Arch Linux ARM Installation on a Raspberry Pi 3B+

Published 21 Aug 2025. Nil revisions.

This guide is based on the Arch Linux ARM v7 installation guide, but is extended to configure the Wi-Fi network on the Raspberry Pi:

Connect the microSD card to a Linux computer.
Run lsblk and identify the microSD card.

Replace sdX in the following instructions with the device name for the microSD card as it appears on your computer.
Start fdisk to partition the SD card:
```
fdisk /dev/sdX
```
At the fdisk prompt, delete old partitions and create a new one:

Type o. This will clear out any partitions on the drive.
Type p to list partitions. There should be no partitions left.
Type n, then p for primary, 1 for the first partition on the drive, press ENTER to accept the default first sector, then type +200M for the last sector.
Type t, then c to set the first partition to type W95 FAT32 (LBA).
Type n, then p for primary, 2 for the second partition on the drive, and then press ENTER twice to accept the default first and last sector.
Write the partition table and exit by typing w.

Create and mount the FAT filesystem:

mkfs.vfat /dev/sdX1
mkdir boot
mount /dev/sdX1 boot

Create and mount the ext4 filesystem:

mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX2
mkdir root
mount /dev/sdX2 root

Download the latest ARMv7 OS tarball:

wget http://os.archlinuxarm.org/os/ArchLinuxARM-rpi-armv7-latest.tar.gz

Extract the files to the root partition as root:

sudo bsdtar -xpf ArchLinuxARM-rpi-armv7-latest.tar.gz -C root

Sync changes:
```
sync
```
Move boot files to the first partition:
```
mv root/boot/* boot
```
Create the WiFi configuration file in the mounted root filesystem:
```
sudo nvim root/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant-wlan0.conf
```

Add your network details (replace placeholders), save and exit:

country=AU  # Your country code
ctrl_interface=/run/wpa_supplicant
update_config=1
network={
    ssid="your_ssid"
    psk="your_passphrase"
}

Enable the necessary systemd services offline using the --root flag (run from the host computer):
```
sudo systemctl --root=root/ enable wpa_supplicant@wlan0.service
sudo systemctl --root=root/ enable dhcpcd@wlan0.service
```
This creates symbolic links in root/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/ to activate services on boot.
Unmount, insert the SD card, and boot the Raspberry Pi. It should connect to WiFi automatically if the configuration is correct. Proceed with an Arch Linux installation as normal.