How to Install Manjaro on Raspberry Pi: 2026 Guide

If you’re interested in getting Arch Linux on your Raspberry Pi, Manjaro is probably your best option. It’s based on Arch, but packaged as a traditional Linux distribution, with support for many desktop environments and architectures. Let’s learn how to install it on a Raspberry Pi.

The easiest way to install Manjaro on a Raspberry Pi is to download the latest image from the official website. It can then be flashed to an SD card using a tool such as Raspberry Pi Imager or Balena Etcher.

In this tutorial, I’ll start with a short introduction about Manjaro, and then show you how to install 3 different flavors: Minimal, XFCE, or KDE Plasma.

If you’re new to Raspberry Pi or Linux, I’ve got something that can help you right away!
Download my free Linux commands cheat sheet – it’s a quick reference guide with all the essential commands you’ll need to get things done on your Raspberry Pi. Click here to get it for free!

What is Manjaro?

Presentation

Manjaro is introduced as a fast and user-friendly Linux distribution.
It’s based on Arch Linux, a system we don’t see too much on Raspberry Pi due to the installation complexity (compared to other distributions).

So Manjaro brings fresh air to the Raspberry Pi and will delight fans of Arch Linux.

Versions

This operating system is available in multiple versions, with different purposes:

• Official Versions: For desktop computers.
  • XFCE Desktop
  • GNOME Desktop
  • Plasma Desktop (KDE)
• Community Editions: Manjaro also supports many community projects to offer more choices for end users.
  • Cinnamon (same as on Linux Mint)
  • Budgie
  • i3 Window Manager
  • Sway Window Manager
  • Mate Desktop
  • Docker
• ARM Architecture: You’re probably here for these versions today, as most single-board computers are supported.
  • Raspberry Pi 4, 400, 3B+, 3B, and Zero 2
  • PineBook and PinePhone
  • Odroid (C4, M1, HC4)
  • Orange Pi (3, 4, 800)
  • Rock 3A, Radxa Zero (more about ROCK boards here)
  • Khadas Vim (2/3)
  • Quartz 64 Model A/B
  • Ugoos AM6 Plus

For this tutorial, I’ll be testing Manjaro on my Raspberry Pi 4, but you can follow the same steps with other single-board computers (if supported).

Note for Raspberry Pi 5 users: As of this update, the Pi 5 is still not officially supported on Manjaro. However, some users have reported that it’s mostly working.

That being said, be aware that it’s not guaranteed to be stable on the Pi 5.

History

Manjaro released its first version in 2011 and was in beta stage until 2013.
So it’s pretty new in terms of Linux history, but old enough to give us a stable operating system.

Manjaro is now using similar designations to Ubuntu for the release names, with a version including the release year and month, along with a code name. For example, the version I’m testing for this article is 23.02 and was released in February 2023.

The Manjaro name originates from Mount Kilimanjaro, and you can pronounce it as ‘Man-jar-o’ or ‘Man-ha-ro’.

Goals

Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, so it inherits from the principles of this distribution (design simplicity and intuitiveness, for example). Manjaro added an easy installation process while improving some Arch Linux features.

The official goals of Manjaro have always been to bring usability and accessibility and make it operational directly after the installation.

Note: Manjaro for Raspberry Pi is not as active as other distros, but there are still regular package updates, even if slow. The release hasn’t changed from version number 23.xx in a while, but Manjaro uses a rolling release model, so you can still get newer packages.

We’ll now try the three versions available on Raspberry Pi and see the result.

Manjaro Minimal Installation

I’ll start with a big section, showing you directly the operating system without an interface, and telling you the main differences with Raspberry Pi OS (and most Debian-based distributions).
The next two sections will be shorter, with just a demonstration of the XFCE and KDE versions.

Download Manjaro

To download a Manjaro installation image, you need to visit the official website:

• Open the Manjaro download page for ARM architecture.
• Select Raspberry Pi from the dropdown list.
  This same image works on Raspberry Pi 4 / 400 / 3B / and Zero 2, but older models are not supported. (Raspberry Pi 5 is not officially supported, but probably works.)
• You’ll get screenshots of each version, with a short blurb explaining their differences.
  
