Start Here: Requirements and Installation

Welcome to Omarchy’s installer. This section explains the requirements you must meet before installation, and details what the installer will change on your system.

Index

  1. Requirements
  2. Installation Overview
  3. What the Installer Will Change

Requirements

Ensure your system meets Omarchy’s prerequisites before proceeding:

  • Vanilla Arch Linux x86_64
    Must not be a derivative (Manjaro, Garuda, etc.) and must contain /etc/arch-release.
  • Non-root user
    Installer aborts if run as root.
  • Clean desktop
    No existing GNOME or KDE packages.
  • x86_64 CPU
    Omarchy only supports 64-bit Intel/AMD.

These checks are implemented in install/preflight/guard.sh .

Installation Overview

Omarchy’s installation process is orchestrated by install.sh. It executes the following phases in order:

flowchart TD
  A[Preflight Checks] --> B[Package Manager Config]
  B --> C[Defaults & Migrations]
  C --> D[Package Installation]
  D --> E[System & User Config]
  E --> F[Login Assets Setup]
  F --> G[Reboot & Finish]

What the Installer Will Change

Below is a breakdown of each phase and the key changes applied to your system.

Package Manager Configuration

Omarchy reconfigures Pacman to use curated defaults and the fastest mirrors:

  • Installs build tools (base-devel).
  • Overwrites /etc/pacman.conf with Omarchy’s default.
  • Overwrites /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist with Omarchy’s mirrorlist.
  • Refreshes all repositories and performs a full upgrade.
#!/bin/bash
# Install build tools
sudo pacman -S --needed --noconfirm base-devel

# Configure pacman
sudo cp -f ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/pacman/pacman.conf /etc/pacman.conf
sudo cp -f ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/pacman/mirrorlist /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

# Refresh all repos
sudo pacman -Syu --noconfirm

Excerpted from install/preflight/pacman.sh .

Defaults & Migrations

Omarchy applies default settings and initializes migration markers:

  • Copies default configurations from ~/.local/share/omarchy/default into user and system locations.
  • Creates first-run marker in ~/.local/state/omarchy/first-run.mode for post-reboot cleanup.
  • Sets up a temporary sudoers rule for first-run tasks.
  • Marks all available migration scripts as “ran” by touching state files.

These steps reside in install/preflight/first-run-mode.sh and install/preflight/migrations.sh .

Package Installation

Omarchy installs curated software through:

  • install/packages.sh
  • install/packaging/fonts.sh
  • install/packaging/lazyvim.sh
  • install/packaging/webapps.sh
  • install/packaging/tuis.sh

Each script defines arrays or functions that invoke omarchy-pkg-add and omarchy-pkg-drop to manage both Pacman and AUR packages.

System & User Configuration

A suite of configuration scripts copy and tune settings:

  • Config directory: Copies ~/.local/share/omarchy/config/* to ~/.config.
  • Theme & Branding: Sets up themes, icons, and splash assets.
  • Git & GPG: Configures global aliases and user identity from install inputs.
  • Timezones: Applies sane defaults and enables right-click updates.
  • Hardware: Configures networking, Bluetooth, printers, USB autosuspend, power-button handling, and GPU drivers.

All found under install/config/*.sh.

Login Assets

To provide a seamless boot experience, Omarchy configures:

  • Plymouth splash screen (install/login/plymouth.sh).
  • Snapper/Limine integration for btrfs snapshots (install/login/limine-snapper.sh).
  • Alternative bootloader support (install/login/alt-bootloaders.sh).

Reboot & Finish

The final step runs install/reboot.sh, which:

  • Displays a branded Omarchy finish sequence using tte and the Omarchy logo.
  • Removes the temporary sudoers file if present.
  • Prompts a 5-second delay before invoking reboot.
#!/bin/bash
clear
tte -i ~/.local/share/omarchy/logo.txt --frame-rate 920
laseretch
echo "You're done! So we're ready to reboot now..." | tte --frame-rate 640 wipe

if sudo test -f /etc/sudoers.d/99-omarchy-installer; then
  sudo rm -f /etc/sudoers.d/99-omarchy-installer &>/dev/null
  echo -e "\nRemember to remove USB installer!\n\n"
fi

sleep 5
reboot

Excerpted from install/reboot.sh .

With your system backed up and meeting the above requirements, launching Omarchy’s installer will transform a fresh Arch Linux into a fully-featured Hyprland desktop with curated tooling, theming, and sensible defaults. Follow the prompts, and let the scripts handle the rest.