Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 can't set Username/password on a custom image

[RichardHowells]

The quick start suggests using one of the prebuilt images, and mentions the need to use Raspberry Pi imager, or similar, to set a user id and password.

I discovered that the 2.0 version does not allow you to do that. I downgraded to the last of the 1.9 versions which does allow setting user id/password before burning the image to the SD card.

[billz]

Many users have observed this and are (reasonably, I think) unhappy about it. See https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?p=2350154

[RichardHowells]

Thank you.

[icorbett]

While this is indeed unclear in the docs, RaspAP is available in the ‘Other specific-purpose OS’ list under OS selection, and ‘Customisation’ works there.

[billz]

We've worked with the RPi engineers to have RaspAP added to Imager. The docs will be updated to reflect this shortly, thanks.

[icorbett]

In the meantime I discovered that if I download the Raspberry Pi Imager Content Repository JSON and modify it like this I am able to customize the latest version of RaspAP:

{
  "imager": {
    "latest_version": "2.0.3",
    "url": "https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/",
    "devices": [
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi 5",
        "tags": [
          "pi5-64bit",
          "pi5-32bit"
        ],
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_5.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi 5, 500 / 500+, and Compute Module 5",
        "matching_type": "exclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi 4",
        "tags": [
          "pi4-64bit",
          "pi4-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_4.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, 400, and Compute Module 4 / 4S",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi 3",
        "tags": [
          "pi3-64bit",
          "pi3-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_3.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ / B / B+ and Compute Module 3 / 3+",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi 2",
        "tags": [
          "pi2-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_2.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi 2 Model B",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi 1",
        "tags": [
          "pi1-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_1B+.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi 1 Model A / A+ / B / B+ and Compute Module 1",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W",
        "tags": [
          "pi3-64bit",
          "pi3-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_Zero_2_W.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "Raspberry Pi Zero",
        "tags": [
          "pi1-32bit"
        ],
        "default": false,
        "icon": "https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/icons/RPi_Zero.png",
        "description": "Raspberry Pi Zero, Zero W, and Zero WH",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      },
      {
        "name": "No filtering",
        "tags": [],
        "default": false,
        "description": "Show every possible image",
        "matching_type": "inclusive",
        "capabilities": []
      }
    ]
  },
  "os_list": [
    {
      "name": "Other specific-purpose OS",
      "description": "Home automation, 3D printing and specialised operating systems",
      "icon": "icons/cat_other_specific_purpose_operating_systems.png",
      "random": true,
      "subitems": [
        {
          "name": "RaspAP",
          "description": "The easiest, full-featured wireless router setup for Debian-based devices.",
          "icon": "https://raspap.com/assets/images/raspAP-logo.svg",
          "random": false,
          "subitems": [
            {
              "name": "RaspAP",
              "description": "The easiest, full-featured wireless router for Debian-based devices.",
              "icon": "https://raspap.com/assets/images/raspAP-logo.svg",
              "url": "https://github.com/RaspAP/raspap-webgui/releases/download/3.4.8/raspap-trixie-armhf-lite-3.4.8.img.zip",
              "extract_size": 3137339392,
              "extract_sha256": "5c8966508ce48ad501c592828130e58b06243cd3022ca0a7efc0e346d2ac0ed6",
              "image_download_size": 900438160,
              "image_download_sha256": "bbbd23713800844ce4d78be64bed7ac055802f47234663cfff0ae252ac1b1e96",
              "release_date": "2025-11-21",
              "init_format": "systemd",
              "devices": [
                "pi4-32bit",
                "pi3-32bit",
                "pi2-32bit"
              ],
              "capabilities": []
            },
            {
              "name": "RaspAP",
              "description": "The easiest, full-featured wireless router for Debian-based devices.",
              "icon": "https://raspap.com/assets/images/raspAP-logo.svg",
              "url": "https://github.com/RaspAP/raspap-webgui/releases/download/3.4.8/raspap-trixie-arm64-lite-3.4.8.img.zip",
              "extract_size": 3472883712,
              "extract_sha256": "d75180582284b178df06955878ceecbc48ebe4267b1ccb7d117a3a7330dd8fdb",
              "image_download_size": 928721821,
              "image_download_sha256": "125fd1f019e6831dbfebb115d87e694bc85bf5c4119b5426617fc9714087a1e9",
              "release_date": "2025-11-21",
              "init_format": "systemd",
              "devices": [
                "pi4",
                "pi5"
              ],
              "capabilities": []
            },
            {
              "name": "RaspAP Local (64-bit)",
              "description": "A port of Debian Trixie with the Raspberry Pi Desktop (Recommended)",
              "icon": "https://raspap.com/assets/images/raspAP-logo.svg",
              "url": "https://github.com/RaspAP/raspap-webgui/releases/download/3.5.0/raspap-trixie-arm64-lite-3.5.0.img.zip",
              "extract_size": 3472883712,
              "extract_sha256": "fda70f5b74d262d049b984701409afefe33fa1cf41d2bbe90578b125cb8f7021",
              "image_download_size": 930083318,
              "release_date": "2025-12-01",
              "init_format": "cloudinit-rpi",
              "devices": [
                "pi5-64bit",
                "pi4-64bit",
                "pi3-64bit"
              ],
              "capabilities": [
                "rpi_connect"
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}