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    Installing Arch Linux the Simple Way with Archinstall

    By h0ag's avatar h0ag | On | 496 views

    Arch Linux is known for its minimalism and flexibility, but the manual installation can be daunting for some. Thankfully, Archinstall, the guided installer, provides a simpler way to get Arch Linux up and running without losing its core philosophy. In this tutorial, we'll walk through the process of using Archinstall to install Arch Linux.

    Prerequisites

    • A USB drive with at least 2GB of storage
    • A stable internet connection
    • Familiarity with basic command-line usage

    Step 1: Download Arch Linux ISO

    1. Visit the official Arch Linux download page.
    2. Download the latest ISO.

    Step 2: Create a Bootable USB

    Use tools like Rufus (Windows) or Etcher (macOS/Linux) to burn the ISO onto the USB drive. Simply select the ISO file and your USB device to start the process.

    Step 3: Boot from USB

    1. Restart your system and enter the BIOS/UEFI by pressing keys like F2, F10, Esc, or Delete depending on your machine.
    2. Select your USB drive as the boot device.

    You should now be in the Arch Linux live environment.

    Step 4: Choose keyboard

    Exemple for French layout :

    bash
    loadkeys fr

    Step 4: Set Up Internet with iwctl

    1. Start by entering the iwctl tool to manage your wireless network:
    bash
    iwctl
    1. To list network interfaces:
    bash
    station list
    1. To list available networks:
    bash
    station wlan0 get-networks
    1. Connect to your network:
    bash
    station wlan0 connect YOUR_NETWORK_NAME
    1. Exit iwctl:
    bash
    exit

    You can verify your connection by pinging:

    bash
    ping hwiki.xyz

    Step 5: Start Archinstall

    1. Run the guided installer:
    bash
    archinstall
    1. Follow the prompts:
    • Keyboard layout: Choose your preferred layout.
    • Mirror region: Select the closest region for faster downloads.
    • Disk partitioning: You can choose Auto for ease or manually partition the disk. (I recommend to use "Use a best-effort default partition layout". It'll erase the entire disk and and partition the disk properly)
    • Bootloader: Select GRUB or any other option you'd like.
    • Profile: Choose the basic profile for a minimal system or another pre-configured profile. You can select Desktop to have a desktop environment and choose the one you prefer (KDE, GNOME, HYPRLAND...).
    • Additional packages: I recommend git, wget, iwd for starters (you can add your own).
    • Network setup: Network Manager
    • User account: Create a root password and a new user with sudo privileges.
    • You can choose your timezone.
    1. Once all options are configured, the installer will begin downloading and installing the required packages. This process may take some time depending on your internet speed.

    Step 6: Reboot into Arch Linux

    When the installation is finished, simply type:

    bash
    reboot

    Remove the USB drive and boot into your newly installed Arch Linux system!

    Congratulations! You have successfully installed Arch Linux using the Archinstall guided installer.