# Storage, NVMe and filesystems on Omarchy
What works and what breaks for NVMe, SSD, btrfs, LUKS and the EFI partition on Omarchy 4.x, with real issue numbers, the Apple NVMe quirk script, and fixes.
> **Short answer:** NVMe and SATA storage on ordinary PC hardware works out of the box on Omarchy 4.x. The installer builds LUKS plus btrfs with snapper snapshots, and zram swap. The real breakage is in the EFI partition and the installer, not the drive: dirty or automounted ESPs, dual-disk dual-boot installs, and old Apple AHCI controllers. TRIM is not enabled by default.
- Applies to Omarchy: 4.0.0 and later
- Status: info
- Last verified: 2026-09-16
- Canonical: https://omarchylinux.org/hardware/storage-nvme/
_Unofficial community page. Not affiliated with 37signals or the Omacom Foundation. Omarchy is a registered trademark of 37signals LLC._

On a normal PC with an NVMe or SATA SSD, storage is the part of Omarchy you never think about. The drive is detected, the installer builds LUKS plus btrfs, snapshots happen before every update, and swap lives in compressed RAM. Almost everything filed under this component is really about something next to the drive: the EFI system partition, the installer's disk detection, or snapshot space.

## Status on 4.0.4

Checked against Omarchy 4.0.4 (2026-09-15) and the v4.0.4 source tree.

Our issue data tracks 111 issues touching storage, 60 of them open. Treat that number loosely: the match pattern catches any report from a machine that mentions an NVMe or an SSD. The genuinely storage specific failures fall into five groups.

1. The ESP. A dirty or automounted FAT32 `/boot` breaks updates and boots more often than the drive itself does.
2. Installer disk detection on unusual controllers: old Apple AHCI, eMMC, software RAID.
3. Dual-boot and multi-disk layouts.
4. Space accounting: snapshots on `/`, and nothing at all on the ESP.
5. TRIM, which is not configured.

There is no `omarchy-hw-storage` script. Storage has exactly one quirk script in the whole tree, and it is for Intel MacBooks.

## What Omarchy does automatically

From the v4.0.4 tree:

- **btrfs plus LUKS root.** `etc/mkinitcpio.conf.d/omarchy_hooks.conf` sets the hook line `base udev plymouth keyboard autodetect microcode modconf kms keymap consolefont block encrypt filesystems fsck btrfs-overlayfs`. The `encrypt` hook is what decrypts at the Plymouth passphrase prompt.
- **Snapshots before updates.** `install/config/snapper.sh` installs `default/snapper/root`, which sets `NUMBER_LIMIT="5"` and `TIMELINE_CREATE="no"`, then disables `snapper-timeline.timer` and enables `snapper-cleanup.timer` and `limine-snapper-sync.service`. `etc/limine-entry-tool.d/omarchy-defaults.conf` pins `MAX_SNAPSHOT_ENTRIES=6`, one above the retention limit to cover the creation window. See the manual chapter on [system snapshots](https://omarchy.org/manual/system-snapshots/).
- **Swap in RAM.** `default/systemd/zram-generator.conf.d/90-omarchy.conf` gives zram a size equal to RAM with zstd compression and `swap-priority = 100`, above the `pri=0` disk swapfile that `omarchy-hibernation-setup` creates.
- **A free space guard on `/`.** `bin/omarchy-update-requires-free-space` refuses to update when the root filesystem has less than 10 GiB available. It measures `/` and nothing else.
- **Removable drive automount.** `default/hypr/autostart.lua` launches `udiskie --automount --no-notify --no-tray`, added in 4.0.0.
- **FAT repair tools.** `dosfstools` is a default package since 3.7.0, so `fsck.fat` exists before you need it. PR #5448 added it after the `/boot` mount reports in #4192 and #4284.
- **Disk tooling.** `dua-cli` for usage, `omarchy-drive-info` and `omarchy-drive-select` for picking a device, `omarchy-drive-password` for the LUKS passphrase, and `omarchy-disk-speedtest` under Trigger then Speed Test, which uses O_DIRECT against NOCOW scratch files and reads throughput from the kernel block counters.
- **One quirk script.** `install/hardware/apple/fix-suspend-nvme.sh` matches MacBook8,1, 9,1 and 10,1, MacBookPro13,1 to 13,3 and MacBookPro14,1 to 14,3 by DMI product name, then installs `omarchy-nvme-suspend-fix.service` to write `0` into `d3cold_allowed` for the PCI device at `0000:01:00.0`, so the NVMe is not powered off across suspend.

What Omarchy does not do: enable `fstrim.timer`, or pass `allow-discards` to dm-crypt.

