Introduction

Arch Linux is a Linux distribution known for its simplicity and minimalism. Although it is one of the most difficult Linux distributions to install, it is one of the most popular among Linux enthusiasts. In this article, I will show you how to install Arch Linux using the command line in case you get tangled up with the Arch Wiki.

You must know that there is now the possibility of installing Arch Linux with a graphical installer, but in this article, we will focus on the installation using the command line.

There are people who feel a bit “dirty” if they don’t install Arch Linux from the terminal, because with a graphical installer, they don’t have complete control over what they are installing. And the Arch Linux terminology is “Keep It Simple, Stupid”, so let’s install it from the terminal.

Important:

Note: This article assumes that you have a basic understanding of how Linux works and that you have a stable internet connection. If you don’t have basic Linux knowledge, I would recommend learning the basics first before proceeding with this article.

Personally, I learned a lot about Linux by installing Arch, as following the Arch Wiki initially seemed a bit challenging. However, after several days of attempts, with a lot of trial and error, I succeeded. And I decided to create a simpler step-by-step guide of what needs to be done.

Requirements

1. A device with at least 512 MB of RAM.
2. A stable internet connection.
3. A USB storage device with at least 2 GB of free space.
4. UEFI system.

Note: This installation has been done with a UEFI system and GPT partitions.

Installation

1. Verify UEFI Boot

   • Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.

   • Look for the BIOS Mode entry.

   • If the value is Legacy, the boot environment is BIOS (Installation would be different). If it is another value like GPT, the corresponding boot environment will be displayed.

2. Download Arch Linux: First, you need to download the latest version of Arch Linux from the official website.

3. Boot Arch on a USB: To create a bootable USB, you can use Rufus on Windows.

Once Arch is booted, you can run the following commands:

1. Change Keyboard Layout

loadkeys la-latin1

la-latin1 is the keyboard layout for Latin America, but you can choose the one you need. You can view more layouts with the following command:

localectl list-keymaps

2. Connect to Wi-Fi:

lwctl --passphrase "contraseñaWifi" station wlan0 connect "nombreWifi"

3. Verify Internet Connection

ping 8.8.8.8

You should receive a response; if not, go back to step 2.

4. Update the system clock

timedatectl set-ntp true

5. Partition the Disk

We need at least 3 partitions: one for boot, another for swap, and another for root.

With the following command, we can see the disks we have:

cfdisk

Make sure to select the correct disk; in my case, it’s /dev/sda. If you have an SSD, it’s likely to be /dev/nvme0n1.

If your disk or partition doesn’t appear with the previous command, run this command to view all partitions and take note of your partition:

lsblk

So, you run this command:

cfdisk /dev/tu_partición_aqui

6. Format the Disks:

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/aqui_EFI_partition   # <- For EFI
mkfs.ext4 /dev/aqui_ROOT_partition      # <- For ROOT
mkswap /dev/aqui_SWAP_partition         # <- For SWAP

7. Mount the Disks:

First, create a mount point for EFI:

mkdir /mnt/efi

Then mount the partitions:

mount /dev/aqui_EFI_partition /mnt/efi   # <- For EFI
mount /dev/aqui_ROOT_partition /mnt      # <- For ROOT
swapon /dev/aqui_SWAP_partition          # <- For SWAP

8. Install Essential Packages:

pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware neovim iwd

9. Execute fstab:

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

10. Execute chroot:

arch-chroot /mnt

11. Configure Time Zone:

In my case, I will use the Bogota time zone, but you can choose the one you need.

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Bogota /etc/localtime

Run hwclock to synchronize the system clock:

hwclock –-systohc

12. Edit Locale:

From here on, I’ll use nvim as the text editor. If you’re not familiar with it, you can follow this guide on Basic Commands for Neovim. At least, so you know how to save and exit Neovim.

nvim /etc/locale.gen

• Locate the line containing: es_CO.UTF-8 for Colombia locale and uncomment it. Remove the # from the line and save the file.

#es_CO.UTF-8 UTF-8
es_CO.UTF-8 UTF-8

13. Configure locale.conf:

nvim /etc/locale.conf

LANG=es_CO.UTF-8

14. Configure Keyboard:

nvim /etc/vconsole.conf

KEYMAP=la-latin1

15. Configure Hostname:

nvim /etc/hostname

• Enter a name for your PC; in my case, I’ll put rxtsel

rxtsel

16. Configure host:

nvim /etc/hosts

• Write exactly as shown in the image. Just replace myhostname with the name you set in your hostname

17. Execute initramfs:

mkinitcpio -P

18. Install Grub and Other Packages:

pacman -S grub base-devel efibootmgr os-prober mtools dosfstools linux-headers networkmanager nm-connection-editor pulseaudio pavucontrol dialog gvfs xdg-user-dirs dhcp

19. Create EFI Directory:

mkdir /boot/EFI

20. Mount the EFI Partition:

mount /dev/partition_efi /boot/EFI

21. Install bootloader:

We will install Grub, but you can choose to install another bootloader like systemd-boot:

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi –-bootloader-id=grub_uefi –-recheck

22. Configure grub:

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

23. Enable Network Manager:

systemctl enable NetworkManager

24. Add new user:

useradd -m -G wheel rxtsel

25. Add Sudo Permissions:

EDITOR=nvim visudo

• Uncomment: %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL and save.

# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

26. Password for the New User:

passwd rxtsel

• Set a password for the user you created, in my case, for rxtsel.

27. Configure Root Password:

passwd root

• Set a password for the root user.

28. Install Display Driver:

If you have an INTEL GPU, run the following command:

pacman -S xf86-video-intel

If you have an AMD GPU, run the following command:

pacman -S vulkan-radeon vulkan-icd-loader mesa

29. Install Display Server:

pacman -S xorg xorg-server xorg-xinit

At this point, we have the basic Arch Linux setup. From here, you can restart and reconnect to the internet to install a desktop environment or window manager of your choice.

Exit to arch-chroot:

exit

Unmount all partitions:

umount -a

Reboot system:

reboot

And remove the USB…

Once restarted, you’ll see that it asks for a username and password in the console, but you still DON’T have any desktop environment or window manager. Therefore, we’ll need to download one. If you are connected by cable, you don’t need to follow these steps as you already have an internet connection. In case of using WIFI, run the following commands:

# List available networks
nmcli device wifi list
# Connect to your WIFI
nmcli device wifi connect NAME_WIFI password TU_PASSWORD

Alright, now test the connection with:

ping 8.8.8.8

You now have an internet connection.

Installing Your Desktop Environment or Window Manager

From here, it’s your choice. You can install the desktop environment you prefer, or a window manager, or simply stick with the terminal. Some popular choices include:

Window Managers (TWM):

• bspwm
• qtile
• wayland

Desktop Environments:

• KDE
• GNOME
• XFCE

You can explore and choose the one you like the most. In my case, I prefer TWM. Here you can check my dotfiles