How To Install Blender on Manjaro
Blender stands as one of the most powerful open-source 3D creation suites available today, offering professional-grade tools for modeling, animation, rendering, and video editing. For Manjaro Linux users, installing this versatile software is straightforward thanks to the distribution’s rolling release model and access to multiple package sources. This comprehensive guide walks you through five proven installation methods, from quick repository installs to manual setups, ensuring you can start creating stunning 3D content regardless of your experience level.
Whether you’re a digital artist, animator, game developer, or hobbyist exploring three-dimensional design, choosing the right installation method makes a significant difference in your workflow. Each approach offers distinct advantages in terms of update frequency, system integration, and performance characteristics.
Prerequisites and System Requirements
Understanding Blender’s Hardware Needs
Before installing Blender on your Manjaro system, verify that your hardware meets the necessary specifications. The minimum configuration requires a 64-bit quad-core CPU with SSE4.2 support, 8GB of RAM, and a graphics card with at least 2GB of VRAM supporting OpenGL 4.3. However, these baseline requirements only support basic functionality.
For optimal performance, especially when working with complex scenes or high-resolution renders, Blender recommends an 8-core processor, 32GB of system memory, and a dedicated GPU with 8GB of video memory. Your graphics card should be an NVIDIA GeForce 400 series or newer, AMD GCN 1st generation or later, or Intel Broadwell architecture and above.
Verifying Your Manjaro System
Ensure your Manjaro installation is current before proceeding. Open the terminal and execute sudo pacman -Syu to update all system packages. This prevents potential dependency conflicts during Blender installation. Confirm you have sufficient disk space—allocate at least 500MB for the base installation, with additional space reserved for project files and render output.
Graphics drivers play a crucial role in Blender’s performance. NVIDIA users should install proprietary drivers through Manjaro’s Hardware Configuration tool, while AMD users typically benefit from the open-source AMDGPU drivers included in the kernel.
Method 1: Installing Blender via Pacman (Official Repository)
Why Choose Pacman Installation
The Pacman package manager represents the fastest and most integrated approach to installing Blender on Manjaro. This method leverages Manjaro’s official repositories, ensuring compatibility with your system’s core components. Updates arrive through your regular system maintenance routine, eliminating the need for separate update procedures.
Native package installation avoids the sandboxing overhead present in containerized formats, delivering optimal performance. Dependencies resolve automatically, and the installation integrates seamlessly with your desktop environment.
Step-by-Step Installation Process
Launch your terminal emulator. First, refresh the package database to ensure you’re working with the latest repository information:
sudo pacman -Sy
This command synchronizes your local package database with the remote repositories. Next, install Blender with a single command:
sudo pacman -S blender
The system displays package information including version number, download size, and installed size. Press Y when prompted to confirm installation. Pacman automatically resolves and installs all required dependencies, which may include Python libraries, multimedia codecs, and OpenGL components.
Installation typically completes within 2-5 minutes depending on your internet connection speed. Verify the installation succeeded by checking the installed version:
blender --version
This displays Blender’s version number and build information.
Launching Blender
Access Blender through your application menu under Graphics or 3D Graphics categories. Alternatively, launch it directly from the terminal by typing blender and pressing Enter. The application opens to the default startup scene with a camera, light, and cube.
For convenience, right-click on the Blender icon in your application menu and select “Add to Favorites” or “Pin to Taskbar” depending on your desktop environment.
Updating Blender via Pacman
Manjaro’s rolling release model delivers Blender updates through your standard system update process. Execute a full system upgrade regularly:
sudo pacman -Syu
This command updates all installed packages, including Blender. Check for available updates graphically using the Pamac update notifier in your system tray.
Method 2: Installing Blender via Flatpak
Understanding Flatpak Benefits
Flatpak provides a distribution-agnostic package format that runs applications in isolated sandboxes. This containerization enhances security by limiting application access to system resources. Flatpak installations often receive updates faster than traditional repositories, giving you access to the latest Blender features shortly after release.
The sandboxed environment prevents conflicts with system libraries, allowing you to run multiple versions simultaneously if needed. However, this isolation comes with increased disk space requirements due to bundled dependencies.
Setting Up Flatpak on Manjaro
Recent Manjaro releases include Flatpak support by default. Verify installation by running:
flatpak --version
If Flatpak isn’t installed, add it using Pacman:
sudo pacman -S flatpak
Enable the Flathub repository, which hosts the official Blender Flatpak:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
This command adds Flathub only if it’s not already configured. Restart your system to complete the Flatpak integration, ensuring all environment variables load correctly.
