Arch Linux How-To Topics

This article lists 300 “how to” topics for Arch Linux.
by İbrahim Korucuoğlu ( @siberoloji) |
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  7 minute read  

Here’s a categorized list of 300+ Arch Linux how-to topics that will help you get started with Arch Linux. Each topic provides step-by-step instructions for installing, configuring, and customizing your Arch Linux system.

1. Installation & Setup

  1. How to create a bootable Arch Linux USB
  2. How to verify the ISO signature before installation
  3. How to partition disks for Arch Linux
  4. How to install Arch Linux in UEFI mode
  5. How to install Arch Linux in BIOS (Legacy) mode
  6. How to configure and enable swap space
  7. How to set up a basic Arch Linux installation
  8. How to install Arch Linux with LVM
  9. How to install Arch Linux with full disk encryption (LUKS)
  10. How to install Arch Linux alongside Windows (Dual Boot)
  11. How to install Arch Linux on a Raspberry Pi
  12. How to install Arch Linux in a virtual machine (VM)
  13. How to set up a minimal Arch Linux installation
  14. How to install Arch Linux with Btrfs
  15. How to configure and enable Secure Boot for Arch Linux

2. System Configuration

  1. How to set the system hostname
  2. How to configure locale settings
  3. How to set the system timezone
  4. How to enable NTP (Network Time Protocol) synchronization
  5. How to configure keyboard layout
  6. How to enable and manage systemd services
  7. How to edit and manage fstab for mounting partitions
  8. How to set up sudo for a user
  9. How to enable multilib (32-bit support)
  10. How to manage kernel parameters with bootloader

3. Package Management

  1. How to update the system (pacman -Syu)
  2. How to search for packages (pacman -Ss)
  3. How to install a package (pacman -S)
  4. How to remove a package (pacman -R)
  5. How to clean package cache (pacman -Sc)
  6. How to downgrade a package
  7. How to install packages from AUR (Arch User Repository)
  8. How to use yay as an AUR helper
  9. How to use paru as an AUR helper
  10. How to list installed packages (pacman -Q)
  11. How to check package dependencies
  12. How to rebuild all packages with makepkg
  13. How to ignore specific package updates
  14. How to enable parallel downloads in pacman
  15. How to install a local .pkg.tar.zst package

4. Desktop Environments & Window Managers

  1. How to install and configure GNOME
  2. How to install and configure KDE Plasma
  3. How to install and configure Xfce
  4. How to install and configure LXQt
  5. How to install and configure MATE
  6. How to install and configure i3 WM
  7. How to install and configure Sway (Wayland)
  8. How to install and configure Awesome WM
  9. How to install and configure BSPWM
  10. How to install and configure Hyprland (Wayland)
  11. How to set up a display manager (SDDM, LightDM, GDM)
  12. How to autostart applications in a WM
  13. How to customize Qt and GTK themes
  14. How to enable screen locking in a minimal setup
  15. How to switch between Wayland and Xorg sessions

5. Display & Graphics

  1. How to install and configure NVIDIA drivers
  2. How to install and configure AMD GPU drivers
  3. How to install and configure Intel graphics drivers
  4. How to enable hardware acceleration for video playback
  5. How to set up dual monitors with xrandr
  6. How to configure screen resolution
  7. How to enable fractional scaling in Wayland
  8. How to fix screen tearing in Xorg
  9. How to use PRIME for hybrid graphics (NVIDIA Optimus)
  10. How to install and configure Vulkan

6. Networking & Internet

  1. How to connect to Wi-Fi using iwd
  2. How to connect to Wi-Fi using wpa_supplicant
  3. How to set a static IP address
  4. How to enable and use NetworkManager
  5. How to set up a VPN (OpenVPN/WireGuard)
  6. How to configure a firewall with ufw
  7. How to configure a firewall with nftables
  8. How to share files over Samba
  9. How to set up an SSH server
  10. How to mount remote directories with SSHFS

7. Audio & Multimedia

  1. How to configure PulseAudio
  2. How to configure PipeWire for audio
  3. How to fix no sound issues
  4. How to enable Bluetooth audio
  5. How to record audio with ffmpeg
  6. How to play videos with MPV
  7. How to install and use Spotify
  8. How to edit audio with Audacity
  9. How to stream audio with OBS
  10. How to enable microphone noise suppression

