Arch Linux Installation Guide¶

This guide covers everything from initial disk encryption with LUKS through to a fully functional desktop environment with i3 window manager, audio, Bluetooth, power management, and media playback inhibitors.

This is a minimalist configuration tailored for my laptop, designed to use as little RAM as possible — full operational under 400MB after boot. Everything is systemd-based, including WiFi management (iwd), ensuring a lean and efficient system.

archi

✅ Full disk encryption (LUKS) and automatic decryption with keyfiles
✅ i3 window manager
✅ Alacritty terminal
✅ Brave with GPU acceleration
✅ Audio (PipeWire)
✅ Bluetooth
✅ WiFi
✅ Power management
✅ Few modern tools and utilities

Pre-Installation¶

Identify Current Mounts¶

findmnt /
findmnt /boot/efi

Partition Disk¶

sudo cfdisk /dev/sda

Verify Disk Layout¶

lsblk -f

Arch ISO Environment¶

Connect to WiFi¶

iwctl 
device list
station wlan0 connect [your_wifi_name]
exit

Verify Network Connection¶

ip a
ping 192.168.0.1

Set Root Password¶

passwd

Enable SSH Server¶

systemctl status sshd

SSH Connection (Optional)¶

Connect from another machine for easier copy-paste:

ssh root@<IP-ADDRESS>

Disk Partitioning¶

Partition Scheme¶

cfdisk

sda 8:0 0 119.2G 0 disk  
├─sda1 8:1 0 100M 0 part /boot/efi  
├─sda2 8:2 0 21G 0 part  /
├─sda3 8:3 0 25.6G 0 part /home

Load Encryption Modules¶

modprobe dm-crypt  
modprobe dm-mod

Encrypt Partitions with LUKS¶

# Encrypt root partition
cryptsetup luksFormat -v -s 512 -h sha512 /dev/sda2

# Encrypt home partition
cryptsetup luksFormat -v -s 512 -h sha512 /dev/sda3

Open and Format Encrypted Partitions¶

# Open the root partition
cryptsetup open /dev/sda2 cryptroot

# Open the home partition
cryptsetup open /dev/sda3 crypthome

# Format root partition
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot

# Format home partition
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/crypthome

Mount Partitions¶

# Mount root to /mnt
mount /dev/mapper/cryptroot /mnt

# Create and mount home directory
mkdir /mnt/home
mount /dev/mapper/crypthome /mnt/home

# Create and mount EFI boot partition
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi

Base System Installation¶

Install Base Packages¶

pacstrap -K /mnt base linux-lts linux-firmware intel-ucode

Generate Filesystem Table (FSTAB)¶

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

Enter New System (Chroot)¶

arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash

System Configuration¶

Install Text Editor¶

pacman -S neovim

Configure Initramfs for Encryption¶

Edit mkinitcpio configuration:

nvim /etc/mkinitcpio.conf

Find the HOOKS=(...) line and change it to:

HOOKS=(base systemd autodetect modconf kms keyboard sd-vconsole block sd-encrypt filesystems fsck)

Key hooks explained: - systemd – replaces udev, orchestrates boot process in RAM - sd-vconsole – replaces keymap and consolefont, reads /etc/vconsole.conf for keyboard layout - sd-encrypt – systemd-based LUKS encryption support

Set Keyboard Layout¶

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

Generate Kernel Image¶

mkinitcpio -P

Bootloader (GRUB)¶

Install GRUB¶

pacman -S grub efibootmgr os-prober

Get Root Partition UUID¶

blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda2

Configure GRUB¶

Edit /etc/default/grub:

nvim /etc/default/grub

Set the following lines:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="loglevel=3 quiet rd.luks.name=YOUR-UUID-SDA2=cryptroot root=/dev/mapper/cryptroot rw"
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

Install GRUB to EFI¶

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=ARCH --recheck

Generate GRUB Configuration¶

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

Automatic Decryption (Keyfiles)¶

Set Permissions and Generate Keys¶

chmod 700 /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d

# Generate key for ROOT (sda2)
dd if=/dev/urandom of=/etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/root.key bs=512 count=4
chmod 600 /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/root.key
cryptsetup luksAddKey /dev/sda2 /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/root.key

