General programming procedure

To program a supported development kit, complete the following procedure:

1. Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch the Programmer app.
2. Connect a development kit to the computer with a USB cable and turn it on.

3. Click Select device.
   

   

   A drop-down menu appears.

4. Choose the device from the drop-down list. The Device Memory Layout section indicates that the device is connected, like in the following image for the nRF54L15 DK.
   

   

5. If you want to see the memory layout before you program, click Read in the menu. You can also select the Auto read memory option under the Device menu, so that the memory layout updates automatically.

   Note

   Read is not available for hardware that is using MCUboot.

6. Drag and drop the HEX file into the File Memory Layout section. Alternatively, click Add file to add the files you want to program, using one of the following options:

   • Select the files you used recently.
   • If there are no recently used files, click Browse from the drop-down list.

7. Select the firmware image file from the file browser that opens up; either a HEX file (in most cases) or a ZIP (when programming cellular modem firmware or multi-image programming with MCUboot).
   The File Memory Layout section is updated for the selected file, like in the following image for the nRF54L15 DK.
   

1. Depending on the device type and the programming method, use one of the following programming options in the Device panel:

   • Erase & write for J-Link
   • Write for MCUboot, Nordic Secure DFU, or modem firmware

When programming starts, a progress bar appears.