Timeshift: The Arch & Manjaro "Undo" Button

17 Dec, 2025

If you run a rolling release linux distro like Manjaro or Arch, you must set up Timeshift. Otherwise when an update breaks something, you have nothing to fall back to.

Timeshift takes a "snapshot" of your system files. If an update bricks your computer, you simply "load" the previous save state and carry on like nothing happened. Timeshift is NOT meant to be backing up all your files.

Phase 1: The Setup Wizard

Timeshift comes pre-installed on Manjaro. If you are on Arch, install it via pacman -S timeshift.

Open Timeshift from your menu. If this is your first time, the Wizard will launch.

1. Snapshot Type

• Select: BTRFS
• Why: You are on Manjaro/Arch with a modern drive. BTRFS snapshots are instant and take up almost zero space (they only store the changes).
• Note: If your drive is formatted as EXT4, you must select RSYNC.

2. Snapshot Location

• Select: Your primary drive (usually nvme0n1 or sda).
• Why: BTRFS snapshots live on the same filesystem as the OS. This makes them instant and space-efficient.

⚠️ CRITICAL WARNING: This is NOT a Backup! Because these snapshots live on your main drive, if your hard drive dies physically, your snapshots die with it. Timeshift protects you from bad software updates, not hardware failure. You still need to back up your important personal files (Documents, Photos, Keys) to an External Hard Drive or Cloud storage to be safe from physical corruption.

3. Select Snapshot Levels (The Schedule)

• Daily: Keep 3 (Good for "It worked yesterday").
• Boot: Keep 3 (Critical for "It broke after I rebooted").
• Weekly: Keep 2 (Long-term fallback).
• Uncheck everything else. You don't need hourly snapshots cluttering your list.

4. User Home Directories (The Golden Rule)

• Select: Include @home subvolume -> UNCHECKED (Default).
• Why: You want to roll back System Updates, not your personal files.
• Scenario: You write a document, update the system, and it crashes. You roll back.
• If Home is Included: Your document is deleted (reverted).
• If Home is Excluded (Correct): The system is fixed, but your document is still there.

Phase 2: Create Your First Baseline

Once the wizard closes, you are at the main dashboard.

1. Click the big Create button.
2. Add a comment: "Fresh Install - Working Perfectly" or "Before big update".
3. Let it finish (it takes seconds on BTRFS).

Phase 3: How to "Load Your Save"

There are two ways to restore your system.

Scenario A: The System Boots, but is Glitchy

1. Open Timeshift.
2. Click a snapshot from yesterday.
3. Click Restore.
4. Reboot.

Scenario B: The System Won't Boot (Black Screen) This is where the magic happens. Even if your Linux install is completely dead, you can fix it from the outside.

1. Plug in your Live USB (the one you installed Manjaro with).
2. Boot into the Live Desktop.
3. Open Timeshift from the Live Menu.
4. Select your Restore Snapshot and click Restore.

*See my Unbrick Manjaro Guide *

Pro Tip: Before running any massive update (like sudo pacman -Syu), open Timeshift and hit Create. Call it "Pre-Update." It takes 5 seconds and guarantees you zero stress. Often this will happen automatically, but don't count on that.

#guides #linux #tech