Portable Arch Linux USB Install - Work Anywhere, Anytime!

Ever wanted a full Arch Linux system you can carry in your pocket? In this video, I’ll show you how to install Arch Linux on a USB drive with persistence, Btrfs, and LUKS encryption — turning it into a powerful, secure, and portable workstation that boots on any PC.

Whether you need a daily driver, rescue disk, or on-the-go dev environment, this setup has you covered.

🔧 What You’ll Learn:
✅ True Persistence – Keep your files, settings, and installed apps across reboots.
🛡️ LUKS Encryption – Protect your data in case the USB is lost or stolen.
⚡ Btrfs Snapshots & Compression – Boost performance and data safety.
💻 XFCE Desktop – Lightweight, fast, and great for older hardware.
🔄 Boots on UEFI & BIOS – Universal compatibility with GRUB.
🐧 LTS Kernel – Stable and low-maintenance.

This is more than just a live USB — it’s a full-featured Arch Linux setup you can rely on anywhere.

VIDEO CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:58 Prepare Arch Linux Installation Media
04:20 What If You Only Have One USB Drive?
09:00 Set Up Networking
10:06 Create Partitions
13:20 Encrypt the Root Partition and Create Filesystems
14:55 Create and Mount Btrfs Subvolumes
18:08 Install the Base System
21:20 Setup Locale
23:04 Create User Account
24:54 Configure GRUB for Dual UEFI and Legacy BIOS Boot
32:58 Enable Networking and Bluetooth
35:48 Install XFCE and Essential Applications
38:38 Finalize Installation and Reboot

SUPPORT MY CHANNEL:

[markandrow]

Thanks a lot, all your videos have been great, this one is very special and full of informative tips, keep it up, 👍

[Tzalim]

This is wonderful! I've been looking for a way to install a portable Arch Linux distro for a few years. Thx!

[noom]

For a few days I have been looking for this video and you come and upload it, great ❤

[esmirol]

Awesom! Thx a lot, it helped me to save my day.

[Pessi-]

How to properly install FreeBSD on KVM please.

[joaovitorbortoluzdarosa]

Great video, do you know if i install hyprland instead of XFCE i will have performance issues?

[sonordrummer]

I went through your process 3 times now, every time I get a wrong UUID error on startup, it won't even let me get to insert my encryption password.

I made sure I got the UUID from the right partition (the luks encrypted one), I set encrypt after blocks in hooks, ...
when I get blkid in the emergency shell, the UUID from the luks partition is a different one. that's just because it's still encrypted, right? what am I doing wrong here?

[blackstar-]

Would be unwise to install gnome in a USB sir?

[jona-huoc]

I use the normal windows terminal and no comand is working