Installing Blender Through Flatpak
Install Blender from Flathub with this command:
flatpak install flathub org.blender.Blender
The system prompts you to confirm the installation and displays the download size. Flatpak downloads range from 300-500MB due to included runtime dependencies. Installation time varies based on connection speed but typically takes 5-10 minutes.
Running and Managing Flatpak Blender
Launch the Flatpak version using:
flatpak run org.blender.Blender
Alternatively, find Blender in your application menu—the system automatically creates desktop entries. Update your Flatpak Blender installation independently:
flatpak update org.blender.Blender
For automatic updates of all Flatpak applications, run flatpak update without specifying a package name.
Pros and Cons Analysis
Flatpak excels in delivering cutting-edge Blender releases with enhanced security isolation. The sandboxed environment protects your system from potential vulnerabilities. However, expect larger disk space consumption—typically 2-3 times the size of native packages due to bundled dependencies.
Some users report minor performance overhead and desktop theme integration issues with Flatpak applications. File system access requires explicit permissions, which may complicate workflows involving system-wide asset libraries.
Method 3: Installing Blender via Snap
Snap Package Overview
Snap represents Canonical’s universal packaging format, offering automatic background updates and cross-distribution compatibility. The Snap Store maintains an official Blender package that tracks upstream releases closely.
Installing Snapd on Manjaro
Manjaro doesn’t include Snap support by default. Install the snapd daemon using Pacman:
sudo pacman -S snapd
Enable and start the snapd socket service:
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
This activates Snap functionality immediately and configures it to start automatically on boot. Create a symbolic link for classic snap support:
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap
Log out of your session and log back in to update your PATH environment variable. This ensures snap-installed applications appear in your system menus.
Installing Blender with Snap
Execute the installation command:
sudo snap install blender --classic
The –classic flag grants Blender full system access outside the standard snap confinement. This option provides better performance and file system integration. Download size approximates 250-400MB depending on the current Blender version.
Snap automatically updates Blender in the background, though you can manually trigger updates with sudo snap refresh blender.
When to Choose Snap
Consider Snap when you prefer automatic updates without manual intervention. The format works well for users who want recent Blender versions but find Flatpak’s sandboxing too restrictive. Snap’s classic confinement mode offers a middle ground between security isolation and system integration.
Method 4: Installing Blender via Pamac GUI
Using Manjaro’s Graphical Package Manager
Pamac, Manjaro’s user-friendly graphical package manager, simplifies software installation for users who prefer GUI interfaces. Launch Pamac by searching for “Add/Remove Software” in your application menu or system settings.
Installation Through GUI
Click the search icon or search field in Pamac’s main window. Type “blender” to display available packages across all enabled repositories. The results show multiple entries—select the one from the official Manjaro repositories for standard installation.
Click on the Blender package to view detailed information including version number, dependencies, installed size, and maintainer details. Press the “Apply” or “Install” button in the top-right corner. Pamac prompts for your administrator password to authorize installation.
A progress bar indicates download and installation status. The process completes in 3-7 minutes for repository installations. Pamac displays a completion notification when finished.
Managing Multiple Package Sources
Pamac displays packages from all enabled sources including official repositories, AUR, Flatpak, and Snap. Package source indicators appear next to each result, helping you identify origin. Toggle between sources using the dropdown menu or filters.
To enable additional sources, navigate to Pamac’s preferences and activate AUR support, Flatpak repositories, or Snap packages as needed. This flexibility allows you to compare versions across different packaging formats and choose the most suitable option.
Method 5: Installing from Blender.org (Manual Installation)
When to Use Manual Installation
Download Blender directly from the official website when testing experimental daily builds, running multiple versions concurrently, or requiring maximum control over installation location. This approach suits developers and advanced users who need specific Blender builds.
Download and Setup Process
Navigate to blender.org using your web browser and locate the Download section. Select the Linux version matching your system architecture—most modern systems use x86_64. Download the .tar.xz compressed archive to your preferred directory.
Extract the archive using the file manager’s extract function or via terminal:
tar -xf blender-*.tar.xz -C ~/software/
Replace ~/software/ with your desired installation directory. Common choices include ~/Applications, /opt, or /usr/local. Navigate into the extracted folder to find the blender executable.
Set executable permissions if necessary:
chmod +x ~/software/blender-*/blender
Create a desktop entry manually by copying and modifying the included .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applications/ for integration with your application menu.
