Hyde Project Hyprland Dotfiles on Arch Linux (Install & Setup)

Hyde Project Hyprland Dotfiles on Arch Linux (Install & Setup)

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Abdullah Musa

June 15, 2025

The shift from a traditional desktop to a dynamic tiling window manager can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be unpolished. If you are looking for a workflow that combines the extreme fluidity of Wayland with a professional-grade design system, the HyDE Project offers the most refined and user-friendly entry point into the world of Hyprland.

Hi all, welcome to MusaBase! In this guide, I will show you how to install Hyprland using the HyDE Project dotfiles on Arch Linux. This specific setup is designed to take your desktop experience to the next level with a sleek, modern, and highly aesthetic design.

In this comprehensive walkthrough, we will cover:

• Preparing your base Arch Linux system for Hyprland and HyDE
• Installing essential packages and core dependencies
• Configuring system services and the display manager for a seamless boot
• Deploying the HyDE dotfiles with their advanced customization scripts
• Booting into your freshly installed and fully functional HyDE environment

Personally, the HyDE Project is one of the most polished Hyprland configurations I have ever used. Between its dynamic color schemes, fluid animations, and intuitive layout, it stands out as a top-tier choice for any Linux enthusiast. Without further ado, let's get started.

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Table of Contents:

• Prerequisites
• Step 1: Prepare Arch Linux System for HyDE Dotfiles
• Step 2: Install Hyprland with HyDE Dotfiles
• Explore More

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Prerequisites

To get the most out of the HyDE Project, you only need a base or minimal Arch Linux system without any pre-installed desktop environment. If you haven't set up your Arch system yet, you can follow my Minimal Arch Linux Installation Guide to get it done quickly using the archinstall script.

For those who prefer a more hands-on approach, I also have a Comprehensive Manual Installation Guide to ensure your system foundation is rock solid.

If you are new to tiling window managers and want to test the animations and themes before applying them to your main machine, I recommend checking out my QEMU/KVM setup guide. Testing in a virtual environment is a great way to explore HyDE's features risk-free.

Once your base Arch Linux installation is complete, you can proceed with the steps below to transform your desktop with HyDE.

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Step 1: Prepare Arch Linux System for HyDE Dotfiles

Performing the following steps is optional, but from my personal experience, installing and configuring some necessary services and packages beforehand makes the HyDE installation process much smoother and simpler.

1.1: Configure the DNS Server (Optional)

Configuring your DNS Server is optional. Perform this step only if you encounter any network issues while updating or installing packages in your Linux system.

1.1.1: Install Nano

• First things first, install nano (A command-line text editor) by running this command:

sudo pacman -S nano

1.1.2: Add NameServers

• Now that nano is installed, open the /etc/resolv.conf file in nano to add nameservers:
• Run:

sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf

• In the opened file add these nameservers like this:

nameserver 1.1.1.1
nameserver 8.8.8.8

• After adding the nameservers, press CTRL + O to save the changes, then press Enter to apply the changes, and then press CTRL + X to exit the file.

• /etc/resolv.conf: Is the file that Linux systems use to know which DNS servers to ask when converting user-friendly domain names (like google) into IP addresses.
• nameserver 8.8.8.8/1.1.1.1: Tell the resolver the IP address of a DNS server to try. It can be listed as multiple nameservers. The system will generally try them in order.
• Public DNS: Providers like Google's (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) tend to have very good uptime and robust infrastructure. If your ISP's DNS is slow, using these two can provide more consistent connectivity.

1.2: Update Linux System

• Run:

sudo pacman -Syu

1.3: Install Essential Packages

Although we can install Hyprland and implement HyDE dotfiles right from here, for a smooth installation without aborting or dependency resolution errors these following steps are needed.

• Run:

sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel wget curl

• --needed: This flag tells the package manager (pacman) to only install if the package isn't already present or up-to-date. It will skip the following packages if already installed.
• git: Version control system, for cloning repositories, pulling code, etc.
• base-devel: A group of essential development tools (compiler, make, etc), needed for building software from source.
• wget: Is a utility to fetch files over HTTP/s, FTP via command line.
• curl: Similar to wget, but more flexible, supports more protocols and a lot of scripting capabilities.

1.4: Install Yay

• Run the following commands consecutively:

cd ~
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

makepkg -si Will build and install the yay from PKGBUILD, The -s flag automatically install any dependencies required by yay such as go from official repos. The i flag will install yay after successfully building its package.

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Step 2: Install Hyprland with HyDE Dotfiles

• Now that everything is set, let's install Hyprland along with HyDE dotfiles.
• Run these commands consecutively:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HyDE-Project/HyDE ~/HyDE
cd ~/HyDE/Scripts
./install.sh

• It can take up to 20-30 minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
• The installer will ask multiple times for confirmation of installation and choose from different options, just select the default by pressing ENTER, or the first option by pressing 1 and then press ENTER.
• After the installation is complete reboot your system with sudo reboot if it doesn't reboot automatically and you will be in your freshly installed HyDE Hyprland.

For a visual step-by-step walkthrough of the installation prompts, refer to my video guide below:

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🎉 Congratulations! Your Arch Linux system with one of the most Futuristic Hyprland dotfiles is now up and running!

Now that your HyDE environment is fully configured, you are ready to experience a next-level Linux desktop. To customize your keybindings for the terminal, browser, or file manager, you can edit the ~/.config/hypr/userprefs.conf file.

What's Next?

🔧 Configuration Tip: Always remember to reload your settings after editing by running hyprctl reload in the terminal or by pressing SUPER + Shift + R. For more advanced tweaks, you can visit the official HyDE Repository.

🌈 Explore More Setups: If you enjoy high-end animations and modern designs, don't miss my guide on installing End_4 Hyprland dotfiles for a truly unique experience.

🌌 Minimalist Aesthetics: For a different take on the Hyprland desktop, check out my walkthrough on installing Caelestia dotfiles on Arch Linux.

🛠️ Support & Feedback: If you encounter any issues with the installation script or theme switching, please drop a comment below. I am more than happy to help.

Stay tuned for more deep-dive customization articles. If this guide helped you, consider subscribing to the newsletter for the latest updates.
101 out, I’ll see you in the next one! 🚀

Abdullah Musa June 15, 2025