• Click on “Download” for the one you want to get the image file directly onto your PC.
  It’s also possible to use Torrent if you prefer by clicking on the “More” option.

I’m downloading the Minimal image for my first test, but the download process is the same for all versions at this point.

Flash the Manjaro Image on an SD Card

Once you have the image on your computer, flash it onto an SD card. The process is similar to how it’s done for any other operating system on Raspberry Pi.

I’ll show you the steps using Raspberry Pi Imager, as I assume you already have it installed. But feel free to use Balena Etcher instead, or any other tool you like.

If you’re not familiar with this process, here are the steps:

• Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager, if you don’t already have it on your computer.
• Launch Raspberry Pi Imager.
• We’ll be using a custom image, so there’s no need to choose a device.
  Currently, Manjaro is not listed in the OS list, whatever device you choose.
• Next, click Choose OS and scroll down to Use custom:
  
  Select the image file for Manjaro from your Downloads folder.
• Then, click Choose Storage, and pick the SD card you want to use.
  
• Finally, click Next to start the writing process.
  Imager will ask if you want to “Apply OS customisation?” but I don’t think it works with Manjaro, so how you answer doesn’t matter. I chose No followed by Yes to confirm.

After a few minutes, the SD card is ready. You can eject it and insert it into your Raspberry Pi.

Note: if all of this is new to you, you may want to read my Raspberry Pi Imager guide for more details.

Manjaro Installation and Configuration

Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi and power it on.
After a few seconds, the system boot is complete and a wizard appears. You’ll need to set your keyboard layout first:

(You can enter type the first letter to jump down in this menu and the following ones.)

Then, you’ll create your first user:

Enter the username you want to use and confirm. Then you can add additional groups for the new user. You can keep it empty or use the defaults provided.

Then, you need to answer the following questions:

• User full name.
• User password.
• Root password (yes, there is a root user available).
• Timezone and locale (e.g., en_US.UTF-8):
  
• Device host name:
  

Try not to miss any step, as each time you fail to give it the correct information, it will restart the wizard from the beginning, which is pretty annoying.

Finally, the wizard gives you a list to confirm all the information.

Confirm if everything is OK.

The basic configuration takes a few seconds.
Then the system resizes the SD card partitions and reboots.
After rebooting, the system is configured with your settings and ready to use.

Network Configuration

The Ethernet connection on a DHCP network works directly.
It’s really the best way to get Internet access.

To set up a Wi-Fi connection, it’s a little more involved:

• Launch the iwd configuration tool:
  iwctl
  
  Now you’ll be inside the iwd prompt.
• Check if your Wi-Fi adapter is powered on:
  device list
  
  “Powered” should be set to “on” and “Mode” set to “station.”
  (If not, refer to this Arch wiki page to change it appropriately.)
• Scan for wireless network SSID names:
  station wlan0 scan
station wlan0 get-networks
  (Change “wlan0” in the commands above and below if your adapter has a different name.)
  
• Connect to your Wi-Fi network by SSID name:
  station wlan0 connect MY_SSID
  Replace “MY_SSID” with the network you want to connect to.
  (You can use TAB to autocomplete names.)
• When prompted, enter your Wi-Fi password.
• Quit the iwd configurational tool:
  exit
• Check if you got an IP address and are connected:
  ip a
  
  Success!

Note: if iwctl doesn’t work properly, make sure you’re part of the “network” group:
groups pat

Using SSH

SSH is enabled by default, so I highly recommend switching to SSH as soon as possible if you have another computer to follow this tutorial.

You can connect directly to the user you just created, and use “sudo” to run administrator commands after that.

If you don’t know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi, you can use this command to find it:
ip a

Then, connecting to your Raspberry Pi running Manjaro works the same way as with other distributions. You can read my SSH guide here if you need more guidance.

Tip: Command lines can be a pain to memorize. I put the essential Linux commands on a printable cheat sheet so you don't have to keep googling them. You can grab the PDF here if you want to save some time.

