Archinstall 4.5 Adds AArch64 Installs With GRUB and Limine, Plus Real-Time Kernels

Archinstall 4.5 Adds AArch64 Installs With GRUB and Limine, Plus Real-Time Kernels

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Archinstall 4.5, the guided installer on the official Arch Linux ISO, was released on September 29.

ARM64 support

The headline change is AArch64:

  • Installs with GRUB or Limine on EFI systems
  • Support for the AArch64 root partition type GUID, so the root partition is identified correctly by tools that rely on the Discoverable Partitions Specification

Arch Linux officially targets x86_64, with ARM handled largely by the separate Arch Linux ARM project. Installer support for AArch64 is a sign of where things are heading, with ARM laptops becoming practical for Linux, as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Linux preview shows. See our Linux on ARM servers guide for the server side.

Real-time kernels

RT kernel variants from upstream can now be selected. A real-time kernel guarantees bounded scheduling latency, which matters for audio production, robotics, and industrial control rather than general desktop use.

Other changes

  • Hyprland, Labwc, niri, and Sway profiles now use systemd-logind instead of polkit for seat management; see our tiling compositors guide
  • linux-firmware optional dependencies are supported
  • New Norwegian, Serbian, and Vietnamese translations
  • Wi-Fi networks with spaces in their SSID now appear correctly in scan lists

Getting it

Archinstall 4.5 will be on the October 1 Arch ISO. To use it now from an existing live environment:

pacman -Sy archinstall
archinstall

Our Arch Linux explainer covers what to expect after installation, and the current Arch ISO download page has verified mirrors.

More news

Arch Linux Ships Its First ISO With Kernel 7.1 as the Project Tightens AUR SecurityThe archlinux-2026.08.01 snapshot is a 1.5 GB x86_64 build carrying kernel 7.1.5, roughly 16,031 packages, and Archinstall 4.4 with a Niri profile and Plymouth configuration. It follows a June AUR security incident.Asahi Linux Nears Official Support for Apple M3 MacsAsahi Linux is approaching official M3 support, extending the reverse-engineered Apple Silicon port to a third hardware generation.aerynOS Advances Its New Installer and Rebuilds the Entire Package RepositoryaerynOS has progressed its Btrfs-capable installer and rebuilt its whole package repository, which for an independent distribution is a substantial undertaking.

Background reading

Explainers for the concepts behind this story.

Ventoy Explained: One USB Stick for Every ISOVentoy turns a USB drive into a boot menu for any number of ISO files: copy ISOs onto it and boot whichever you need. How to install it on Linux, add ISOs, use Secure Boot and persistence, and where it does not work.Bazzite and SteamOS Explained: Linux Distros Built for GamingSteamOS runs the Steam Deck and Bazzite brings the same console-style experience to desktops and other handhelds. How both are built as immutable images, what Game Mode is, how updates and rollback work, and who should use which.Dinit Explained: The Small Init System Chimera, Artix, and KaOS Chose Over systemdDinit is a dependency-based init and service manager that fits between runit and systemd. How it boots a system, how service files and dinitctl work, how it compares to systemd, OpenRC and runit, and why distros are adopting it.