How To Install EndeavourOS On Raspberry Pi (Beginner Guide)

EndeavourOS is a fairly new Linux distribution now available for Raspberry Pi. It’s based on Arch Linux, and apart from Manjaro, there aren’t many options available for the Raspberry Pi, so this is an exciting test. Let’s see how you can try it out on your Raspberry Pi.

EndeavourOS now has images for the ARM architecture, including Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 versions. The installation steps are typical for a custom image on Raspberry Pi, and a wizard will guide you through setting up the desktop environment you want on top of it.

The official documentation is very light on how to do all this, so I’ll walk you through it step by step. It’s not complicated, but it might be a little different from what you’re used to, so stick with me, you can do it.

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Hardware Requirements

I don’t want you to waste time in the first steps if you don’t have anything ready to go. Before going further, here is what you need to follow this tutorial entirely:

• A Raspberry Pi 4, 400 or 5.
  It also works with some Odroid models (N2) and the Pinebook Pro but I’m not sure about other Raspberry Pi models and SBC.
• A computer with an SD card reader (can be a Raspberry Pi with Imager on it).
  You can use a cheap USB adapter if you don’t have one (like this one on Amazon).
• A micro-SD card to install EndeavourOS on the Raspberry Pi.
  Here is my current recommendation for the best performances, but any model will do if it’s just a test.

Do you have all that? Congrats, you can start the installation!

FYI, I’m testing this with my Raspberry Pi 5 and my favorite SD card, but it should work the same way if you follow the requirements above.

Step 1 – Download the EndeavourOS image

The installation process for the first versions of EndeavourOS was quite complicated (funny enough, you needed a PC running EndeavourOS to install it on the Raspberry Pi). Hopefully, this is no longer the case, there are pre-built images available and the process is more straightforward.

Start by downloading the latest image for your Raspberry Pi model:

• Open this page on the official EndeavourOS website.
• Click on the download link corresponding to your Raspberry Pi model.
  
• Wait a few minutes for the download to complete. You can now move to the next step.

Step 2 – Flash EndeavourOS image to your SD card

EndeavourOS isn’t available in Raspberry Pi Imager (at the time of my last edit), but you can use the “Custom image” option to flash it with it anyway. Here’s how to do this:

• Install Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer if you don’t have it yet.
  You can also do this for a Raspberry Pi running Raspberry Pi OS from a USB drive, or using a second card reader.
• Start Raspberry Pi Imager and insert the SD card you want to use for EndeavourOS.
• You can skip the “Choose device” step and directly click on “Choose OS”:
  
• Scroll down and click on “Use custom”.
• Select the EndeavourOS image you downloaded (probably in your Downloads folder).
• Click on “Choose Storage” and select your SD card.
• Click “Next”, you can ignore the OS customization settings (it won’t work anyway).

Wait a few minutes for all the files to be extracted and copied to your SD card, while you prepare your Raspberry Pi (connect keyboard, mouse, screen and power). Once the process is completed, you can move to the next section and follow the guide for the first boot.

Step 3 – First boot with EndeavourOS

The image you downloaded is minimal, so it’s not ready to use, and we need to install a few more things, especially if you want a desktop environment on it (highly recommended).

Follow these steps to complete the installation:

• Insert the SD card with EndeavourOS into the Raspberry Pi and wait a few seconds for it to boot.
• You’ll get a login prompt, but you haven’t created the user and password yet, so wait there.
• You should then get a message like that, asking you a few questions:
  
  You can answer “No” to all of them, but my Ethernet connection didn’t work on the first boot, so I recommend configuring the Wi-Fi even if you don’t necessarily need it.
  Warning: the default keyboard layout is US (QWERTY), so think about it when typing your Wi-Fi password if you have another type of keyboard.
• The wizard will do some magic in the background, and ask you a few more questions about the timezone, user name and password, root password, etc. (still in QWERTY).
• After that, you’ll get the option to install a desktop environment:
  
  Pick the one you want to use (or no desktop for a server) and wait a few more minutes while the script downloads and installs everything.
  Read my rankings of the best desktop environments for Raspberry Pi if you don’t know which one to pick.

