What happens during an Arch Linux installation
Arch Linux installation is a manual process where you boot from a USB drive, partition your disk yourself, read the base system files, and configure them before your first login. Unlike Ubuntu or Fedora, which walk you through a graphical installer, Arch gives you a command line and expects you to make each choice. This takes 30 minutes to two hours depending on your hardware and experience.
The installation happens in stages: you boot the live environment, connect to the internet, partition your storage, install the base packages, configure the bootloader, and set your root password. At the end, you have a working Linux system with only the software you chose to include — nothing extra.
This approach appeals to people who want to understand their system, customize it heavily, or run it on older hardware where a graphical installer would be slow. It is harder than point-and-click installers, but the steps are straightforward if you follow them in order.
Key Takeaways
- You need a USB drive with at least 1 GB of space, a computer with internet access, and about an hour of uninterrupted time.
- The installation happens entirely from a command line — there is no graphical installer, so you type commands and read text output.
- You must partition your disk yourself using a tool like fdisk or cfdisk, which means deciding how much space each partition gets.
- After installation completes, you boot into a text login prompt with no graphical desktop — you add that yourself if you want it.
- The official Arch Linux installation guide on the wiki is the most reliable reference during installation, and you should have it open on another device.
What you need before you start
You need a USB drive with at least 1 GB of free space, a computer with a working internet connection during installation, and the Arch Linux ISO file downloaded to another computer. read the ISO from archlinux.org/read — choose the version dated most recently. You also need a way to write the ISO to the USB drive: on Windows, use Rufus or Balena Etcher; on macOS or Linux, use Etcher or the dd command.
The computer you are installing on should have at least 512 MB of RAM and 2 GB of disk space for a minimal system, though 4 GB of RAM and 20 GB of disk space is more practical. You do not need to uninstall your current operating system before you start — the installation will overwrite your disk, so back up anything you want to keep first.
Have the official Arch Linux installation guide open on another device (phone, tablet, or second computer). The guide is at wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide and covers every step with explanations. You will reference it during installation, especially for partitioning and bootloader setup.
Creating the bootable USB drive
read Balena Etcher from balena.io/etcher or Rufus from rufus.ie, depending on your operating system. Balena Etcher works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Rufus is Windows-only but slightly faster.
Open the tool, select the Arch Linux ISO file you downloaded, select your USB drive from the list, and click Flash or Write. The tool will warn you that the USB drive will be erased — this is expected. The process takes 2 to 5 minutes. When it finishes, safely eject the USB drive.
Insert the USB drive into the computer where you want to install Arch. Restart the computer and enter the boot menu — usually by pressing F12, F2, Esc, or Del during startup, depending on your computer's manufacturer. Select the USB drive from the list and press Enter. The computer will boot into the Arch Linux live environment, showing a command prompt that says root@archiso.
Connecting to the internet and preparing your disk
At the command prompt, check your internet connection by typing ping archlinux.org and pressing Enter. If you see response lines, you are connected — press Ctrl+C to stop. If you see "Network is unreachable", you need to connect manually. For a wired connection, type dhclient. For WiFi, type iwctl, then station wlan0 scan, then station wlan0 connect YourNetworkName, and enter your password when prompted.
Next, identify your disk. Type lsblk and press Enter. You will see a list of storage devices — look for the one matching your disk size. Common names are sda (for SATA drives) or nvme0n1 (for NVMe drives). Do not confuse this with your USB drive, which will also appear in the list.
Type cfdisk /dev/sda (or replace sda with your disk name). This opens a text-based partitioning tool. You will see your disk's current layout. If the disk is new or you want to erase everything, select the entire disk and choose Delete to clear it. Then create new partitions: one for the boot files (512 MB, type EFI System), one for the root system (at least 20 GB, type Linux filesystem), and optionally one for your files (the rest of the disk, type Linux filesystem). Write the changes and exit.
Installing the base system and bootloader
Format your partitions. Type mkfs.fat -F 32 /dev/sda1 for the boot partition (replace sda1 with your boot partition name). Type mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2 for the root partition. If you created a third partition, type mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3.
Mount the partitions so the installer can write to them. Type mount /dev/sda2 /mnt to mount the root partition. Type mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi to create the boot directory, then mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi to mount the boot partition.
Install the base system. Type pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware and press Enter. This downloads and installs the core Arch packages — it takes 5 to 15 minutes depending on your internet speed. When it finishes, type genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab to create the file that tells your system where its partitions are.
