How to Install Manjaro Linux

Manjaro is an Arch-based distribution that trades Arch's manual setup for a polished installer and curated software branches. You get rolling releases, access to the AUR, and multiple kernel options—without building the system from scratch. This guide walks through downloading Manjaro, creating bootable media, and completing a full install using the Calamares graphical installer.

Manjaro vs Arch: What You're Actually Getting

Manjaro shares Arch's package format (pacman, .pkg.tar.zst) and rolling-release model, but diverges in three important ways:

• Branches: Packages pass through Unstable → Testing → Stable before reaching most users. The default Stable branch typically lags Arch by one to two weeks, which catches breakage before it hits you.
• Kernels: Manjaro ships its own patched kernel builds and lets you install multiple kernels side-by-side via mhwd-kernel. You are not tied to the kernel version Arch happens to be on.
• Hardware detection: The mhwd (Manjaro Hardware Detection) tool auto-installs appropriate GPU and network drivers, including proprietary NVIDIA drivers, during or after install.

If you want to understand every layer of your system, install Arch. If you want a rolling release that works on first boot, Manjaro is the practical choice.

Choosing a Desktop Edition

Manjaro publishes three official editions and several community ones. Pick before downloading:

• KDE Plasma — Full-featured, Wayland default since Plasma 6. Best choice for new users coming from Windows or anyone who wants fine-grained customisation.
• GNOME — Clean, Wayland-first, fewer knobs. Good on HiDPI displays and touchscreens.
• Xfce — Lightweight, X11-based. Still the best option for older hardware or users who prefer a classic desktop.

Community editions (i3, Sway, Cinnamon, MATE, Budgie) are maintained outside the core team but receive the same package stream.

Step 1: Download the ISO and Verify It

Get the ISO from the official site: manjaro.org/download. Each ISO page lists a SHA256 checksum. Verify before writing to media.

sha256sum manjaro-kde-24.0-240501-linux66.iso

Compare the output against the checksum on the download page. They must match exactly. Any mismatch means a corrupt or tampered download.

Step 2: Write Bootable Media

Linux (dd)

Identify your USB device first—/dev/sdb below is an example; yours may differ. Double-check with lsblk before running dd.

lsblk

sudo dd if=manjaro-kde-24.0-240501-linux66.iso \
     of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Linux (alternative: cp)

On most modern systems a plain copy also works and is harder to get wrong:

sudo cp manjaro-kde-24.0-240501-linux66.iso /dev/sdX && sync

Windows / macOS

Use Balena Etcher or Rufus (Windows only, use DD mode in Rufus, not ISO mode).

Step 3: Boot the Live Environment

Reboot with the USB inserted. Enter your firmware boot menu—typically F12, F2, or Del at POST depending on the motherboard. Select the USB device. If you see both a UEFI and a legacy entry for the same drive, choose the UEFI entry; Manjaro installs in UEFI mode by default and that is what you want on any hardware made after ~2012.

At the Manjaro boot menu you can choose between open-source and proprietary driver modes before the desktop loads. Choose proprietary if you have an NVIDIA GPU; open-source otherwise. You can change this after install with mhwd.

Step 4: Run the Calamares Installer

The live desktop loads automatically. Double-click Install Manjaro on the desktop or find it in the application menu to launch Calamares.

Language, Location, Keyboard

The first three screens set locale, timezone, and keyboard layout. These are straightforward. Calamares auto-detects your location if you are online.

Partitioning

This is the most consequential screen. Three options appear:

• Erase disk — wipes the target drive and installs Manjaro. Simplest choice for a dedicated machine or new drive. Enable swap if you have under 8 GB of RAM or want hibernation.
• Replace a partition — replaces an existing Linux partition, useful when dual-booting with Windows already installed.
• Manual partitioning — full control. Minimum layout for UEFI: a 512 MB FAT32 EFI partition mounted at /boot/efi with the boot and esp flags, and a root partition (/) formatted ext4, btrfs, or xfs. Btrfs is a good modern default; it enables snapshots with Timeshift.

If dual-booting with Windows: Shrink the Windows partition from within Windows first (Disk Management → Shrink Volume), then use the free space in Calamares. Do not let Calamares touch the Windows EFI partition; it will add its own bootloader entry to the existing ESP.

User Account

Set your name, login name, hostname, and password. Optionally enable autologin for a desktop machine. The root account uses the same password by default unless you uncheck that option and set a separate one—leaving them the same is fine for personal machines.

Summary and Install

Review the summary screen carefully, especially the partition changes. Click Install to begin. On a modern SSD the process takes roughly 5–10 minutes.

Step 5: Choose Your Kernel After First Boot

Manjaro ships a default kernel (the version printed in the ISO filename, e.g., linux66). After logging in, open Manjaro Settings Manager → Kernel (GUI) or use the terminal:

mhwd-kernel -li

That lists installed kernels. To install an additional kernel—for example the latest LTS:

sudo mhwd-kernel -i linux61

Keep at least two kernels installed. If a kernel update breaks boot, GRUB lets you select the previous one from the Advanced menu.

Step 6: Update the System

After first boot, pull in any updates that have landed since the ISO was built:

sudo pacman -Syu

Manjaro users on the Stable branch can also use the GUI updater in the system tray. Either method works; they call the same underlying operation.

Switching Branches

Stable is appropriate for most users. If you want packages closer to Arch speed:

# View current branch
pamac-manager --no-update && grep Branch /etc/pacman-mirrors.conf

# Switch to Testing
sudo pacman-mirrors --api --set-branch testing
sudo pacman-mirrors --fasttrack 10
sudo pacman -Syyu

Switching from Testing or Unstable back to Stable is safe but may temporarily leave you with newer packages than Stable offers until those packages catch up. Never skip the -Syyu (double y) after changing branch; it forces a full mirror refresh.

Verifying the Install

# Confirm running kernel
uname -r

# Confirm UEFI boot
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "BIOS/CSM"

# Confirm GPU driver loaded
mhwd -li

# Check for systemd service failures
systemctl --failed

A healthy install shows no failed units, your expected kernel version, and the correct driver (e.g., video-nvidia or video-modesetting).

Troubleshooting

Black screen after boot with NVIDIA GPU

At the GRUB menu, press E, find the linux line, and append nouveau.modeset=0 or nvidia-drm.modeset=1 depending on which driver is active. Boot, then reinstall the driver: sudo mhwd -a pci nonfree 0300.

GRUB does not appear / boots straight to Windows

Secure Boot is likely still enabled. Enter firmware settings, disable Secure Boot, and reboot. Manjaro does not ship signed Secure Boot shims in standard editions. Alternatively, run sudo grub-install and sudo update-grub from a live USB chroot if the EFI entry was not written.

pacman fails with "signature from ... is unknown trust"

sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys
sudo pacman -Sy manjaro-keyring archlinux-keyring
sudo pacman -Su

System feels slow after update

Check if a kernel module rebuild is pending (common after a kernel update with out-of-tree modules like VirtualBox or NVIDIA):

sudo dkms autoinstall