Three steps, then use the device's screen right here in the browser.
Looking for a copy on this site…
Select all the .bin files from your Arduino build folder at once — bootloader, partitions and app. A single merged .bin works too.
Plug the ESP32-S3 in with a USB cable.
Finish steps 1 and 2 first.
Anything typed here is sent to the device — use it for WiFi passwords instead of nudging characters with the D-pad. Enter confirms.
Flash first, then press Start.
The ESP32-S3 keeps its first-stage bootloader in read-only silicon that no flash operation can touch. If anything goes wrong — wrong file, cable pulled, power lost mid-write — hold BOOT, tap RESET, release BOOT, and the chip is back in that loader ready to accept a new flash. The worst outcomes are a board that does nothing or one that reboots in a loop, and both are fixed by flashing again.