Arch Linux Installation Guide

Arch Linux is a distribution built around simplicity, minimalism, and user control. That same philosophy makes installation more hands-on than it is on most mainstream distributions.

There are easier ways to get an Arch-based system running, such as installation scripts or derivatives like ArcoLinux and Manjaro. Still, a vanilla Arch installation remains attractive because it gives full control over the system from the start.

This post is not meant to replace the official documentation. It is a concise walkthrough of the steps used in a typical installation, with a few practical notes that were missing from many tutorials.

Useful references:

Initial setup

Start by setting the correct keyboard layout. In this example, the layout is ABNT2.

loadkeys br-abnt2

An internet connection is required for the installation. For Wi-Fi, iwctl is a simple way to connect.

iwctl

Inside the interactive prompt:

device list
station wlp3s0 scan
station wlp3s0 get-networks
station wlp3s0 connect SSID

Replace wlp3s0 with your actual wireless device name. After connecting, test access with:

ping archlinux.org

Disk partitioning

This example uses fdisk. The exact layout depends on your hardware and whether you plan to dual boot, but a practical setup is:

  • /dev/sda1: 512 MB for the EFI system partition
  • /dev/sda2: 4 GB for swap
  • /dev/sda3: 30 GB for /
  • /dev/sda4: remaining space for /home

A separate /home partition makes future reinstalls easier, and a dedicated EFI partition is required for UEFI systems. Swap sizing is a matter of preference; some users prefer a swap file instead of a partition.

After creating the partitions, format them:

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda4
mkswap /dev/sda2

Then mount everything:

mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
swapon /dev/sda2
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi /mnt/home
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
mount /dev/sda4 /mnt/home

This mount layout will be used later when generating fstab.

Base installation

Install the base system and a few essential packages:

pacstrap /mnt base base-devel linux linux-firmware git neovim sudo

Then generate the filesystem table using UUIDs:

genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

Now enter the new system:

arch-chroot /mnt

Time and locale

Set the time zone and synchronize the hardware clock:

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Sao_Paulo /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc

Next, configure the hostname:

echo "pcname" > /etc/hostname
nvim /etc/hosts

Add the following lines to /etc/hosts:

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1       localhost
127.0.1.1 pcname.localdomain pcname

For locale configuration, uncomment your locale in /etc/locale.gen, then generate it:

nvim /etc/locale.gen
locale-gen

Set the system locale and keymap:

echo "LANG=pt_BR.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf
echo "KEYMAP=br-abnt2" > /etc/vconsole.conf

Users and sudo

Set the root password first:

passwd

Create a regular user and define its password:

useradd -m -G wheel user
passwd user

Then edit sudo permissions safely with visudo:

EDITOR=nvim visudo

A common choice is to allow members of the wheel group to use sudo:

%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

If you prefer passwordless sudo, use that only if you understand the security trade-off.

Bootloader

Install GRUB and the EFI tools:

pacman -S grub efibootmgr

For a UEFI installation:

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=arch

Generate the GRUB configuration file:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Network tools

Install the packages needed for wireless networking after reboot:

pacman -S iw networkmanager

The original setup also used crda because of a router operating on a less common channel or regulatory setting. Depending on your hardware and current Arch packages, this may no longer be necessary, so check the current Arch Wiki before adding it.

Enable NetworkManager:

systemctl enable NetworkManager

Graphical environment

At this point, the system is bootable, but it only provides a console environment. To use a graphical interface, install Xorg first:

pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit

After that, install either:

  • A full desktop environment, if you want a ready-to-use graphical system.
  • A window manager, if you prefer a lighter and more customizable setup.

This setup uses a personal build of DWM, but Arch offers many alternatives. The Arch Wiki recommendations are a good starting point.

Final notes

This is a practical installation script, not a universal recipe. Hardware differences, dual-boot requirements, and personal preferences will change some steps.

The safest habit is to keep the official Arch documentation nearby and adapt this guide as needed. That is usually the most reliable way to avoid installation errors.