# Generate key for HOME (sda3)
dd if=/dev/urandom of=/etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/home.key bs=512 count=4
chmod 600 /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/home.key
cryptsetup luksAddKey /dev/sda3 /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/home.key

Add Root Key to Initramfs¶

Edit /etc/mkinitcpio.conf:

nvim /etc/mkinitcpio.conf

Add:

FILES=(/etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/root.key)

Add Home Key to Crypttab¶

echo "crypthome UUID=$(blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda3) /etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/home.key luks" >> /etc/crypttab

Rebuild Initramfs¶

mkinitcpio -P

Add Root Key to GRUB¶

sed -i 's|GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=.*|GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="loglevel=3 quiet rd.luks.name=<ROOT-KEY>=cryptroot root=/dev/mapper/cryptroot rd.luks.key=<ROOT-KEY>=/etc/cryptsetup-keys.d/root.key rw"|' /etc/default/grub

Tip: Use this nvim command to insert UUID:

Position cursor where UUID should go
Type: :r !blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda2
UUID will be inserted at cursor position

Final System Configuration¶

Set Timezone¶

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Warsaw /etc/localtime

Configure NTP (Time Synchronization)¶

Edit /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf:

NTP=0.arch.pool.ntp.org 1.arch.pool.ntp.org 2.arch.pool.ntp.org 3.arch.pool.ntp.org 
FallbackNTP=0.pool.ntp.org 1.pool.ntp.org

Enable time synchronization:

systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd

Set Locale¶

Edit /etc/locale.gen and uncomment:

en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

Generate locale files:

locale-gen

Set system language:

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

Set Hostname¶

echo "archi" > /etc/hostname

Create User¶

Create user with home directory and add to wheel group for sudo:

useradd -m -G wheel kcn

Set user password:

passwd kcn

Install and Configure Sudo¶

pacman -S sudo

Set system editor:

export EDITOR=nvim

Edit sudoers file:

visudo

Uncomment this line:

%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Essential System Tools¶

iwd (WiFi Management)¶

pacman -S iwd
systemctl enable iwd
systemctl enable systemd-resolved

Create DNS symlink:

ln -sf /run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf

Configure iwd:

sudo nvim /etc/iwd/main.conf

[General]
EnableNetworkConfiguration=true
NameResolvingService=systemd

SSH Server¶

pacman -S openssh
sudo systemctl enable sshd

zRAM (Compressed Swap in RAM)¶

sudo pacman -S zram-generator

Configure zRAM:

sudo nvim /etc/systemd/zram-generator.conf

[zram0]
zram-size = ram / 2
compression-algorithm = zstd
swap-priority = 100

Reboot into New System¶

exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot now

Desktop Environment Setup¶

Xorg Display Server¶

sudo pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xorg-xrandr

xorg-server – core display server
xorg-xinit – manual start capability (startx)
xorg-xrandr – resolution and monitor management

Note: We don't install xorg-drivers meta-package (too much bloat)

Edit bash profile:

nvim ~/.bash_profile

if [[ -z $DISPLAY ]] && [[ $(tty) = /dev/tty1 ]]; then
    exec startx
fi

Create xinitrc:

nvim ~/.xinitrc

exec i3

Intel GPU Driver¶

sudo pacman -S xf86-video-intel mesa

i3 (Window Manager)¶

sudo pacman -S i3-wm i3status dmenu

Picom (Compositor)¶

sudo pacman -S picom

Create config directory:

mkdir -p ~/.config/picom

Configure picom:

nvim ~/.config/picom/picom.conf

backend = "glx";
vsync = true;

shadow = true;
shadow-radius = 8;
shadow-offset-x = -4;
shadow-offset-y = -4;

opacity-rule = [
  "90:class_g = 'Alacritty'"
];

Auto-start in i3:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

exec_always --no-startup-id picom

Fonts¶

Install Fonts¶

sudo pacman -S ttf-jetbrains-mono  
sudo pacman -S ttf-jetbrains-mono-nerd  
sudo pacman -S ttf-font-awesome
sudo pacman -S fontconfig

