Arch Linux Locale and Language - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Arch Linux Locale and Language Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to configuring locales and languages on Arch Linux, including language settings, input methods, and keyboard layouts.

Table of Contents

  1. Locale Configuration
  2. Language Settings
  3. Input Methods
  4. Keyboard Layouts
  5. Time Zone

Locale Configuration

Generate Locale

Edit locale.gen:

# Edit locale file
sudo vim /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment desired locale:

en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8
de_DE.UTF-8 UTF-8

Generate:

# Generate locale
sudo locale-gen

Set Locale

Set system locale:

# Set locale
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" | sudo tee /etc/locale.conf

# Set for user
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" >> ~/.bashrc

Language Settings

Desktop Language

GNOME:

# Set language
gsettings set org.gnome.system.locale region 'en_US.UTF-8'

KDE:

# System Settings > Regional Settings

⌨ Input Methods

Install Input Methods

Install IME:

# IBus
sudo pacman -S ibus ibus-gtk ibus-gtk3

# Fcitx
sudo pacman -S fcitx fcitx-gtk2 fcitx-gtk3 fcitx-qt5

# Fcitx5
sudo pacman -S fcitx5 fcitx5-gtk fcitx5-qt

Configure Input Method

Setup IBus:

# Start IBus
ibus-daemon -drx

# Add input method
ibus-setup

⌨ Keyboard Layouts

Set Keyboard Layout

Set layout:

# Using localectl
sudo localectl set-keymap us

# List layouts
localectl list-keymaps

X11 Keyboard

Configure X11:

# Edit config
sudo vim /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf

Example:

Section "InputClass"
    Identifier "keyboard"
    MatchIsKeyboard "yes"
    Option "XkbLayout" "us"
    Option "XkbVariant" "dvorak"
EndSection

Time Zone

Set Time Zone

Configure timezone:

# List timezones
timedatectl list-timezones

# Set timezone
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

# Check
timedatectl

Summary

This guide covered locale, language, input methods, keyboard layouts, and timezone configuration.

Next Steps

This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.