Arch Linux Install Guide (UEFI, 2025 Edition)

This guide walks you through a clean Arch Linux installation on a UEFI system. If your computer was made in the last ~8 years, you’re almost certainly using UEFI. If you’re unsure, boot into the Arch ISO and check for the UEFI boot message.

🖥️ Before You Start

• This guide assumes you’ve created a bootable USB with the Arch ISO and booted into it.
• If you’re not on UEFI, check the link in the YouTube description for BIOS (legacy boot) instructions.
• Throughout this guide, we’ll reference the official Arch Wiki installation guide — use it!

⌨️ Keyboard Layout (if not US)

If you use a non-US keyboard:

loadkeys fr       # For French
loadkeys de       # For German

If you’re on a US keyboard, you can skip this step.

🌐 Connect to the Internet

For Ethernet:

ping archlinux.org

For Wi-Fi, refer to iwctl setup instructions.

🧠 Terminal Tips

• Ctrl+C cancels a command
• Ctrl+L clears the terminal
• To enlarge terminal font:

  setfont ter-v32b
  

💽 Partition the Disk

We’ll use cfdisk instead of fdisk for ease:

cfdisk

Choose gpt for label type (UEFI only). Delete existing partitions and create the following:

1. EFI Boot Partition – 1G → /dev/sda1
2. Swap Partition – 4G → /dev/sda2
3. Root Partition – rest of the disk → /dev/sda3

Write changes and quit.

🧱 Format Partitions

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1         # EFI
mkswap /dev/sda2               # Swap
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3            # Root

🔧 Mount Filesystems

mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi
swapon /dev/sda2
lsblk                          # Confirm mounts

📦 Install Base System

pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware sof-firmware base-devel grub efibootmgr networkmanager

Optional tools:

pacstrap /mnt sudo vim

📁 Generate fstab

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

🚪 Chroot into System

arch-chroot /mnt

🌍 Timezone and Clock

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

🌐 Locale

Edit locale file:

vim /etc/locale.gen
# Uncomment: en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8
locale-gen

Set LANG:

echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf

(Optional) Set keyboard layout permanently:

echo "KEYMAP=us" > /etc/vconsole.conf

🌐 Hostname & Network

echo "archbtw" > /etc/hostname

Edit /etc/hosts and add:

127.0.0.1   localhost
::1         localhost
127.0.1.1   archbtw.localdomain archbtw

Set root password:

passwd

👤 Create User

useradd -mG wheel -s /bin/bash tony
passwd tony

Enable sudo for wheel group:

EDITOR=vim visudo
# Uncomment: %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Test sudo:

su - tony
sudo pacman -Syu

📡 Enable Network Manager

systemctl enable NetworkManager

🥾 Install GRUB Bootloader

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Ignore the GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER warning if you’re not dual-booting.

🔚 Finish Installation

exit
umount -a
reboot

Login as your new user (e.g. tony).

🖥️ Install Desktop Environment (Cinnamon)

sudo pacman -S cinnamon lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter

Optional:

sudo pacman -S alacritty firefox

Enable display manager:

systemctl enable lightdm --now

🎉 Final Step: Neofetch

sudo pacman -S neofetch
neofetch

Congrats — Arch Linux is installed and you’re officially able to tell your friends you use Arch, by the way.

Watch the full walkthrough on YouTube
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