Useful Commands

Keep in mind that Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, and not on Debian, so many commands are different than what you might be used to with Raspberry Pi OS.

Here is a quick overview that may be useful if you are new to this:

• Install a new package:
  • pacman is the apt equivalent on Manjaro.
  • To install a new package:
    sudo pacman -S <package>
  • To search a package name:
    sudo pacman -Ss <search>
  • To update the system:
    sudo pacman -Syu
    
• Find your Raspberry Pi IP Address:
  • As mentioned earlier, you can use this command:
    ip a
• Get more help:
  • As the goal here is not to give you a detailed tutorial on how to use Manjaro, I highly recommend checking the Manjaro wiki if you need help with something.
  • If you don’t find a Debian command on Manjaro, check the wiki or the forum here.

For basics commands, if you’re used to Raspberry Pi OS/Debian or any Linux distribution, it should be ok for you. I keep a list of useful commands for Raspberry Pi OS if you need help to start.

Testing the Minimal edition of Manjaro was a great experience overall, with a nice welcome wizard that helped us with the basic configuration. The main downside was the Wi-Fi configuration (but I’m sure there is a solution).

Let see how the versions with a graphical interface perform, starting with the XFCE edition.

Manjaro XFCE Installation

XFCE is a common desktop environment on Linux.
It’s supposed to be user-friendly and lightweight, so it’s a good choice for a Raspberry Pi.

You can download and prepare the SD card the same way (download page + Raspberry Pi Imager). The first boot with XFCE is similar to what I explained for the Minimal edition.

A wizard shows up, and you can configure the basic parameters the same way. Configure the users, passwords, timezone, language and layout and continue. The only difference being that you get a more intuitive graphical interface for doing this.

The Raspberry Pi will reboot to apply the configuration.

After the reboot, the graphical environment starts with a login screen (unless you asked to auto-login the default user). Enter your selected password and continue.

You are now on the XFCE Desktop and can use it like you would on any distribution.

Wi-Fi’s connection works well on XFCE. Click on the network icon at the bottom-right, near the clock, select your network, and enter your Wi-Fi password.

You’ll find all the basic software in the start menu on the left.
You can install more packages from System > Add/Remove software.

Let me know in the community if you have any issues/questions about this environment, but it seems user-friendly enough to find anything you need easily.

Manjaro KDE Plasma Installation

I was also interested in testing KDE Plasma with Manjaro, so I did it :-).

KDE is another desktop environment you’ll often find on many Linux distributions.
It’s probably more known than XFCE, as it has always been a direct competitor to GNOME.
KDE Plasma is a new version of the environment, created by KDE for Linux systems.

On the first boot, you’ll get asked similar questions as with the other editions, with a graphical interface (like for XFCE). Complete the configuration wizard and reboot.

Here is an overview of the KDE desktop look:

There’s no big difference with XFCE at first sight.
You’ll need to use it a lot to see which option is best for you.
It’s a personal choice, both work fine. It’s a matter of habit, more than performance or features.

Establishing a wireless connection can be done the same way as on XFCE, on the bottom-right of the screen:

Video Tutorial

I did a video on the Manjaro installation process for Raspberry Pi if you need a step-by-step guide:

https://youtu.be/l9ky_cAy-dQ

Final Thoughts

And that’s it, you now know how to install and configure Manjaro on Raspberry Pi.
It was just an introduction, but I hope you now have a better understanding of this system and will give it a try.

Personally, I really like this system. Even if I’m not familiar with Arch Linux, I find it pretty easy to use, especially with a desktop environment.

I think it could be a good option if you plan to use your Raspberry Pi as a desktop PC (especially for the Raspberry Pi 4). This distribution deserves a high rank in my list of the best Raspberry Pi operating systems.

If you’re interested in Arch Linux, consider test-driving EndeavourOS. It’s not as intuitive as Manjaro yet, but they’re pretty new, so I’m sure they’ll get better in time.

Not getting the same result?

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