Garuda Linux General FAQ

This is the official thread for our FAQ, please look here for answers prior to creating a new thread. New questions will be added gradually.

What are the first steps after installing Garuda Linux?

Answer
  • Setting initial mirrorlist
    Open up "Reflector Simple" and make your choices. After testing the servers you will get a fresh mirrorlist.
  • Updating the system
    Its a simple as opening the terminal and typing "update". You will also find a shortcut to a GUI tool called Pamac (Add/Remove software) in the startmenu which serves the same purpose.
  • Downloading language packs
    Some applications got language packs which are separated from the main application
    (Firefox, Libreoffice, etc..). Usually you are required to download them manually however Garuda Linux is shipping the Garuda settings manager for that purpose. You will find a language pack option where you can select which language packs you want to download.

What is a "Barebones" or "Lite" edition?

Answer

These editions contain the minimum amount of DE needed, no theming, no metapkg - also no support :grin::point_up:

Which version is recommended for me?

Answer

Garuda supports many different editions. Sometimes new editions are added. Download and test a live version to find which edition suits you best. A guide for preparing the live USB is available in our wiki.

Can I switch versions without reinstalling?

Answer

This is universally applicable:
Switching to BSPWM from KDE - #2 by dr460nf1r3

Where can I get support specific to the BlackArch tools?

Answer

The guys of BlackArch have an IRC Channel where questions regarding all BlackArch related stuff can be asked. You can find the channel here: #blackarch and #blackarch-offtopic on irc.blackarch.org:1337
If using Weechat, the following commands are required for setting up:

/server add blackarch irc.blackarch.org/1337
/save
/set irc.server.blackarch.addresses irc.blackarch.org/1337
/set irc.server.blackarch.ssl on
/set irc.server.blackarch.ssl_verify off
/set irc.server.blackarch.autoconnect on
/set irc.server.blackarch.autojoin "#blackarch,#blackarch-offtopic,#nullsecurity"
/save

My screen looks dark and yellow colored?

Answer

Its Nightlight or Redshift which is running. Simply turn off the feature. :bulb:

What hardware is required to run Garuda Linux?

Answer

Have a look at our dedicated wiki article!

  • If your hardware doesn't meet the requirements it might be better to install another more lightweight distribution.

Booting the ISO takes ages and wont finish / weird issues arise! (I Have NVIDIA Hardware)

Answer
  • Select the driver = free option in the bootloaders menu for now. There are some kernel issues which need to be fixed by the developers.
  • Try booting the Linux-LTS kernel. NVIDIA sometimes doesn't update their drivers to new kernel versions (reference)

What are the live login details?

Answer

They are garuda / garuda. :slight_smile:

The idle RAM usage is pretty high, how to I reduce it?

Answer

Its widely known that unused RAM is wasted RAM nowadays. In Garuda we use some performance tweaks that might increase RAM usage while improving performance such as zram-generator.
Generally you don't have to worry about this. If you still want to save some RAM you can try disabling systemd services you don't use. This can be done by opening the terminal and typing:

sudo systemctl disable --now

Then press tab instead of enter. It will show you all active services which you can then disable. An example is bluetooth, not everyone uses bluetooth so the service could safely be disabled.

Virtualbox doesnt work right after installation?

Answer

Run the following to use Virtualbox without restart:

sudo modprobe vboxdrv

The `virtualbox-meta contains the required config for having Virtualbox run without the command after a reboot.

What is the recommended partition layout for the installation?

Answer
  • If you want a complete BTRFS setup you will have to create one big BTRFS partition ("erase entire disk" in Calamares) since BTRFS will create subvolumes which are almost like different partitions.
  • If there are multiple disks used in your setup install Garuda to the first disk, then reboot and add the remaining disks via btrfs device add /dev/sdb /home/sdb for example.
  • After that balance the filesystem using btrfs filesystem balance

A system upgrade broke everything! Panic!

Answer

This wiki article explains how to restore the system

Newly installed applications don't show up in the Wayfire edition!

Answer

Open the terminal and type killall "wf-panel && wf-panel &" to make them show up without having to restart the pack

How to get checksums and keys of the downloaded isos?

Answer

Open up the Sourceforge page of Garuda Linux and find the version you just downloaded. Another method is finding the checksums in the same directory as the direct download.

How do I change the background in the Wayfire edition?

Answer

To change the wallpaper we have to edit ~/.config/wf-shell.ini

micro ~/.config/wf-shell.ini

Find the line "image" in the [background] block and change the path to match your wallpaper

My Vulkan installation is not recognized by Lutris! What should I do about it?

Answer

Vulkan - ArchWiki

How do I take screenshots easily?

Answer

There are different screenshot tools for different editions, eg. Spectacle on Dr460nized. Pressing Print should be enough to take a screenshot for all of them though! :slight_smile:

How do I get new themes?

Answer

Install the package ocs-url and visit GNOME-look afterwards. Lots of themes and icon packs available - installable right through the website. If you are using GNOME the theme can be changed via GNOME tweaks, on other DE you can for example use lxappearance if there is no native theme changer.
If you are on KDE themes can be installed via system settings! :art:

Why are there 2 Steam launchers?

Answer

One uses steams own libraries, the other one system native ones. This might result in a performance boost for example if system binaries are newer. However it possibly creates compatibility issues resulting in game crashes. Keep that in mind when using the native launcher. :slight_smile:

There is feature X which isn't included, will you add it?

Answer

Possibly, if it makes sense and we are able to implement it. You are free to make suggestions on how to do this in the Feedback category.

How can I support this project?

Answer
  • We accept donations via Liberapay, Open Collective and PayPal. To donate, kindly visit Garuda Linux website
  • You can support Garuda Linux by spreading the word and recommending it to other people.
  • Another nice way to help Garuda Linux is to leave a review at Distrowatch
  • Volunteering to help out other Garuda users with issues on the forum is also greatly appreciated.

Where do I get answers to questions not answered in this FAQ?

Answer
25 Likes

Is this for devices in any filesystem, or for new clean drivers to use btrfs? I was just going to normally mount my xfs partitions, but after I saw this I wanted to confirm.

1 Like

This is only for btrfs. You can add your xfs partitions via /etc/fstab instead :slight_smile:

8 Likes

Another Question
For people who have already installed the vanilla KDE version how can they get the Dragonized settings pack

2 Likes

You can pretty much apply this to every edition :slight_smile:

9 Likes

4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Best Kde edition

Here Modified the Ultimate Version to be like Dr46onized

2 Likes

Question: Virtual box not working after install
Fix: Virtualbox can be run without errors and restarting after install by using the following command.

sudo modprobe vboxdrv
6 Likes

Or install these:

sudo pacman -S linux-*-headers virtualbox-host-dkms xf86-video-vmware

(where * is the kernel you are running, for ex. I’m running tkg-bmq so linux-tkg-bmq-headers, the headers and all are available in chaotic-aur so no need to compile)
next:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

credits: GitHub - erikdubois/arcolinux-nemesis

3 Likes

Added to first post :slight_smile:

5 Likes