Configure Font Rendering¶

nvim ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf

<?xml version="1.0"?> 
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd"> 
<fontconfig> 
    <match target="font"> 
        <edit name="hinting" mode="assign"><bool>true</bool></edit> 
        <edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign"><const>hintslight</const></edit> 
        <edit name="antialias" mode="assign"><bool>true</bool></edit> 
        <edit name="rgba" mode="assign"><const>rgb</const></edit> 
    </match> 
</fontconfig>

Refresh Font Cache¶

fc-cache -fv

Set i3 Font¶

Edit i3 config:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

font pango:JetBrainsMono Nerd Font 7

Terminal Emulator (Alacritty)¶

Install Alacritty¶

sudo pacman -S alacritty

Configure Alacritty¶

nvim ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml

[font]  
size = 8.5  

[font.normal]  
family = "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Mono"  
style = "Regular"  

[font.bold]  
family = "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Mono"  
style = "Bold"  

[font.italic]  
family = "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Mono"  
style = "Italic"  

[window]  
padding = { x = 6, y = 6 }  

[env]  
TERM = "xterm-256color"

Add Terminal Keybinding to i3¶

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

bindsym $mod+Return exec alacritty

Audio (PipeWire)¶

Install PipeWire¶

sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber pavucontrol brightnessctl

Enable Audio Services¶

Important: Use --user flag (user service, not system-wide):

systemctl --user enable --now pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

Verify Audio Works¶

pactl info

Volume Control Keybindings¶

Edit i3 config:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

# Auto-start audio services
exec --no-startup-id /usr/bin/pipewire 
exec --no-startup-id /usr/bin/wireplumber

# Volume keybindings
bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5% 
bindsym XF86AudioLowerVolume exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -5% 
bindsym XF86AudioMute exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ toggle

Screen Brightness¶

Install Brightness Control¶

sudo pacman -S brightnessctl

# Add user to video group (allows control without sudo)
sudo usermod -aG video $USER

Brightness Keybindings¶

Edit i3 config:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

bindsym XF86MonBrightnessUp exec --no-startup-id brightnessctl set +10%
bindsym XF86MonBrightnessDown exec --no-startup-id brightnessctl set 10%-

Bluetooth¶

Install Bluetooth Stack¶

# Install bluetooth backend
sudo pacman -S bluez bluez-utils

# Enable bluetooth service
sudo systemctl enable --now bluetooth

Manage Bluetooth Devices¶

Use bluetoothctl command-line tool:

bluetoothctl

Commands inside bluetoothctl:

power on
scan on
pair XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
connect XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
trust XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
exit

Optional: Blueman GUI¶

sudo pacman -S blueman

Auto-start in i3:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

exec --no-startup-id blueman-applet

Web Browser (Brave)¶

Install AUR Helper (yay)¶

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git  
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay-bin.git  
cd yay-bin  
makepkg -si

Install Brave Browser¶

yay -S --noconfirm brave-bin

# Clean up
cd .. 
rm -rf yay-bin

Enable GPU Acceleration in Brave¶

Open Brave and navigate to: brave://flags
Find and set to Enabled:
Override software rendering list (forces GPU usage)
Hardware-accelerated video decode (offloads video to GPU)
GPU Rasterization
Verify GPU acceleration: brave://gpu
Look for green "Hardware accelerated" entries

Brave Keybindings¶

Edit i3 config:

nvim ~/.config/i3/config

# Launch YouTube as web app
bindsym $mod+y exec brave --app=https://youtube.com --class=YoutubeApp

# Launch full Brave browser
bindsym $mod+Shift+y exec brave

Additional Tools¶

System Utilities¶

sudo pacman -S btop screenfetch bat eza fzf fd ripgrep tmux yazi

btop – system monitor
screenfetch – system info display
bat – cat replacement with syntax highlighting
eza – ls replacement with colors
fzf – fuzzy finder
fd – find replacement
ripgrep – grep replacement

Starship Prompt¶

sudo pacman -S starship

echo 'eval "$(starship init bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc

Laptop Hardware Keys¶

Unblock Wireless Devices¶

# Check blocked devices
rfkill list

# Unblock WiFi
sudo rfkill unblock wifi

# Unblock Bluetooth
sudo rfkill unblock bluetooth

# Or unblock everything
sudo rfkill unblock all

Suspend on Lid Close¶

Check if hardware detects lid state:

cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID*/state

If you see open/closed → hardware works correctly.

