This is a lightweight image writing app with a simple four-step GUI for creating LibreELEC USB/SD Card installation media on Linux, macOS and Windows. It automatically displays the currently available downloads (defaulting to the latest release) and detects OS locale to switch the GUI to a matching local language.
Changes to master language (en_GB) strings can be submitted via pull request to this GitHub repo. English strings are periodically synchronised to a Transifex project: https://www.transifex.com/libreelec/libreelec-usb-sd-creator allowing contributors to translate them into other languages. Translated strings are periodically synchronised from Transifex back to this repo for inclusion in the next release.
Pull requests for all other languages will be rejected. You will be asked to submit changes via Transifex.
Requests for new languages should be made on Transifex. Once a new language has been approved it will be added to the translation project where you can conribute translated strings.
Please note: languages are translated by people (you) not magic!
Issues should be reported via the forum here: https://forum.libreelec.tv/board/41-usb-sd-creator-support
Build instructions are supplied for Windows x64 (Installer and Portable), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Ubuntu Linux (x86_64). Instructions have been tested locally on Windows 11, macOS Sonoma and Ubuntu 24.04.
Note: the offical release for Windows is built using Visual Studio
Install the latest msys2 via the installer (not the base installer): https://repo.msys2.org
After the install, from the resulting msys2 console install mingw:
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-cmake mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc mingw-w64-x86_64-ninja mingw-w64-x86_64-zlib mingw-w64-x86_64-qt6-base mingw-w64-x86_64-qt6-tools
Add msys2 to PATH: C:\msys64\mingw64\bin.
Note: you must use a standard commnd prompt when using mingw for the build.
https://jrsoftware.org, download and install the latest stable version.
Add Inno Setup to PATH: C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6.
Clone the repository to %UserProfile%/usb-sd-creator
git clone https://github.com/LibreELEC/usb-sd-creator.git
Assuming the repo is in your home directory
cd %UserProfile%/usb-sd-creator
cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja && cmake --build build
cmake --preset release-ninja && cmake --build --preset release
cpack --preset release
cpack --preset release -G ZIP
cd build
cpack -C Debug
Run the installer in build/cpack. Then run the app from Start Menu: LibreELEC USB-SD Creator x64.
To see the available Qt versions run:
aqt list-qt windows desktop
To see the available compiler versions run:
aqt list-qt linux desktop --arch 6.7.2
Install the required packages:
aqt install-qt --outputdir %UserProfile%/Qt windows desktop 6.7.2 win64_msvc2019_64 --archives qtbase qttools opengl32sw d3dcompiler_47 --external 7z.exe
aqt install-qt --outputdir %UserProfile%/Qt windows desktop 6.7.2 win64_msvc2019_64 --modules debug_info --external 7z.exe
Install Visual Studio Community 2022 from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com. Note that you only require the Desktop C++ package which you can select in the online installer.
Note that the command prompt is to be used thoughtout the MSVC build must be started from a standard command prompt for x64 as follows: "C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Community/Common7/Tools/VsDevCmd.bat" -arch=x64 -host_arch=x64.
Clone the repository to %UserProfile%/usb-sd-creator
git clone https://github.com/LibreELEC/usb-sd-creator.git
Assuming the repo is in your home directory
cd %UserProfile%/usb-sd-creator
cmake -S . -B build -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="%UserProfile%/Qt/6.7.2/msvc2019_64" && cmake --build build
cmake --preset release-msvc -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="%UserProfile%/Qt/6.7.2/msvc2019_64" && cmake --build --preset release
cd build
cpack -C Debug
cpack --preset release
cpack --preset release -G ZIP
Run the installer in build/cpack. Then run the app from Start Menu: LibreELEC USB-SD Creator x64.
The build requires both python3 and cmake. If you don't have them installed, run the following commands:
brew install python
brew install pipx
brew install cmake
Make sure that /opt/homebrew/bin is in your PATH.
Now install aqt, a command line package manager for Qt:
pipx install aqtinstall
pipx ensurepath
To see the available Qt versions run:
aqt list-qt mac desktop
To see the available compiler versions run:
aqt list-qt linux desktop --arch 6.7.2
Install the required packages:
aqt install-qt --outputdir ~/Qt mac desktop 6.7.2 --archives qtbase qttools
Clone the repository to ~/usb-sd-creator
git clone https://github.com/LibreELEC/usb-sd-creator.git
Assuming the repo is in your home directory
cd ~/usb-sd-creator
cmake -S . -B build -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="/Users/$USER/Qt/6.7.2/macos" && cmake --build build
cmake --preset release -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="/Users/$USER/Qt/6.7.2/macos" && cmake --build --preset release
Simply double click the app from a finder window in the build folder in the repo: build/LibreELEC USB-SD Creator
Run the app from the command line, that will prompt for a password:
./build/LibreELEC\ USB-SD\ Creator.app/Contents/MacOS/LibreELEC\ USB-SD\ Creator
Or:
Run the app from the command line using sudo
sudo ./build/LibreELEC\ USB-SD\ Creator.app/Contents/MacOS/LibreELEC\ USB-SD\ Creator
If you need to, install Qt Creator:
brew install --cask qt-creator
Then simply open CMakeLists.txt in Qt Creator
Build the xcode project, and open the project file in Xcode, located in the build folder (note you may need to clear any previous build files before genreating for XCode):
cmake -S . -B build -G Xcode -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="/Users/$USER/Qt/6.7.2/macos" && cmake --build build
If you wish to build the install .dmg (not required for development), you can create it using the following command. Note that code signing cannot be done locally (unless you have your own certs).
cd build
cpack -C Debug
cpack --preset release
sudo apt install build-essential
sudo apt install libgl-dev
sudo apt install cmake
sudo apt install git
sudo apt install python3-pip pipx
pipx ensurepath
Now install aqt, a command line package manager for Qt:
pipx install aqtinstall
To see the available Qt versions run:
aqt list-qt linux desktop
To see the available compiler versions run:
aqt list-qt linux desktop --arch 6.7.2
Install the required packages:
aqt install-qt --outputdir ~/Qt linux desktop 6.7.2 linux_gcc_64 --archives qtbase qttools
aqt install-qt --outputdir ~/Qt linux desktop 6.7.2 linux_gcc_64 --modules debug_info
Clone the repository to ~/usb-sd-creator
git clone https://github.com/LibreELEC/usb-sd-creator.git
Assuming the repo is in your home directory
cd ~/usb-sd-creator
cmake -S . -B build -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="~/Qt/6.7.2/gcc_64" && cmake --build build
cmake --preset release -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="~/Qt/6.7.2/gcc_64" && cmake --build --preset release
Run the app from the command line, that will prompt for a password:
./build/LibreELEC.USB-SD.Creator.Linux.bin
If you wish to build the install package (not required for development), you can create tarballs using:
cd build
cpack -C Debug
cpack --preset release