Arch Linux’s guided installer has been significantly updated in Archinstall 4.0, featuring a redesigned terminal interface and extensive internal changes.
The primary change in this release is the move from the legacy curses-based interface to a new text user interface built on the Textual framework, which modernizes terminal rendering and provides a more consistent user experience.
In addition to the interface overhaul, Archinstall 4.0 adds new features. Firewall configuration is now integrated into the installer, allowing users to set basic network security options, including firewalld support, during installation.
On top of that, this release also updates bootloader handling, with changes and reversions related to GRUB and improvements to EFI stub behavior. GRUB UKI menu entry support has also been enabled to align with evolving Linux boot processes.
Disk and filesystem handling has been improved as well with targeted fixes. Mounting issues for Btrfs partitions without defined mount points have been resolved, and NTFS is no longer supported as a root filesystem. Further refinements affect LUKS handling, disk utilities, and partitioning workflows.
Networking and system configuration have been reworked, including fixes for iwd-based network installation, updates to mirror handling, and restructuring of configuration modules with dependency injection. These efforts aim to reduce code complexity and improve maintainability.
According to the dev, much of the update involves internal refactoring. The codebase has been reorganized, redundant components removed, and type handling improved with modern Python constructs. Modules such as disk utilities, authentication, and application handling have been restructured to reduce circular dependencies and standardize behavior.
Localization has been expanded with updates and new support for languages including Galician and Nepali, as well as improvements to existing translations such as Japanese, Italian, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
Other changes include improved installation timing measurement, adjustments to package handling, updates to default desktop options such as Plasma login manager selection, and various fixes across menus and workflows.
For more information, see the changelog.
Image credits: Archinstall
