Private by Default
Mullvad VPN and Mullvad Browser ship pre-installed with the daemon auto-enabled. Tor Browser included. KeePassXC with browser integration configured out of the box. No telemetry, no cloud sync, no accounts required.
Why Mulch
Tired of windows and distro hopping?
Try Mulch, it just works.
Mulch Linux is an Arch-based Linux distribution with a minimal KDE Plasma desktop, hand-picked privacy software, offline installation, and gaming optimisations - all pre-configured and ready on first boot.
Game-Ready on First Boot
Native Steam, Wine-staging, Gamemode, and every lib32 dependency pre-installed. Kernel tweaks for esync/fsync. Zero configuration needed - boot Mulch Linux and play immediately.
Fully Offline Installer
Every package is embedded on the ISO. No internet connection required during installation. Mulch Linux is the only Arch-based distro with a complete offline bash TUI installer - boot it, run install-system, reboot.
Zen Kernel + BORE Scheduler
Linux Zen with BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer) scheduler and full preemption. Lower input latency, fewer frame drops, smoother multitasking. Optional vanilla or LTS kernels available via pacman.
Minimal KDE Plasma
KDE Plasma desktop with only Dolphin, Konsole, Spectacle, and Ark. No PIM suite. No office suite. No Flatpaks. No Snaps. yay AUR helper pre-installed for access to the full Arch User Repository.
LUKS Full-Disk Encryption
Optional LUKS2 full-disk encryption offered during install with no extra steps. Choose Btrfs with subvolumes or ext4. zram swap configured by default for better performance on all hardware.
0
Flatpaks
0
Snaps
yay
AUR helper included
micro
Default terminal editor
Included Software
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Every application in Mulch Linux was chosen deliberately. Privacy tools, gaming support, and essential desktop utilities - all installed as native Arch packages, zero Flatpaks.
Mullvad Browser
Privacy browser based on Firefox + KeePassXC extension
Tor Browser
Anonymous browsing over the Tor network
KeePassXC
Offline, open-source password manager
Mullvad VPN
WireGuard/OpenVPN client, daemon auto-enabled on install
Steam
Native Arch package with Proton, lib32 libs pre-installed
mpv
Lightweight, scriptable video player
Strawberry
Music player and audio library manager
qimgv
Fast, minimal image viewer
Zathura
Keyboard-driven PDF viewer (mupdf backend)
Obsidian
Local-first markdown note-taking
Signal
End-to-end encrypted messaging
LazPaint
Lightweight raster image editor
qBittorrent
Open-source BitTorrent client
micro
Modern terminal text editor - default in Mulch
Comparison
Mulch vs other Arch-based distros
How Mulch Linux compares to Manjaro, EndeavourOS, and CachyOS - the most popular Arch-based distributions.
| Feature | Mulch Linux | Manjaro | EndeavourOS | CachyOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline installer | ✓ Full offline bash TUI | ~ Calamares (partial) | ✗ Requires internet | ✗ Requires internet |
| Privacy tools pre-installed | ✓ Mullvad VPN + Browser, Tor, KeePassXC | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✗ None |
| Default kernel | Zen + BORE | Manjaro (custom) | Mainline | CachyOS-kernel (BORE) |
| Steam + gaming libs | ✓ Native, pre-installed | ~ Optional | ~ Optional | ~ Optional |
| LUKS full-disk encryption | ✓ Installer option | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| No Flatpaks/Snaps | ✓ Native packages only | ✗ Flatpak default | ✗ Optional | ✗ Flatpak default |
| AUR helper | yay (pre-installed) | pamac | yay (optional) | paru |
| Uses unmodified Arch repos | ✓ | ✗ Delayed Manjaro repos | ✓ | ~ CachyOS custom repos |
Get Started
Boot. Install. Done.
Flash the ISO to a USB drive. Boot it. Run one command. The offline installer handles partitioning, LUKS encryption, filesystem selection, bootloader, and all driver setup - no internet, no manual pacstrap.
konsole
# Flash ISO to USB (replace /dev/sdX with your USB device)
sudo dd if=mulch-linux-2026.03.15-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
# Boot the USB, then launch the installer
install-system
# The TUI walks you through: disk, filesystem, encryption, locale, user
Download Latest ISO
mulch-linux-2026.03.15-x86_64
sha256: 4e8493011aba1ad53d8a41cc894a154b84e93aa9279c9be8a317eb1d7e294998
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Mulch Linux.
Mulch Linux is a curated Arch Linux-based distribution featuring KDE Plasma, Mullvad VPN, Mullvad Browser, Tor Browser, KeePassXC, Steam, and the Zen kernel with BORE scheduler. It ships with a fully offline bash TUI installer that supports LUKS full-disk encryption, Btrfs subvolumes, and ext4. Designed for users who want a private, game-ready desktop Linux system with zero post-install configuration.
No. Every package is embedded on the ISO. Mulch Linux is fully installable without any internet connection. This makes it unique among Arch-based distros - EndeavourOS, for example, requires a live internet connection during installation. Boot from USB, run
install-system, and reboot into a complete system.
Yes. Mulch Linux ships with native Steam, Wine-staging, Gamemode, MangoHud, and all lib32 gaming dependencies pre-installed. The Zen kernel with BORE scheduler and esync/fsync kernel parameters provides lower input latency and fewer frame drops than the mainline kernel. No post-install setup is needed - games are playable immediately after rebooting from the installer.
Mulch Linux uses unmodified Arch repos (unlike Manjaro's delayed repositories), supports a fully offline install (unlike EndeavourOS), ships privacy software like Mullvad VPN and Mullvad Browser pre-configured (none of the others do), and contains no Flatpaks or Snaps by default. It ships native packages only, uses the Zen + BORE kernel, and installs with a single command from the live environment. CachyOS shares the BORE kernel but uses custom repos and requires internet to install.
Mulch Linux defaults to the Zen kernel with the BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer) CPU scheduler and full preemption, tuned for desktop and gaming workloads. Vanilla (
linux) and LTS (linux-lts) kernels are available as alternatives and can be installed with yay at any time.
Yes.
yay is pre-installed and ready to use. Because Mulch Linux is built directly on Arch, the entire Arch User Repository - over 90,000 packages - is available immediately after installation with no extra configuration.
Yes. The installer offers LUKS2 full-disk encryption as an option during the partitioning step. Both Btrfs with subvolumes and ext4 are supported as the root filesystem. zram is configured as the swap device by default.