Search for "esp32," and you will find an add-on called esp32 by Espressif Systems. Click on the Install button.

Step 4: Install ESP32 Board Add-on

It will take a few moments, depending on your internet speed.

Installing the ESP32 Board add-on in Arduino IDE

    5. The ESP32 board should be installed and integrated into your Arduino IDE shortly.

Testing ESP32 board in Arduino IDE

We are ready to program and upload the program in ESP32 from Arduino IDE. Attach esp32 through a USB cable to your computer. Open Arduino IDE and follow the steps:

    1. Go to Tools > Board and select your board from the board list. For my case, I have chosen the "ESP32 Dev Module".

    2. To select the port, go to Tools > Port. (If you can't find any port after connecting ESP32 to your computer, download the CP210x USB to UART Bridge VCP Drivers. Click here/download/button to download the required driver.)

    3. Now, let's upload an example program to the ESP32 board for the first time. Go to File > Examples > WiFi > WiFi scan. A new scratch will open with the example code. Click on the upload button to burn the program to the ESP32 board. The upload will be complete in a few seconds.

    4. Open Serial Monitor to observe the ESP32 activities at a baud rate of 115200. If nothing shows up, press the ESP32 restart button or enable button. You can also disconnect and reconnect the ESP32.

Summary

This article was a quick guide on Installing the ESP32 Board add-on in Arduino IDE on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS platforms. You can read more articles on Arduino projects by clicking the Button/button