Arch Linux Snapshots Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to system snapshots on Arch Linux, including Btrfs snapshots, Timeshift, and snapshot management.

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Table of Contents

1. Btrfs Snapshots
2. Timeshift
3. Snapshot Management
4. Restore from Snapshot

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Btrfs Snapshots

Create Snapshot

Manual snapshot:

# Create snapshot
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot / /mnt/snapshots/snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# List snapshots
sudo btrfs subvolume list /

Automatic Snapshots

Setup automation:

# Create script
sudo vim /usr/local/bin/btrfs-snapshot.sh

Script:

#!/bin/bash
SNAPSHOT_DIR="/mnt/snapshots"
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot / "$SNAPSHOT_DIR/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

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Timeshift

Install Timeshift

Install Timeshift:

# Install Timeshift
yay -S timeshift

# Launch
sudo timeshift-gtk

Create Snapshot

Create snapshot:

# Create snapshot
sudo timeshift --create

# List snapshots
sudo timeshift --list

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Snapshot Management

List Snapshots

List all:

# Btrfs
sudo btrfs subvolume list /

# Timeshift
sudo timeshift --list

Delete Snapshots

Remove old:

# Btrfs
sudo btrfs subvolume delete /mnt/snapshots/old-snapshot

# Timeshift
sudo timeshift --delete --snapshot 'snapshot-name'

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Restore from Snapshot

Restore Btrfs

Restore:

# Boot from live USB
# Mount root
# Delete corrupted subvolume
# Restore from snapshot
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot /mnt/snapshots/snapshot-20240115 /mnt/restored

Restore Timeshift

Restore:

# Boot from live USB
# Launch Timeshift
# Select snapshot
# Restore

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Summary

This guide covered Btrfs snapshots, Timeshift, snapshot management, and restoration.

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Next Steps

• Arch Linux Btrfs Guide - Btrfs
• Arch Linux Backup and Restore - Backups
• ArchWiki Snapshots: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Snapper

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