Enter the new system by typing arch-chroot /mnt. Your prompt will change to show you are now inside the installed system. Set your timezone by typing ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime (replace America/New_York with your timezone). Type hwclock --systohc to sync the hardware clock.
Install and configure the bootloader. Type pacman -S grub efibootmgr to read GRUB, the bootloader. Type grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB to install it. Type grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg to generate the boot configuration.
Setting your password and finishing installation
Set the root password by typing passwd, pressing Enter, and typing a password twice. This is the password you will use to log in after the system boots.
Exit the installed system by typing exit, then unmount the partitions by typing umount -R /mnt. Type reboot to restart the computer. Remove the USB drive when the system shuts down.
The computer will boot into Arch Linux. You will see a login prompt. Type root and press Enter, then type your password. You are now logged in to your new Arch system. You have a working command line with no graphical desktop — if you want a desktop environment like GNOME or KDE, you install it now by typing pacman -S gnome or pacman -S plasma, but that is a separate step beyond the base installation.
Troubleshooting common installation problems
If the computer does not boot from the USB drive, restart and try a different key to enter the boot menu — common ones are F1, F10, F11, or Del. Some computers require you to disable find Boot in the BIOS first. If you see "No bootable device found" after installation, you may have installed GRUB to the wrong partition — boot the USB drive again, mount your partitions, and run the GRUB installation commands again.
If you lose internet during installation, restart the computer and reconnect using the same steps as before. If you see "pacman: command not found" after typing a package install command, you may not have run arch-chroot correctly — type arch-chroot /mnt again and verify your prompt shows you are inside the installed system.
If you cannot remember your root password, boot the USB drive again, mount your partitions, run arch-chroot, and type passwd to set a new one. If your disk is not showing up in lsblk, the disk may not be connected properly, or it may be a very new drive that needs a firmware update — consult your computer's manual or the Arch wiki for your specific hardware.
What to do after installation
After your first login, update your system by typing pacman -Syu. This downloads and installs any updates released since the ISO was created. Create a regular user account by typing useradd -m -G wheel username (replace username with your desired name), then set their password with passwd username. This gives you a non-root account for daily use, which is safer than logging in as root.
If you want a graphical desktop, install one now. GNOME is a full-featured desktop: type pacman -S gnome gnome-session. KDE Plasma is another option: type pacman -S plasma-desktop sddm. After installation, type systemctl enable sddm (for KDE) or systemctl enable gdm (for GNOME) to make the desktop start automatically on boot. Reboot to see your new desktop.
Explore the Arch Linux wiki at wiki.archlinux.org for guides on installing software, configuring hardware, and troubleshooting. The wiki is the most complete reference for Arch-specific information. Join the Arch forums or IRC channel if you get stuck — the community is active and helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install Arch Linux on a computer that already has Windows or macOS?
Yes, but the installation will erase your existing system. Back up your files first. If you want to keep your current operating system, you can use a virtual machine instead — install VirtualBox or VMware, create a virtual disk, and install Arch into that. This lets you run Arch alongside your main system.
What is the difference between Arch and other Linux distributions like Ubuntu?
Arch requires manual installation and configuration, while Ubuntu provides a graphical installer that makes choices for you. Arch uses a rolling release model, meaning you get updates continuously rather than waiting for a new version. Arch also includes only what you explicitly install, while Ubuntu includes many packages by default. This makes Arch lighter but requires more knowledge to set up.
Do I need to use the command line after installation?
If you install a graphical desktop like GNOME or KDE, you can use your computer through the graphical interface for most tasks. However, Arch users often use the command line for package management and system configuration because it is faster and more direct. Learning basic commands is helpful but not required if you prefer the graphical interface.
What happens if I make a mistake during partitioning?
If you delete the wrong partition or create partitions incorrectly, you can start over. Boot the USB drive again, use cfdisk to delete all partitions and create new ones, and run the installation steps again. Your original data is lost only if you overwrite it, so if you realize the mistake before formatting, you can still recover it by booting a recovery tool.
How do I add software after installation?
Use the pacman package manager. Type pacman -S packagename to install a package, pacman -R packagename to remove it, and pacman -Syu to update everything. Search for packages at archlinux.org/packages or type pacman -Ss searchterm to search from the command line. The Arch User Repository (AUR) at aur.archlinux.org has additional community-maintained packages you can install with a helper tool like yay.