Top 10 Things to Do After Installing Arch Linux (Performance & UI)

You did it. You’ve installed Arch Linux. But now what? Arch, in its pure form, is like an empty house. Let’s turn that fresh install into a fast, beautiful, and reliable system you’ll love using every day.

Here are the Top 10 essential things to do after installing Arch Linux, from performance tweaks to UI polish.

1. Update Everything First

Before doing anything else, make sure your system is fully up-to-date.

sudo pacman -Syu

This syncs your package database and upgrades everything, giving your new system a health check.

2. Enable Multilib (for 32-bit Apps & Gaming)

Some apps—especially games and Steam—need 32-bit libraries.

sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf

Find this section, uncomment both lines (remove the #), save, and run sudo pacman -Syu.

#[multilib]
#Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

3. Install Essential Base Packages

Arch doesn’t include many basics, so let’s fix that.

sudo pacman -S base-devel git wget curl vim unzip zip htop neofetch

• base-devel: Required for compiling packages from the AUR.
• neofetch: To flex your setup 😎.
• htop: To monitor your CPU like a pro.

4. Install a Display Manager (Login Screen)

You need something that handles logins visually.

• For KDE or GNOME: sudo pacman -S sddm then sudo systemctl enable sddm
• For XFCE or LXQt: sudo pacman -S lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter then sudo systemctl enable lightdm

5. Choose and Install a Desktop Environment

This is where the fun begins.

• KDE Plasma (Beautiful & Polished): sudo pacman -S plasma kde-applications
• XFCE (Lightweight & Reliable): sudo pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies
• GNOME (Modern & Simple): sudo pacman -S gnome

Reboot afterward, and your Linux desktop will come alive.

6. Enable Network and Bluetooth Services

Let’s make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work properly.

sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

For Bluetooth:

sudo pacman -S bluez bluez-utils
sudo systemctl enable bluetooth
sudo systemctl start bluetooth

7. Install Yay (AUR Helper)

The Arch User Repository (AUR) is where the magic happens—community packages for apps like Google Chrome, VS Code, and Spotify.

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER yay
cd yay
makepkg -si

Now you can install apps easily: yay -S google-chrome visual-studio-code-bin.

8. Optimize System Performance

Let’s make Arch fly.

• Enable Parallel Downloads: In /etc/pacman.conf, uncomment ParallelDownloads = 5.
• Enable CPU Microcode: sudo pacman -S intel-ucode or amd-ucode, then rebuild GRUB with sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
• Enable ZRAM (faster swapping): sudo pacman -S zram-generator then sudo systemctl enable --now [email protected].

9. Customize Your UI (Make It Yours)

This is where Arch shines.

• KDE Users: Install themes like sweet-theme and tela-icon-theme via yay.
• XFCE Users: Install plank for a Mac-style dock.
• Add Fonts: sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu ttf-ubuntu-font-family.

10. Security and Backup Essentials

Keep your system safe:

sudo pacman -S firewalld
sudo systemctl enable --now firewalld

For easy rollback snapshots:

sudo pacman -S timeshift
sudo timeshift-launcher

If anything breaks, you can restore your system in minutes.

Final Words

Arch Linux isn’t just an OS—it’s a journey. Every command teaches you something new, and every tweak makes your setup feel personal. Customize it, break it, fix it, and make it yours.