Manjaro

Arch Linux made accessible. Rolling release with training wheels.

Desktop Gaming Beginner

Overview

Based on	Arch Linux
Package manager	pacman + AUR (pamac GUI included)
Package format	.pkg.tar.zst
Release model	Rolling release with a 1-2 week stability buffer over Arch
Default DE	KDE Plasma, GNOME, or XFCE (choose at download)
Init system	systemd
Website	manjaro.org

Why Manjaro?

Arch without the install - Graphical installer gets you running in minutes instead of hours
Stability buffer - Packages are held back ~2 weeks from Arch and tested before release
Hardware detection - MHWD (Manjaro Hardware Detection) automatically installs the right drivers, including NVIDIA
AUR access - Full access to the Arch User Repository's 80,000+ packages
Multiple editions - Official KDE, GNOME, and XFCE editions, plus community editions with other desktops
Pamac - A graphical package manager that handles official repos, AUR, Flatpak, and Snap in one interface

Package Management

Manjaro uses pacman (same as Arch) plus its own graphical tool, Pamac.

# Sync repos and upgrade everything
sudo pacman -Syu

# Install a package
sudo pacman -S firefox vlc

# Search for a package
pacman -Ss "text editor"

# Remove package and orphaned dependencies
sudo pacman -Rns package-name

# Manjaro's own system update (handles kernels and mirrors)
sudo pacman-mirrors --fasttrack && sudo pacman -Syu

AUR & Pamac

# Pamac (Manjaro's GUI/CLI package manager)
pamac search visual-studio
pamac install visual-studio-code-bin    # Can install from AUR
pamac build package-name                # Build AUR package
pamac update                            # Update everything

# Or install yay for a traditional AUR helper
sudo pacman -S yay
yay -S spotify google-chrome

Manjaro vs Arch repos: Manjaro maintains its own repositories separate from Arch. Packages are tested and held back before release. This means you should not mix Arch and Manjaro repos, as it can break your system. Use the AUR for anything not in Manjaro's repos.

Kernel Management

One of Manjaro's standout features is its kernel management tool. You can install multiple kernels and switch between them easily.

# List available kernels
mhwd-kernel -l

# Install a new kernel
sudo mhwd-kernel -i linux61

# List installed kernels
mhwd-kernel -li

# Remove an old kernel
sudo mhwd-kernel -r linux515

Tips

Use MHWD (sudo mhwd -a pci nonfree 0300) to auto-install GPU drivers instead of manual driver installation
Keep at least two kernels installed. If an update breaks something, you can boot the other one.
Run sudo pacman-mirrors --fasttrack periodically to find the fastest mirrors for your location
Enable AUR support in Pamac via Pamac's preferences if you prefer a GUI for AUR packages
Check the Manjaro Forum before major updates. The community posts about known issues.
Use Timeshift with btrfs for easy system rollbacks before big updates