We are almost done! Once again, the script will download and install everything for your:

After the installation, press a key to reboot the Raspberry. You’ll finally get a graphic interface, with a login screen where you can use the password you set during the installation:

Beware of the keyboard layout one last time, and you’ll now get access to the full interface, which will be different based on your choice during the first boot. With KDE, it looks like that:

Great job! This wasn’t easy, but you did it!

Using EndeavourOS & going further

From there, you should get something similar to what you had on the computer at the beginning of this installation. Here is a quick overview of this system and a few tips.

Interface overview

The graphic interface is different depending on your desktop environment choice in the previous step. But whatever you choose, a welcome wizard will try to guide you:

Like many things on this system (including the documentation), it’s not beginner-friendly. It seems like shortcuts for people who already know everything but don’t want to type the commands. It’s more than a beginner tool.

Note: This tool was unusable in my last attempt with Raspberry Pi 5 and KDE (weird display lines), but you can do the same things using the settings for your desktop environment (like adding a new keyboard layout!), so it’s not a big deal.

Anyway, if it’s working for you, you can at least use this tool to install additional apps (Chromium is recommended on Raspberry Pi, as explained here) or do the system updates.

Then, you’ll find the default apps in the main menu. There isn’t much by default, so you’ll need to install most of them, I will explain how in the next part.

I tried XFCE, and there is not a unified control center, like on KDE or Gnome, all the configuration tools are under “Settings”. It’s a bit messy, but you should find easily how to configure the network, keyboard, or system appearance.

Installing new apps on EndeavourOS

Pacman is the package manager in the command line (like APT on Debian), here is how to use it:

• Update all packages:
  sudo pacman -Syu
  It’s the same thing as:
  sudo apt update & sudo apt upgrade
on a Debian-based system. It does the two commands in one.
• Find a package name:
  sudo pacman -Ss <string>
It’s the equivalent of:
  sudo apt search <string>
Many other options are available, check the link below for more details.
• Install a new package:
  sudo pacman -S <package>
As you know, it’s the same thing as:
  sudo apt install <package>
on Debian.

Here are a few links to help you:

• Pacman documentation.
• Packages list: that might be easier if you are used to a graphic package manager. Use this website to find the package’s name, and install them with the previous command.

I tried to find a package manager that could be easier for a beginner. The only one I successfully installed is tkPacman. It’s a minimalist app that will give you a list of compatible packages, and help you install them, it looks like this:

Use pacman in the command line to install it:
pacman -S tkpacman

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s nice to see some new distributions becoming available on Raspberry Pi, especially ones that aren’t Debian-like, as we already have a lot of them, and it becomes harder and harder to make a choice.

If you want to try Arch Linux for the first time, I’m not sure EndeavourOS is the best choice (yet), but at least the installation steps are much easier now.

Overall, Manjaro has been around longer and has more users and support. It’s available in Raspberry Pi Imager, setup is straightforward, configuration is a bit easier and there’s an app store to install new apps (even easier than the Raspberry Pi OS).

I will keep an eye on EndeavourOS anyway, and keep you updated. It’s also new on PC, so I’m sure they will improve everything in the next few years, we’ll see. You can also find my video about it on the YouTube channel if you want to see it in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1_0tJ6NaH4

The video uses a different installation process, but you can skip the installation part to see the system in action.

If you are seeking better options, make sure to check these other articles:

• What’s the Best Operating System for Beginners on Raspberry Pi?
• How to Install Manjaro on Raspberry Pi?
• 15 Best Operating Systems for Raspberry Pi (with pictures)
• Raspberry Pi OS vs Ubuntu: What’s the Best for Desktop Usage?

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

The RaspberryTips Community: If you want to hang out with me and other Raspberry Pi fans, you can join the community. I share exclusive tutorials and behind-the-scenes content there. Premium members can also visit the website without ads.

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

The Raspberry Pi Bootcamp: Understand everything about the Raspberry Pi, stop searching for help all the time, and finally enjoy completing your projects.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.