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What is Arch manual pages?
Arch manual pages is a searchable online repository of the manual pages (man pages) shipped with Arch Linux packages. Rather than reading documentation on a local machine, you can look up commands, configuration files and library functions directly in the browser, including pages from packages you haven't installed.
What you can do with it
- Search by keyword across page names and descriptions, or use the listing form to filter and sort results.
- Jump straight to a page using the URL scheme
/man/<package>/<section>/<page>, where the package and section are optional. - Read in different formats: HTML by default, with plain text and raw source available.
- Browse a package's pages together, for example all manual pages belonging to one package.
Practical details worth knowing
When you omit the section, the site redirects to the first match in a fixed order (section 1 first, then n, l, 8, 6, 3, 0, 2, 5, 7, 4, 9). When you omit the package, it looks in core, then extra, then multilib. English is the default and fallback language. Symbolic links such as bunzip2(1) are handled as HTTP redirects to the real page.
A typical use: you're writing a script on a non-Arch system and need the exact option list for a tool as Arch packages it. Search the name, open the section 1 page, and check the version context in the URL. If behaviour differs from your distro, the package field in the URL tells you which Arch package the page came from.
Trade-offs
The archive is large and updated frequently, but it reflects Arch's packaging, not other distributions or upstream releases, so version-specific behaviour may differ from what you see locally. It is documentation only — no installation help, forums or support. For broader Linux documentation, the Arch Wiki at ArchWiki covers usage and configuration; for upstream project docs, the relevant project site is usually the better source.
Next step: if you know the command name, try the direct search first; if you know only the package, open its per-package listing to see every page it provides.
How can I directly open a specific manual page on man.archlinux.org by URL?
Use a path of the form /man/<package>/<page>/<section>, with every part after /man/ optional. The site resolves what you leave out: it looks in the core, extra and multilib repositories in that order, and if you omit the section it redirects to the first match, checking sections in the order 1, n, l, 8, 6, 3, 0, 2, 5, 7, 4, 9. The default language is en and the default format is HTML; txt and raw are also supported.
Practical patterns
- Shortest form:
/man/lsopens the firstlspage found and redirects you to the chosen section. - Pin the section:
/man/ls/1avoids the redirect and guarantees section 1 rather than whichever section the site would pick first. - Disambiguate the package: add the package name, as in
/man/core/openssl/openssl, when the same page name exists in more than one package or repository. - Choose a format: append the format when you want plain text for scripting or
rawfor the unprocessed source.
What to expect
Page names that are symbolic links, such as bunzip2, are served as HTTP redirects (302), so a saved URL may land on a different path than you typed. That matters if you bookmark or script against these URLs: follow redirects rather than assuming the final address.
For a reader who keeps a set of links to consult while configuring a system, the reliable habit is to include the section and, where relevant, the package. A link like /man/5/systemd.service is stable and self-explanatory, while /man/systemd.service depends on the site's lookup order. If you are unsure which section a page lives in, the site's search form matches keywords in page names and descriptions, and the listing form can filter by package; the section introduction pages, such as intro(1) through intro(8), explain what each section covers. The same manual content is also available locally through the man command on an Arch system, so URL links are most useful for sharing a reference with someone who does not have the package installed.
Which manual page section does the site redirect to when I omit the section number?
When you omit the section number, the site redirects to the first manual page it finds, checking sections in this order: 1, n, l, 8, 6, 3, 0, 2, 5, 7, 4, 9. So a bare page name will usually land on the section 1 (user command) version if one exists.
Two practical consequences:
- Names that exist in several sections resolve to the earliest section in that list, not necessarily the one you meant. A query like
openmay take you to a command page when you wanted the system call in section 2. - Package disambiguation is separate. You can add package or repository parts to the address to pin the version, which is the reliable fix when several packages ship a page with the same name.
If you specifically need a system call or file-format page, type the section explicitly (for example, open.2 or passwd.5) rather than relying on the redirect. For a broader look at how the sections are organised, the site points readers to the per-section introduction pages such as intro(1) through intro(8). The same manual set is also reachable through the official Arch Linux documentation at Arch Linux, where distribution-wide guidance sits alongside the package-provided pages.
How do I search for a keyword across manual page names and descriptions?
Use the search form at the top of the page (also in the sidebar of every manual page). It searches keywords in both manual page names and package descriptions, so a term can match a package even when no page title contains it.
Practical ways to search
- Web form: Enter your keyword and submit. This is the broadest option because it covers names and descriptions.
- DuckDuckGo bang: Type
!archmanfollowed by your keyword in DuckDuckGo to run the same search from your browser's address bar. - Listing form: If you want to browse rather than search, use the listing form to filter and sort all matching manual pages.
- Direct URL: Pages follow the pattern
/man/<package>/<page>/<section>. You can omit the package or section; if the section is missing, you are redirected to the first match in the order 1, n, l, 8, 6, 3, 0, 2, 5, 7, 4, 9.
Choosing between them
| Need | Best route |
|---|---|
| Find a command by a vague concept | Search form (matches descriptions too) |
| Look up a known page name | Direct URL, e.g. /man/ls |
| Compare pages across packages | Listing form with package filter |
| Search without leaving the terminal browser flow | !archman in DuckDuckGo |
A concrete example: searching for "compress" should surface pages like bunzip2(1) through package descriptions even though the page name doesn't contain the word. Note that symbolic links such as bunzip2(1) resolve as HTTP redirects, so the final URL may differ from what you typed.
Next step: Start with a broad keyword in the search form, then narrow with the listing form or a direct URL once you know the package and section.
What happens when I open a symbolic link such as bunzip2(1) on this site?
Opening a symbolic link such as bunzip2(1) sends you to the real manual page through an HTTP redirect (302), so the address in your browser changes and you land on the underlying page rather than a separate copy. The site's own description notes that these links are implemented as redirects, and that they still appear in per-package listings such as core/openssl.
What this means in practice
- You see the target page, not a stub. There is no dedicated "bunzip2" document; you get the manual page the link points to.
- Bookmarks and shared URLs shift. A link you copy after the redirect will show the target's address, which can confuse someone expecting the alias.
- Scripts should follow redirects. If you fetch a symlink URL with a tool that doesn't follow redirects, you'll get the 302 response instead of the page text.
A useful next step
If you want the canonical page for an alias, open the symlink once and note where it lands, or browse the package listing (for example the package that ships the tool) to see the alias and its target side by side. When citing a manual page, prefer the target's URL so readers don't depend on the redirect.
For broader context on manual page sections and conventions, the section introductions like intro(1) on Arch manual pages explain how pages are organized.
How often are the manual pages and packages on the site updated?
The site rebuilds its database daily, according to the "Last updates" log on Arch manual pages. Each run is timestamped in UTC and takes roughly one and a half to two and a half minutes, during which it refreshes package metadata and the manual pages themselves.
The recent entries show the scale varies by day:
| Date (UTC) | Packages updated | Manual pages updated |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-30 | 193 | 744 |
| 2026-10-29 | 442 | 940 |
| 2026-10-28 | 426 | 609 |
| 2026-10-27 | 102 | 270 |
| 2026-10-26 | 196 | 201 |
The practical takeaway: expect a page to reflect the previous day's Arch package state, not the current minute. If you are checking whether a man page changed after a package upgrade on your own machine, compare against your local man output rather than assuming the site is live. For a same-day confirmation, run pacman -Q <package> locally and read the page with man <page>; use the site when you want to read a page for a package you have not installed, or to inspect a page from another repository branch.
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