Install a Desktop Environment

INFO

This guide will help you install the GNOME desktop environment on your system. Most components like audio and multimedia support are handled automatically.

Prerequisites

Make sure your system is up to date before starting:

sudo pacman -Syyu

Install The Packages

Here’s what you need to install:

sudo pacman -S gnome gnome-tweaks gdm gst-libav pipewire-jack noto-fonts-emoji

Package Info:

• gnome → The GNOME desktop environment.
• gnome-tweaks → For customizing themes, fonts, and more.
• gdm → The login manager where you log in and select GNOME.
• gst-libav → Multimedia codecs for video previews in the file manager.
• pipewire-jack → Support for legacy JACK audio with PipeWire.
• noto-fonts-emoji → Google’s Emoji Font for proper emoji display.

Set Your Keyboard Layout

WARNING

This step is crucial if you are using a non-US keyboard because you wouldnt be able to login later if not set correctly

NOTE

Laptops use latin1 because the layout is slightly different. For example, de-latin1.

sudo localectl set-keymap de

Enable the Login Manager

Set GDM (GNOME Display Manager) to start automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl enable gdm

Reboot and Enjoy!

INFO

You’re all set! Reboot your system to log into your new GNOME desktop environment:

sudo reboot