What is Arch Linux and how to install this distribution

Arch Linux is a distribution that is highly customizable, high-speed, and undemanding on system resources. However, compared to Ubuntu, Fedora or Linux Mint, it is aimed at more experienced users: its installation and configuration are quite complex. We tell you how to cope as a beginner.

Why install Arch Linux

Arch Linux has many advantages that set it apart from popular distributions.

• Rolling Release - the so-called rolling release. This means that users constantly receive the latest updates without the need to reinstall the entire distribution from scratch or perform “major updates” - a complete replacement of the system with the latest version.
• Always the latest software. In Arch, you will always have the latest versions of programs - the latest features appear in this Linux first. In other distributions, you always have to wait several months for new features to be tested by beta testers.
• Arch User Repository (AUR) is a software repository created by the Arch user community. It contains a huge number of packages that are not included in the official libraries. AUR allows you to easily install programs without connecting additional sources, which you have to constantly do in Ubuntu. No copying repository addresses from the Internet line by line - just enter the name of any application available in Linux, and in a few seconds it will already be downloaded and installed.
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• Pacman Arch Linux's own package manager makes it easy to install, update, and uninstall programs. It works significantly faster than analogues offered by other distributions.
• Minimum system garbage. Arch comes as a basic system, into which the user can install only what he needs. No unnecessary games, offices, etc. garbage.
• Arch Wiki is one of the most detailed sources of information about Linux. There are tutorials, setup tips, and guides for solving a wide variety of problems.

What you should know before installing Arch Linux

Perhaps you are interested in these goodies and you can’t wait to try Arch Linux instead of boring ones Windows and Ubuntu. But this distribution also has one drawback, which, however, fans consider a continuation of its advantages.

The Arch Linux philosophy is called KISS (Keep it simple, stupid). It states that the default system should have as few components as possible so as not to overload the user with unnecessary features. In practice, this means that the default distribution consists only of the Linux kernel, the Systemd service management system, and the Pacman package manager. But there is no graphical installer here.

From an Archer's point of view, a user-friendly installer is unnecessary because it distracts the user from what's really important in Arch Linux. Therefore, you have to enter installation commands manually. And when you launch the distribution for the first time, you will not find a simple and clear interface, but a black screen with a blinking terminal cursor. You will see something like this:

Without studying the multi-page manual for a long time, ArchWiki you won't even be able to select a partition to install Arch Linux on. Naturally, for a beginner, this makes installing the system almost impossible.

Nevertheless, there are ways to still enjoy all the benefits of the distribution and not spend the whole day tediously reading manuals and guides. There are two ways to do this.

The first is to install not the original (as Linux fans say, “vanilla”) Arch Linux, but its modification: Manjaro, EndeavorOS or Garuda Linux. They have all the same advantages, but are equipped with a user-friendly graphical interface that makes the system intuitive even for beginners.

True, these distributions have a drawback: they are still not that simple and pure Arch Linux; they have a number of minor differences. For example, Manjaro purposefully holds back updates until they are tested. In addition, developers often put too many unnecessary programs into these distributions, which contradicts the KISS philosophy.

But there is another way: use a third-party installer Arch Linux GUI. This thing allows you to install the distribution without additional repositories and unnecessary programs, but through a graphical interface. It is this method that we will consider here.

How to Prepare to Install Arch Linux

Installation on a PC without a system is easier, since there is no risk of erasing something due to inattention. But it is quite possible to install it next to the existing Arch Linux OS. Let's assume you're going to do this on a device that's already running Windows.

Create a partition for Arch Linux

Open the "Create and Format Partition" tool hard drive", which can be found by searching in the Start menu. Click the disk C right-click and select Shrink Volume. Specify how much space you want to allocate. For pure Arch Linux, 2 GB is enough, but it is better to choose somewhere between 25–50 GB so that there is room for programs. Click "Compress".

Now there is empty unallocated space on the disk. Right-click on it and click “Create Simple Volume.” Click “Next” and “Finish” several times.

You have created an empty partition. This is where we will install your new system.

Prepare a bootable USB flash drive

Go to the site Arch Linux GUI and choose which graphical environment you need. It will help you decide our article. For example, we will choose KDE Plasma. Then you can change the shell if you want.

Click the Download button and wait until the disk image with the system downloads.

Now go to the program website balenaEtcher and download it. Open Etcher and select your Arch Linux file image. Insert the flash drive into the computer and specify it - the distribution package will be written to this media. Click Flash.

When the burning process is complete, reboot and select the Arch flash drive as boot media. This is done on different computers differently, but usually the process order can be determined using Esc, F9 or the BIOS menu.

How to install Arch Linux

After starting from the flash drive, the system will display the bootloader in front of you. Just press Enter.

Wait until the graphical interface loads, and voila - you don’t have a scary command line in front of you, but a completely familiar and understandable desktop, like in Windows.

Arch Linux runs in Live mode - that is, without installation. It just runs from a flash drive. Let's transfer it to your disk. Close the KDE Welcome window with mascot- a little dragon. Then open the programs menu in the lower left corner and select System - Install Arch Linux.

Select the language you need from the drop-down menu, or leave it in English. Click Next.

Select your time zone, system interface language, and regional format. Or leave the automatically determined values.

You can then select an additional keyboard layout.

Now is a very important stage. Select the drive to install Arch Linux from the drop-down menu at the top. If you are installing the system on an empty disk, you can select the “Use entire disk” option.

If you already have Windows installed on it, select “Replace partition”, and then select the one that we created earlier in Windows. Arch Linux will be installed there to peacefully coexist with the Microsoft system. Be careful not to mix up the partitions, otherwise you may accidentally erase your Windows!

Create a username and password for yourself, as well as an administrator password. If you wish, you can click “Use the same password for the administrator account” and disable the login prompt if the computer is only at your disposal.

Check if everything suits you and click “Install”.

Wait until the system installation is completed.

When a message appears indicating that the installation process is complete, check "Reboot" and click "Done".

The system is installed.

What to do after installing Arch Linux

After rebooting, you will find pure Arch Linux, but with a KDE graphical interface. In principle, the system can be used now, but it would be nice to add some finishing touches.

First of all, update your system by clicking on the updates icon in the tray at the bottom right.

Now let's install YAY, a console application for working with the AUR repository. Open a terminal from the applications menu (called Konsole in KDE) and enter the command.

sudo pacman -S --needed base‑devel git

Here you will need to enter your superuser password. Then write the following commands one after another.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git

cd yay

makepkg -si

If the system asks you to confirm the action, enter Y (for Yes) and press Enter.

If the lines in the terminal stop moving and the cursor for entering commands appears again, it means YAY is installed. Enter the following command and your password superuser.

yay -S pamac‑aur

And wait for Pamac to install. If the system asks for your confirmation, answer.

After all manipulations are completed, the Pamac package manager will appear on your system. Sometimes it is not called by its name, but “Installing and updating programs” or something like that.

Open Pamac, click on the sandwich menu in its window header and select Settings → Third-Party. Enable AUR support and AUR updates.

You can install the programs you need - for example, Chromium, Libre Office, Steam, Dropbox and other good things.

Finally, it doesn’t hurt to open “System Settings” → “Appearance” and turn on the dark theme to your liking so that KDE is less annoying to the eyes.

Arch Linux is now ready to go.