How to Install Discord on Arch Linux

To communicate over voice, text, and video or to share any data there are several applications available on the internet but only some of them have the worth of giving a try. Discord is one of those applications as it comes with a wide range of features and due to these features, it is trendy among the gaming and corporate community. Discord nearly supports all the Linux distributions, but the installation method for each Linux operating system varies. On Arch Linux Discord can be installed through different methods and this guide will discuss all of them.

Outline:

• How To Install Discord on Arch Linux
• How To Stop Discord Automatic Updates
• How To Remove Discord From Arch Linux
• Conclusion

How To Install Discord on Arch Linux

Discord provides an easy way to connect with friends, communities, and interest groups through voice, video, and text communication. On Arch Linux, there are almost 6 ways to install Discord which will be discussed one by one:

1: Through Tar File

On Arch Linux installing any application through its deb file can be a quite complicated process so for Discord instead of a deb file its compressed file can be downloaded from its official website. The significance of getting Discord on Arch through is tar file is that it would be the latest version and it doesn’t require an installation process:

After the file is downloaded, navigate to the downloads directory and decompress the file using the tar utility:

Now move to the Discord extracted directory and then execute the Discord file to launch the application:

2: Through AUR Repository

To install packages of Arch there is a community-based repository named Arch User Repository which just like GitHub has a number of different application or software installation files.

Yay

To install files from AUR there are various installers named AUR helpers. So here I have used Yay and Pamac, to install Discord using the Yay package installer execute:

Here, while installing, there will be a prompt asking for the selection of a version of Discord out of four options. Here is a brief description of each version:

discord-electron: This is the most widely used and supported option as it is an official stable version of Discord. It is using the bundled Electron framework which might cause any security or performance issues.

 

discord-electron-openasar: This version is a bit modified and allows opening the ASAR archive which has the Discord source code. This helps debug or modify the client, but on the other hand, some instability or compatibility issues can be expected.

Discord-electron-opensar-git: This is the latest development version of Discord from the Git repository, this will have some new features and some bug fixes.

discord _arch_electron: This and also a modified version, but unlike the first option it uses the system-provided Electron framework. This as a result improves the security and performance of the application however some appearance and functionality issues can be expected.

If you want the most stable and supported version then go for discord-electron option but if you want to use the system electron for better security and performance select discord _arch_electron:

Once the installation is complete, launch the Discord application from the terminal or through GUI:

Note: Now here in the AUR repository, Discord has an older version, and you might have to update it before running it so for that you need to see the section for disabling the updates of Discord to run this version. Here if you try to update the version it will download the tar file, and you have to follow the previous method for Discord installation.

Pamac

Just like the GNOME software application, one of the AUR helpers Pamac also comes with its GUI version through which the applications on Arch can be installed. So to install Discord on Arch Linux search for Pamac in the activities menu and then look for Discord, after that select the all-in-one version and click on Apply:

Next, a prompt will appear listing the packages and dependencies to be installed for Discord, so for that click on Apply:

Once the installation is completed the system will ask for a reboot so click on Restart:

After the successful boot launch the Discord application from the terminal by executing:

Alternatively, you can use the command line interface to install Discord using Pamac AUR helper:

3: Through Pacman

To install Discord on Arch Linux the easy way, use its default package installer so for that execute:

Once the package is installed successfully, verify it by listing all the packages installed through Pacman and for that execute:

On the contrary, if you are looking for the Discord version having loads of new updates which is often called canary then execute the below command:

This is the unstable version of Discord, so you should expect anonymous bugs if planning to install it.

4: Through the GNOME Software Application

GNOME is one of the popular desktop environments as it is easy to use and is compatible with most of the Linux distribution. To install Discord, launch the GNOME software application and search for Discord, next select Discord by the flat hub and click on Install:

After the successful installation of Discord on Arch Linux, launch it from the activities menu:

5: Through Flatpak

Just like the AUR Flathub is also a repository that contains package installation files and to install Discord on Arch Linux from Flathub, Flatpak is used:

To verify the installation of Discord from the flat hub using Flatpak list all the applications installed through Flatpak on Arch Linux by executing:

To launch Discord on Arch installed through Flatpak execute:

6: Through Snap Package Installer

Snap package manager is a third-party package installer that is not directly supported on Arch Linux but still applications can be installed on Arch Linux using Snap, for Discord execute:

While installing Discord or any other application of Arch using Snap you might encounter a warning message for Snap Demon service disabled error so to enable it execute:

To verify the installation of Discord on Arch through Snap list down the number of packages installed by Snap and for that purpose execute:

On Arch Linux, no third-party package installer is pre-installed and since Snap is not directly available on Arch install it from GitHub by executing the set of commands given below:

Next, enable the snap daemon service:

Next, create a symbolic link for the snap so that it can be accessed easily:

Now restart the snap daemon seeded service:

How To Stop Discord Automatic Updates

Discord usually checks for the update automatically every time it is launched, which not only takes up a huge space in the system but also consumes a lot of time while launching. So if you have installed Discord from Yay AUR helper which is an older version of Discord then upon launching it you will see the following update:

If you select the last option that is I’ll figure it out, then the application will automatically terminate which is annoying. This can only be fixed if the automatic updates are disabled so for that first locate the configuration directory which is hidden in the home directly and can be listed by executing:

Next in the configuration directory, go to the Discord directory:

Next, open the settings file in the editor and add the following code line that instructs to skip the updates check for Discord:

To enable the automatic updates for Discord, either remove the skip line or replace true with false as in the code line below:

Now the feature of automatic updates of Discord is disabled and this method is not affected by any of the Discord installation methods explained above.

 

How to Remove Discord From Arch Linux

The removal method for Discord directly depends on the method of installation followed for any application. So if you have installed Discord on Arch Linux using its tar file all you need to do is remove its extracted file directory and the downloaded compressed file:

The removal method for Discord, if installed through Yay AUR helper, is quite different as all you need to do is to remove the application from the desktop:

To Remove Discord from Arch if installed using the Pamac GUI go to Explicitly installed packages in the installed tab and from there select Discord and then click on Apply:

Similarly, if you have used the command line interface to install Discord from Pamac then execute:

To remove Discord from Arch in case installed though its default package installed, then execute:

In case Discord is installed through the GNOME software installer on Arch then launch it and search for Discord, afterward click on the delete icon to Uninstall it:

To remove Discord from Arch Linux if installed through Flatpak then execute:

Furthermore, use the below-given command to remove Discord from Arch Linux if installed via the Snap package installer:

Conclusion

Discord is a communication application through which people can communicate with their friends, family, and work fellows. Moreover, they can create groups and channels for different purposes like gaming or work stuff. Discord on Arch Linux can be installed by 6 different methods, but the recommended method is using the Discord tar file as it is a source of a pre-installed version which requires no extensive steps for installation.