Configure Lid Switch Behavior¶

Edit logind configuration:

sudo nvim /etc/systemd/logind.conf

HandleLidSwitch=suspend
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=suspend
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

Apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind

Suspend After Idle Time¶

Edit logind configuration:

sudo nvim /etc/systemd/logind.conf

IdleAction=suspend
IdleActionSec=1h

Prevent Suspend During Media Playback¶

Install PlayerCTL¶

sudo pacman -S playerctl

Create Inhibitor Script¶

nvim ~/.local/bin/media-inhibit.sh

#!/bin/bash

while true; do
    if playerctl status 2>/dev/null | grep -q Playing; then
        systemd-inhibit \
          --what=sleep \
          --why="Media playback" \
          --mode=block \
          sleep 30
    else
        sleep 30
    fi
done

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/.local/bin/media-inhibit.sh

Create systemd User Service¶

nvim ~/.config/systemd/user/media-inhibit.service

[Unit]
Description=Block suspend while media is playing

[Service]
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/media-inhibit.sh
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable Service¶

systemctl --user daemon-reexec
systemctl --user enable --now media-inhibit.service

Test Inhibitor¶

Check if inhibitor is active during media playback:

systemd-inhibit --list

Arch Linux Installation Guide¶

Pre-Installation¶

Identify Current Mounts¶

Partition Disk¶

Verify Disk Layout¶

Arch ISO Environment¶

Connect to WiFi¶

Verify Network Connection¶

Set Root Password¶

Enable SSH Server¶

SSH Connection (Optional)¶

Disk Partitioning¶

Partition Scheme¶

Load Encryption Modules¶

Encrypt Partitions with LUKS¶

Open and Format Encrypted Partitions¶

Mount Partitions¶

Base System Installation¶

Install Base Packages¶

Generate Filesystem Table (FSTAB)¶

Enter New System (Chroot)¶

System Configuration¶

Install Text Editor¶

Configure Initramfs for Encryption¶

Set Keyboard Layout¶

Generate Kernel Image¶

Bootloader (GRUB)¶

Install GRUB¶

Get Root Partition UUID¶

Configure GRUB¶

Install GRUB to EFI¶

Generate GRUB Configuration¶

Automatic Decryption (Keyfiles)¶

Set Permissions and Generate Keys¶

Add Root Key to Initramfs¶

Add Home Key to Crypttab¶

Rebuild Initramfs¶

Add Root Key to GRUB¶

Final System Configuration¶

Set Timezone¶

Configure NTP (Time Synchronization)¶

Set Locale¶

Set Hostname¶

Create User¶

Install and Configure Sudo¶

Essential System Tools¶

iwd (WiFi Management)¶

SSH Server¶

zRAM (Compressed Swap in RAM)¶

Reboot into New System¶

Desktop Environment Setup¶

Xorg Display Server¶

Auto-start X on Login¶

Intel GPU Driver¶

i3 (Window Manager)¶

Picom (Compositor)¶

Fonts¶

Install Fonts¶

Configure Font Rendering¶

Refresh Font Cache¶

Set i3 Font¶

Terminal Emulator (Alacritty)¶

Install Alacritty¶

Configure Alacritty¶

Add Terminal Keybinding to i3¶

Audio (PipeWire)¶

Install PipeWire¶

Enable Audio Services¶

Verify Audio Works¶

Volume Control Keybindings¶

Screen Brightness¶

Install Brightness Control¶

Brightness Keybindings¶

Bluetooth¶

Install Bluetooth Stack¶

Manage Bluetooth Devices¶

Optional: Blueman GUI¶

Web Browser (Brave)¶

Install AUR Helper (yay)¶

Install Brave Browser¶