8. Storage & Filesystems

  1. How to mount and unmount drives
  2. How to format a USB drive
  3. How to check disk health with smartctl
  4. How to resize partitions with gparted
  5. How to recover deleted files
  6. How to set up RAID on Arch Linux
  7. How to optimize SSD performance
  8. How to use NTFS drives in Linux
  9. How to encrypt a USB drive with LUKS
  10. How to set up automatic backups with rsync

9. Security & Privacy

  1. How to enable automatic security updates
  2. How to harden the Linux kernel
  3. How to use AppArmor for security
  4. How to audit system security with lynis
  5. How to disable root login over SSH
  6. How to set up two-factor authentication (2FA)
  7. How to encrypt DNS with dnscrypt-proxy
  8. How to block ads system-wide with pi-hole
  9. How to scan for malware with clamav
  10. How to secure SSH with key-based authentication

10. Virtualization & Containers

  1. How to install and use QEMU/KVM
  2. How to set up VirtualBox on Arch Linux
  3. How to use Docker on Arch Linux
  4. How to install and use Podman
  5. How to manage LXC/LXD containers
  6. How to pass GPU to a VM (PCI Passthrough)
  7. How to create a custom Arch Linux Docker image
  8. How to use distrobox for containerized apps
  9. How to run Windows in a VM with GPU acceleration
  10. How to manage VMs with virt-manager

11. System Maintenance & Troubleshooting

  1. How to check system logs with journalctl
  2. How to diagnose boot failures
  3. How to recover from a broken pacman database
  4. How to fix “failed to synchronize all databases” error
  5. How to downgrade the kernel if a new one breaks the system
  6. How to free up disk space
  7. How to check for broken packages
  8. How to reset a forgotten root password
  9. How to repair GRUB bootloader
  10. How to diagnose high CPU/memory usage

12. Gaming

  1. How to install Steam on Arch Linux
  2. How to enable Proton for Windows games
  3. How to optimize gaming performance
  4. How to use Wine for running Windows apps
  5. How to install and use Lutris
  6. How to set up game controllers
  7. How to enable GameMode for performance
  8. How to play Minecraft with OptiFine
  9. How to install and use RetroArch for emulation
  10. How to reduce input lag in games

13. Development & Programming

  1. How to install Python and pip
  2. How to set up a C/C++ development environment
  3. How to install and use Node.js
  4. How to install and configure Git
  5. How to set up a Java development environment
  6. How to use VS Code on Arch Linux
  7. How to compile software from source
  8. How to set up a Rust development environment
  9. How to install and use Docker for development
  10. How to debug applications with gdb

14. Command Line & Shell

  1. How to customize the Bash prompt
  2. How to use tmux for terminal multiplexing
  3. How to create and use aliases
  4. How to write basic shell scripts
  5. How to use sed and awk for text processing
  6. How to search files with find and grep
  7. How to archive and compress files (tar, gzip, zip)
  8. How to monitor system resources (htop, glances)
  9. How to use rsync for file synchronization
  10. How to manage environment variables

15. Printing & Scanning

  1. How to set up a printer with CUPS
  2. How to install HP printer drivers (hplip)
  3. How to scan documents with sane
  4. How to enable network printing
  5. How to troubleshoot printer issues

16. Mobile & External Devices

  1. How to connect an Android phone via MTP
  2. How to transfer files over Bluetooth
  3. How to use a USB tethering connection
  4. How to mount an iPhone in Arch Linux
  5. How to read exFAT/NTFS external drives

17. Cloud & Remote Services

  1. How to sync files with Nextcloud
  2. How to use rclone for cloud storage
  3. How to set up a personal VPN server
  4. How to automate backups to a remote server
  5. How to use syncthing for P2P file sync

18. Kernel & Hardware

  1. How to install a custom Linux kernel
  2. How to enable Zswap for better memory management
  3. How to check hardware info with lshw
  4. How to optimize battery life on laptops
  5. How to disable unnecessary kernel modules

19. Arch Linux Derivatives

  1. How to migrate from Arch Linux to EndeavourOS
  2. How to use Manjaro’s pamac on Arch
  3. How to install Arch Linux ARM on a PinePhone
  4. How to compare Arch with Artix (without systemd)

20. Miscellaneous

  1. How to change the boot splash screen
  2. How to create a custom Arch Linux ISO
  3. How to dual-boot Arch with another Linux distro
  4. How to benchmark system performance
  5. How to contribute to the Arch Wiki