How to Set a Default Kernel in Manjaro Linux

If you’re a Manjaro user who boots into a different kernel via the GRUB menu and then discovers — to your dismay — that your selection doesn’t persist after a reboot, you’re not alone. Manjaro makes it easy to install and switch between multiple kernels, but oddly, it lacks an obvious way to set a specific kernel as the default boot option.

This post will walk you through why this happens, and how to make your preferred kernel the one that boots every time — permanently.

Why I Needed a Kernel Switch

I first noticed something was wrong when my studio monitors began emitting an audible hiss. I traced it back to a change in kernel behavior. Specifically, the 6.12 kernel introduced a noise issue on my audio interface. Rolling forward to 6.14.2 completely resolved it — and the difference was immediate and obvious.

Unfortunately, after manually selecting 6.14.2 in the boot menu, the system kept reverting to 6.12 on each restart. The Manjaro Settings Manager lets you install or remove kernels, but it does not offer a way to set your current kernel as the default. That’s a UX gap for a distro that prides itself on user-friendliness.

Let’s fix that.

How to Permanently Set Your Default Kernel in Manjaro

This guide is for intermediate Linux users comfortable with a terminal. These steps assume you’re using GRUB as your bootloader (default in Manjaro).

Step 1: Check Your Current Kernel

Open a terminal and run:

uname -r

Example output:

6.14.2-1-MANJARO

This tells you which kernel is currently running — presumably the one you selected manually during boot.

Step 2: List GRUB Menu Entries

We need to find the exact kernel entry as GRUB sees it. Run:

grep "menuentry '" /boot/grub/grub.cfg

You’ll see something like:

menuentry 'Manjaro Linux (Kernel: 6.14.2-1-MANJARO x64)' ...
menuentry 'Manjaro Linux (Kernel: 6.12.23-1-MANJARO x64)' ...

In most setups, these are nested under a GRUB submenu called “Advanced options for Manjaro Linux”.

Step 3: Edit GRUB Configuration

Open the GRUB config in your favorite terminal text editor:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Find the line:

GRUB_DEFAULT=saved

Change it to:

GRUB_DEFAULT="Advanced options for Manjaro Linux>Manjaro Linux (Kernel: 6.14.2-1-MANJARO x64)"

This tells GRUB to dive into the submenu and choose that exact kernel.

Make sure the menu entry matches exactly what you saw from the previous step — including punctuation, spaces, and capitalization.

Step 4: Update GRUB

Regenerate your GRUB configuration so the changes take effect:

sudo update-grub

Step 5: Reboot and Verify

Now reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Once you’re back, check that you’re booted into the right kernel:

uname -r

If it returns 6.14.2-1-MANJARO, congratulations — your system will now continue to use this kernel automatically unless you change it again.

Optional: Clean Up Old Kernels

To keep your boot menu tidy and free of fallback clutter, you can remove unused kernels:

sudo mhwd-kernel -r linux612

Replace linux612 with the version you want to remove.

Final Thoughts

Manjaro offers one of the most seamless kernel management experiences in Linux — but the missing option to set your default kernel via GUI is a rare misstep. Luckily, with just a few lines in the terminal, you can take back control.

Whether you’re solving audio issues like I was, or simply want to lock in a newer (or LTS) kernel, now you know exactly how to do it.