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Arch. Retro. Neon. A complete Arch-based distribution that turns your desktop into a retro-future masterpiece.
This wiki is written in the same spirit as the Arch Wiki: plain language, deep explanations, and step-by-step guidance for everyone from complete beginners to advanced users. If you are new to Linux or Arch, do not worry — every page explains what a thing is, why it works the way it does, and how to use it, before showing you commands.
New to RetroLinux? Follow the journey:
| Step | Page | What you'll do |
|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Installation | Boot the ISO and complete the guided install |
| 2️⃣ | First Boot | What happens the first time you log in |
| 3️⃣ | Updates & Rollbacks | Keep it current, roll back with Timeshift |
| 4️⃣ | FAQ | Common questions from the community |
The install is one guided flow. Work through it in order:
- Installation Basics — install type, release branch, ricing mode
- User Accounts — user account, root password, hostname
- Localization — keyboard layout, language, timezone
- Display — aspect ratio and resolution
- Storage & Encryption — disk selection and LUKS encryption
- Kernel & Bootloader — kernel and GRUB
- Mirror Regions — mirrors and custom mirror URL
- Services — Bluetooth, fingerprint, printing, SSH
- Software Choices — AUR helper, editor, file manager, browser
- Network Setup — WiFi and Ethernet
- Config & After — summary, archinstall, first boot
Everything in RetroLinux lives behind one command. Learn the basics first, then dive into the tool you need.
-
CLI Overview — how
retro <tool> [sub-command]works, flags, andretro help
-
retro settings— the GTK4 desktop GUI -
retro --update— sync the repo and update everything -
retro --setup— run (or re-run) post-install setup -
retro --load— execute the system startup sequence -
retro --tests— run the test suite -
retro --version— show version and system info
-
Hardware & Drivers —
retro driver -
Display & Monitors —
retro display -
Battery —
retro battery -
Power Management —
retro power -
Fans & Cooling —
retro fans -
Fingerprint —
retro fingerprint -
System (ZRAM, swap, hibernation) —
retro system
-
Audio (PipeWire) —
retro audio -
Network & Wi-Fi —
retro network -
Bluetooth —
retro bluetooth -
Input devices & keybinds —
retro input
-
Disk & Storage —
retro disk -
Timeshift Backups —
retro timeshift -
GRUB Bootloader —
retro grub
-
Firewall —
retro firewall -
SSH —
retro ssh -
Users —
retro users -
Keyring —
retro keyring -
PolicyKit —
retro polkit -
Bitwarden —
retro bitwarden
-
Theming —
retro theme -
Fonts —
retro font -
Wallpapers —
retro wallpaper -
RetroShell —
retro shell
-
Cleanup —
retro cleanup -
Logs —
retro log -
Services —
retro service -
Daemon & Watchers —
retro daemon -
App Manager —
retro app -
XDG & Defaults —
retro xdg -
Window Rules —
retro window -
Variables —
retro variable
A GTK4 + libadwaita app with a page for every tool — point-and-click configuration with live apply, search, and undo.
- Settings Overview — launching, searching, saving, undo
- Settings Pages — every page explained, by category
- Theming — palettes, custom JSON themes, and the look of your whole desktop
-
Wallpapers — the collection system and the
retrowallpapersrepo - RetroShell — the QML desktop: bar, dock, launcher, notifications, lockscreen
- Contributing — how to report bugs, request features, and contribute to RetroLinux
The full developer documentation lives in the repository itself: see
CODING_GUIDELINES.mdandCONTRIBUTING.md.
© 2026 itsvlxd & Contributors • GPL-3.0 License | 🤝 Contributing • 🐛 Issues • 🔧 Pulls
Licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. You are free to share, modify, and redistribute this documentation under the same copyleft terms, provided completely without warranty of any kind.