Manjaro Linux is a great Linux distro. It’s based on Arch Linux – the higher tier of Linux distros. As it’s based on Arch Linux, it’s obviously tougher than most other user-friendly Linux distros, right? Before you jump right into the different system, it’s going to be a lot harder for you to keep up with.

The better solution is to get familiar with the new system beforehand. The easiest way to do so? It’s VirtualBox! VirtualBox is one of the best virtualization software for everyone. It is cross-platform and all the Linux distros support running under VirtualBox. Learn how to install VirtualBox.

Let’s install Manjaro Linux on VirtualBox.

Downloading the ISO

Manjaro Linux follows a rolling release and according to my opinion, that’s really good because you’re about to enjoy all the latest updates and other features as soon as they’re ready to go. That’s why you don’t have to worry about the ISO version that much.

Get the latest Manjaro Linux ISO. I’ve downloaded the Xfce edition of Manjaro Linux. Feel free to choose yours.

After the download is complete, don’t forget to verify the ISO file. Manjaro provides SHA1 hashes for the ISO files.

Getting VirtualBox ready

Start VirtualBox >> click “New”.

Make sure that all the info is correct.

Assign enough RAM so that the system runs smoothly. I recommend providing 2GB minimum.

Time to create a virtual disk for the new virtual machine.

There are 3 types of virtual disks available. I prefer going with VHD but you can go with others.

For storage assignment type, I recommend going with “Dynamically allocated”. “Fixed size” will take a time to actually write a virtual disk file in the physical storage.

Enter a name for the hard disk file. For testing purpose, 8GB should be enough. Feel free to make changes as you like.

Now, there’s the entry for Manjaro.

It’s time to add the ISO to the virtual machine. Right-click on the entry >> select “Settings”.

From the left panel, select “Storage”. Under the “Controller: IDE” section, select the “Empty” option.

Click on the CD/DVD icon >> select “Choose Virtual Optical Disk File”. Browse for the downloaded Manjaro Linux ISO.

Once it’s selected, check the “Live CD/DVD” option.

This is an optional step. Go to System >> “Processor” tab. Select 2 CPUs. It’s basically allowing 2 CPU cores to the virtual machine. Thus, it will perform better.

Installing Manjaro Linux

Select the virtual system and click “Start”. Manjaro will start up and load the “Welcome” screen.

From the available options, select “Boot” section >> hit Enter.

This will load a live session of Manjaro Linux. If you want to just hang around, ignore the welcome message and enjoy. As of now, let’s go ahead with the installation. Click the “Launch installer” option.

Now, select the language for your installation.

Choose your current location.

Select keyboard layout.

Now, the partitioning is a bit of a hassle if you’re going to install in the actual machine. As it’s a virtual machine, I recommend going with “Erase disk”. However, you’re free to explore “Manual partitioning” by yourself.

Time to enter your personal info like your name, your username etc. Note that you can choose different password for the root (administrator) account.

Check out the summary of the installation. If you need anything to change, you can still go back and perform it. Otherwise, go ahead with the final installation.

The installation will take a while to complete. Be patient!

Post installation

If you want, you can detach the ISO file from the virtual machine. To do so, go to Settings >> Storage. From the CD/DVD icon, select “Remove the Disk from Virtual Drive”.

Start Manjaro and run the following command in the terminal –

sudo pacman -Syu

Enjoy Arch flavor!