Omarchy Mac installation steps (Dual Boot)

Disclaimer: This guide is for Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2). Follow the instructions carefully to avoid bricking your Mac or getting stuck in a boot loop. A fix for boot loop recovery is provided at the end.

Step 1: Install Arch minimal from Asahi Alarm

Visit https://asahi-alarm.org/ and run the following script in your Terminal to start Asahi Alarm Installer:

curl https://asahi-alarm.org/installer-bootstrap.sh | sh

Once inside the Asahi Alarm Installer, follow the on-screen instructions carefully. A few recommendations:

• You should have at least 50 GB available on your SSD for the Linux partition.
• Choose Asahi Arch Minimal from the list of OS options the installer provides.

Step 2: Initial Arch Linux Setup

After installation, boot into Arch Linux and perform the initial setup:

1. Log into root - username and password: root
2. Configure wifi - Run nmtui for network setup (if you get an error after activating your wifi, reboot)
3. Update system - Run pacman -Syu
4. Install essential packages - Run pacman -S sudo git base-devel chromium
5. Set locale - Run nano /etc/locale.gen and uncomment en_US.UTF-8, save and exit. Run locale-gen, then nano /etc/locale.conf and verify it shows LANG=en_US.UTF-8. If it doesn't, change it to LANG=en_US.UTF-8. Run locale and then reboot.

Step 3: Create User Account

Create a new user account and configure sudo access:

1. Create user - useradd -m -G wheel <username>
2. Set password - passwd <username>
3. Configure sudo - EDITOR=nano visudo
4. Enable wheel group - Uncomment %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
   • For unattended installation, uncomment %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL instead (no password prompts during install)
5. Save and exit - Ctrl O, Enter, Ctrl X
6. Switch to new user - su - <username>

Step 4: Install AUR Helper and Omarchy Mac

As your new user, set up the AUR helper and install Omarchy Mac:

1. Install yay AUR helper:

   git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
   cd yay
   makepkg -si

2. Clone and setup Omarchy Mac:

   git clone https://github.com/malik-na/omarchy-mac.git ~/.local/share/omarchy
   cd ~/.local/share/omarchy
   bash install.sh

   Wait for the installation to complete and enter your password when prompted.

Note: If mirrors break during installation, run bash fix-mirrors.sh then run install.sh again.

External Monitor Guide ❗

Omarchy Mac Menu

Omarchy Mac includes the Omarchy Mac Menu by default, which replaces Walker with fuzzel for better aarch64 compatibility and performance. The menu system uses fuzzel as the frontend while maintaining all original functionality.

Key improvements:

• Better performance on aarch64 systems (Apple Silicon Macs)
• Fuzzel-based frontend for improved stability
• All original omarchy menu functionality preserved
• Automatic migration from walker-based setup

Mirrorlist updates

Omarchy may provide a recommended mirrorlist during install, but it will not silently overwrite an existing system mirrorlist.

To force a full overwrite, run the helper with --force and/or --backup to keep a timestamped backup, or set the environment variable OMARCHY_FORCE_MIRROR_OVERWRITE=1 during install.

Changes since v0.1.0

Notable improvements since v0.1.0 that make installation and first-run smoother on Apple Silicon systems:

• ARM mirror enhancements

  • Auto-detects country (from timezone) and tests mirrors before applying.
  • Supports many more regional mirrors with primary/fallback entries and connectivity checks.
  • Runs automatically during the Omarchy preflight on aarch64 systems and creates backups by default.
  • Files: install/helpers/set-arm-mirrors.sh, install/preflight/arm-mirrors.sh, install/preflight/all.sh, install/helpers/all.sh.

• Timezone detection & setup

  • Automatic timezone detection (IP-based via tzupdate) with confirmation and graceful fallbacks.
  • Interactive/manual selection, first-run reminders, and Waybar/menu integration for easy updates.
  • New commands: bin/omarchy-cmd-tzupdate-enhanced, bin/omarchy-cmd-tzupdate-manual.
  • Files: install/config/timezone-detection.sh, install/first-run/timezone.sh, install/config/timezones.sh, and related menu/waybar wiring.

• Menu & UX

  • The Omarchy Mac Menu has moved to a fuzzel frontend for improved aarch64 stability and performance.
  • Menu now exposes timezone and update helpers for easier access.

• Mirrorlist & safety

  • The installer merges recommended servers into existing /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist by default and only overwrites when explicitly requested (or when OMARCHY_FORCE_MIRROR_OVERWRITE=1 is set).
  • A fix-mirrors.sh helper is available to repair mirror issues during install.

These changes preserve existing workflows while improving reliability for new installs.

Boot Loop Recovery

If you end up in a boot loop:

1. Don't panic.
2. Follow this guide: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108900

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New updates coming soon...

If you enjoy Omarchy Mac, please give it a star and share your experience on Twitter/X by tagging me @tiredkebab

Join Omarchy Mac Discord server for updates and support.

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Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Asahi Linux and Asahi Alarm for making Linux possible on M1/M2 Macs
• Thanks to DHH for creating Omarchy

Contributors

• Thank you IvanKurbakov for making Omarchy Mac Menu