Wiring and Using OLED 128x64 I2C Display with Arduino

This guide walks you through connecting a 1.3-inch OLED display with 128x64 resolution to an Arduino UNO over I2C. You’ll wire the circuit, install the required library, and upload code to display text.

What You Need

• Arduino UNO R3
• OLED 128x64 I2C display 1.3 inch
• 4 jumper wires (male-to-female)
• Breadboard (optional)

Wiring Diagram

Arduino UNO	OLED Display
5V	VCC
GND	GND
A4	SDA
A5	SCL

Install the Library

1. Open Arduino IDE
2. Go to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries
3. Search for Adafruit SSD1306
4. Click Install

Adafruit GFX Library will install automatically as a required dependency.

Working Example Code

#include <SPI.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64

#define OLED_RESET -1
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);

  if (!display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C)) {
    Serial.println(F("SSD1306 allocation failed"));
    for (;;);
  }

  display.clearDisplay();
  display.setTextSize(2);
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.setCursor(0, 20);
  display.println(F("Hello"));
  display.setCursor(0, 40);
  display.println(F("Arduino"));
  display.display();
}

void loop() {
  // nothing here
}

Adjusting Text Size and Position

display.setTextSize(1);  // text size 1-4
display.setCursor(0, 10); // x, y position on screen
display.print(F("Your text"));

Text height by size level:

setTextSize	Height (pixels)
1	8
2	16
3	24

Finding Your OLED I2C Address

If the display shows nothing, run the I2C Scanner sketch to find the correct address.

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Wire.begin();
}

void loop() {
  byte error, address;
  int devices = 0;

  Serial.println("Scanning I2C...");
  for (address = 1; address < 127; address++) {
    Wire.beginTransmission(address);
    error = Wire.endTransmission();
    if (error == 0) {
      Serial.print("I2C device found at 0x");
      if (address < 16) Serial.print("0");
      Serial.println(address, HEX);
      devices++;
    }
  }
  if (devices == 0) Serial.println("No I2C devices found");
  delay(5000);
}

Open Serial Monitor at 9600 baud. If you see 0x3C or 0x3D, update the address in your main code at display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C).

If OLED V2.0 Does Not Work

Some OLED V2.0 modules use SH1106 driver instead of SSD1306. Switch to U8g8lib instead.

#include <U8g2lib.h>

U8G2_SSD1306_128X64_NONAME_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);

void setup() {
  u8g2.begin();
  u8g2.clear();
  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_ncenB14_tr);
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Hello");
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 40, "Arduino");
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
}

Quick Checklist

1. Wire 4 connections: 5V, GND, A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL)
2. Install Adafruit SSD1306 and Adafruit GFX Library
3. Upload the working example code
4. If the screen stays blank, run I2C Scanner to find the address
5. If using SH1106 driver, switch library to U8g8lib