Documentation

Welcome to the official documentation for Nebula Linux.

Installation Guide

Follow the instructions below depending on how you plan to test or install Nebula Linux.

🖥️ Virtual Machine (Recommended for Testing)

  1. Download the latest Nebula Linux .iso file.
  2. Open VirtualBox or VMware and click New to create a new Virtual Machine.
  3. Select Linux as the Type, and Arch Linux (64-bit) as the Version.
  4. Allocate at least 4GB of RAM and 2 CPU Cores for a smooth Wayland experience.
  5. In the VM Settings, make sure the firmware is set to EFI — Nebula Linux requires UEFI boot mode.
  6. Go to Storage, click the empty CD icon, and choose the Nebula .iso file.
  7. Under Display settings, make sure to enable 3D Acceleration and max out Video Memory to 128MB.
  8. Start the VM! Once booted to the live desktop, launch Install Nebula Linux from the app launcher (Super+Space) to install it permanently.

💻 Bare Metal (Real Computer)

  1. Download the latest Nebula Linux .iso file.
  2. Plug in an empty USB Flash Drive (at least 8GB).
  3. Download and open Rufus (Windows) or BalenaEtcher (Mac/Linux).
  4. Select your USB drive, select the Nebula .iso, and click Flash. (Note: This will erase everything on the USB drive!)
  5. Enable UEFI boot mode in your computer's firmware/BIOS settings — Nebula Linux does not support legacy BIOS boot.
  6. Restart your computer and rapidly press your Boot Menu key (usually F12, F8, F2, or Del).
  7. Select your USB drive from the boot list to boot into Nebula Linux.
  8. Once on the live desktop, launch Install Nebula Linux from the app launcher (Super+Space) to install it to your hard drive!

Post-Install Setup

Nebula Linux comes pre-configured with everything you need, but you'll want to keep the rolling-release system up to date. The nebula CLI takes an automatic btrfs snapshot before every update, so it's always safe to roll back:

nebula update

Or update with plain pacman if you prefer:

sudo pacman -Syu

Keyboard Shortcuts

Nebula Linux runs niri, a scrollable-tiling Wayland compositor, with DankMaterialShell. The essentials:

  • Super+Space: App launcher (Spotlight)
  • Super+Return: Terminal (foot)
  • Super+O: Overview
  • Super+Q: Close window
  • Super+,: DMS settings
  • Super+Escape: Lock screen
  • Super+Shift+/: Show all keybindings

Prefer classic floating windows over scrollable tiling? Run nebula windows floating (or toggle it in Nebula Welcome) to switch.