Running Manually Installed Blender
Double-click the blender executable in your file manager to launch the application. For terminal access from anywhere, add the Blender directory to your PATH by editing ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:
export PATH="$HOME/software/blender-3.x:$PATH"
Replace the version number with your actual installation directory. Source the configuration file or restart your terminal for changes to take effect.
Post-Installation Configuration
Optimizing Blender for Manjaro
Configure GPU-accelerated rendering to unlock Blender’s full potential. For NVIDIA users, install CUDA support:
sudo pacman -S cuda
AMD users benefit from ROCm or OpenCL runtime:
sudo pacman -S rocm-opencl-runtime
Intel integrated graphics require the compute runtime package:
sudo pacman -S intel-compute-runtime
Launch Blender and navigate to Edit > Preferences > System. Under the Cycles Render Devices section, select your GPU from the available options. Enable OptiX for NVIDIA RTX cards to access hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
First Launch Setup
Blender presents a Quick Setup dialog on first launch. Configure your preferred language, mouse button behavior (left or right-click select), and keyboard shortcuts. Choose the interface theme—Blender Dark, Blender Light, or follow system theme.
Select your primary renderer in the Render Properties panel. Eevee provides real-time rendering suitable for previews and stylized projects. Cycles delivers physically accurate ray-traced results ideal for photorealistic work.
Performance Tweaking
Adjust memory and performance settings in Edit > Preferences > System. Set the memory cache limit appropriate to your RAM—allocate 50-70% of available memory for optimal performance. Configure the temporary directory to a fast SSD if available, improving render times and file operations.
Under Preferences > Save & Load, enable Auto Save with a 2-5 minute interval to protect your work. Set the number of recent files to display for quick access to current projects.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Installation Failures
Package database synchronization errors often resolve by refreshing your keyring:
sudo pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring manjaro-keyring sudo pacman -Syu
If dependency conflicts arise, particularly with AUR packages, remove conflicting packages before installing Blender. The error message typically identifies problematic packages. Some users report issues with ninja, meson, or usd packages when mixing repository and AUR sources.
Launch Problems
Blender may fail to start after system updates due to library incompatibilities. Check error output by launching from terminal:
blender
Missing library errors indicate dependency issues. Reinstall Blender to refresh dependencies:
sudo pacman -S --overwrite '*' blender
Graphics driver problems manifest as OpenGL errors or black screens. Update your graphics drivers through Manjaro Hardware Configuration or install the latest proprietary drivers manually.
Solutions and Workarounds
When repository installations prove problematic, switch to Flatpak for isolated operation. This bypasses system library conflicts:
flatpak install flathub org.blender.Blender
Community forums provide valuable troubleshooting resources. Search the Manjaro forums or Blender Artists community for similar issues before posting new questions. System logs offer diagnostic information:
journalctl -xe | grep blender
This command filters log entries related to Blender, revealing startup errors or crash details.
Comparing Installation Methods
Each installation method serves different user needs and system configurations. Repository installation via Pacman offers the fastest setup with optimal system integration and performance. Updates arrive through standard system maintenance, requiring no additional management.
Flatpak provides the latest Blender releases with enhanced security through sandboxing. Disk space requirements increase significantly, but version availability often surpasses repository packages. Snap delivers automatic updates with moderate system integration, balancing convenience and currency.
Manual installation suits users needing multiple concurrent versions or testing experimental builds. This approach demands more technical knowledge but offers maximum flexibility. Pamac’s graphical interface simplifies the process for users preferring visual package management.
For beginners, Pacman repository installation represents the ideal starting point due to simplicity and stability. Advanced users benefit from Flatpak when tracking the latest features, while developers often choose manual installation for build flexibility.
Updating and Maintaining Blender
Keeping Blender Current
Pacman installations update alongside your system:
sudo pacman -Syu
Execute this command weekly to maintain current software versions. Flatpak users update specifically:
flatpak update org.blender.Blender
Or update all Flatpak applications simultaneously with flatpak update. Snap packages update automatically in the background, though manual updates remain available via sudo snap refresh blender.
Version Management
Check your current Blender version within the application by clicking Help > About Blender, or from terminal:
blender --version
Pacman supports package downgrades through the package cache in /var/cache/pacman/pkg/. List available versions and reinstall specific releases when needed. Flatpak maintains previous versions through its update system, allowing rollbacks if updates introduce issues.
Add-on compatibility requires attention during major version updates. Back up your ~/.config/blender/ directory before upgrading to preserve preferences, add-ons, and custom configurations.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Blender. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Blender 3D modeling on your Manjaro Linux system. For additional or useful information, we recommend you check the official Blender website.