## Known problems

| Issue | Models affected | Status | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [#11979](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11979) Apple AHCI SSD never completes IDENTIFY, installer shows no disk, then pacstrap I/O errors | 2013 to 2015 MacBook Pro (A1502, MacBookPro11,1) | open | not fixed |
| [#11368](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11368) eMMC missing from the installer's drive list | Cherry Trail mini PCs and tablets | open | not fixed |
| [#7263](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/7263) ESP mount fails with a SQUASHFS superblock error during dual-boot install | multi-disk PCs, Windows on a second NVMe | open, workaround | not fixed |
| [#12060](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/12060) kernel migration says `/boot` is not FAT32 when it is a systemd automount | any install whose ESP is not in fstab | open | not fixed |
| [#11101](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11101) `limine-install` cannot parse `/dev/mdXpY` | software RAID and Intel RST FakeRAID | open, unconfirmed | not fixed |
| [#11821](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11821) nothing checks ESP free space before the UKI is written | small ESPs | open | not fixed |
| [#10826](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/10826) NVMe suspend quirk pins the dGPU instead of the NVMe | MacBookPro13,3 and 14,3 | open | not fixed |
| [#8271](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/8271) full disk install wipes the T1 firmware that lives on the Apple ESP | 2016 to 2017 Touch Bar MacBook Pros with the T1 chip; a 2019 T2 owner reported no loss | open | not fixed |
| [#8725](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/8725) external NTFS drive refuses to mount | any USB drive last used on Windows | workaround | not fixed |
| [#2229](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/2229) TRIM blocked by dm-crypt, no periodic trim | every LUKS install | closed, declined as a default, PR #4840 closed unmerged | not fixed |
| [#2747](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/2747) 4 TiB drive hits the msdos partition table sector limit | ThinkPad T560 with a 4 TB SATA SSD, 3.x installer | open, not reproduced | not fixed |
| [#4284](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/4284) systemd-stub reports a corrupt `.cred`, dirty ESP or TPM lockout | Limine plus UKI on 3.3.x, ThinkPads with the TPM enabled | closed | not fixed, `fsck.fat` ships since 3.7.0 |
| [#3850](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/3850) snapshots consume the whole disk | btrfs installs on 3.x | closed | 3.6.0 |

Three notes on that table. #11101 was filed by an AI agent and has no maintainer reply or second reporter, so treat the diagnosis as a lead rather than a confirmed bug. #2747 is from the 3.1.1 archinstall era; the maintainer could not reproduce it, runs 4 TB NVMe installs from the ISO, and suspects the T560 SATA controller, so it may not reproduce on the current ISO. #8271 has a Linux-side recovery path now: one reporter on the thread brought a wiped T1 back with the t1-revive tool linked there, and a free space install that leaves the Apple ESP alone avoids the loss in the first place.

Where 3.x differs from 4.x: the `/boot` failures of early 2026 were a 3.3.x story. #4192 turned out to be a kernel upgrade that never finished building its initramfs, and #4284 was closed after the maintainer pointed at an Arch change that forces a TPM lockout, with several reporters fixed by disabling the TPM in firmware. The snapshot bloat in #3850 was addressed in 3.6.0 by dropping `/home` snapshots and btrfs quotas. An install that started on 3.x can still carry an `@home/.snapshots` subvolume that the new policy never cleans.

## Fixes that work

Work in this order.

1. **Measure both filesystems.** `df -h /` and `df -h /boot`. The update guard only looks at `/`, so a full ESP fails late, after the pacman transaction has committed.
2. **Clear old snapshots** if `/` is tight. `sudo snapper -c root list`, then `sudo snapper -c root delete <number>`. Rollback is covered in [rollback with snapper and Limine](/upgrade/rollback-with-snapper-and-limine/).
3. **Repair a dirty ESP.** `sudo umount /boot`, `sudo fsck.fat -a /dev/nvme0n1p1` for your ESP device, then mount it again. Two reporters on #4284 confirmed the repair alone cleared the error, and `fsck.fat` is already installed. If it comes back on a ThinkPad, the other fix from that thread was disabling the TPM security chip in firmware.
4. **Give the ESP an explicit fstab entry** if `findmnt /boot` reports `autofs`. A plain `vfat` line makes systemd generate a normal `boot.mount`, and the Limine check then sees `vfat` instead of the automount layer (#12060).
5. **For the dual-boot ESP failure**, the community workaround on #7263 is to force the filesystem type on the two mount calls in the ISO configurator, adding `-t vfat`, then rerun the automated script. The upstream change is open as omarchy-iso#111 and is not in any release.
6. **External NTFS drives.** Install `ntfsprogs`, run `sudo ntfsfix --clear-dirty /dev/sdX1`, then mount from Files rather than with sudo, so udisks mounts it under your own user. If `findmnt` shows the drive under `/mnt` with `uid=0`, the Disks app has written it into `/etc/fstab`; delete that line, run `sudo systemctl daemon-reload`, unmount, and replug. That is what closed #8725. Turning off Windows Fast Startup prevents the dirty flag recurring.
7. **TRIM, if you want it.** Check with `lsblk --discard`: a `DISC-GRAN` of `0B` on the crypt device means discards are blocked. `sudo cryptsetup --allow-discards --persistent refresh root` opens the path and `sudo systemctl enable --now fstrim.timer` runs it weekly. This is your own change, not an Omarchy default, and it does leak which blocks are in use to anyone with physical access to the drive.
8. **Apple NVMe suspend.** Run `systemctl cat omarchy-nvme-suspend-fix.service` and compare its PCI address with `lspci`. If `01:00.0` is a GPU on your machine, the service is on the wrong device. Do not expect a corrected address to be enough: a MacBookPro14,3 owner on #10826 pointed it at the real NVMe and the machine still did not resume.

If the installer cannot see your drive at all, see [install fails or stalls](/fix/install-fails-or-stalls/). If you are already in emergency mode, see [you are in emergency mode after update](/fix/you-are-in-emergency-mode-after-update/).

## Report it

Run `omarchy debug`, which writes `/tmp/omarchy-debug.log` with `inxi -Farz`, `dmesg`, the current boot's warnings and errors from journalctl, and the package list. Use `omarchy debug --print --no-sudo` if you would rather not include dmesg.

Storage reports need four more things that `omarchy debug` does not single out, so paste them too:

- `lsblk -f` and `findmnt -no SOURCE,TARGET,FSTYPE,OPTIONS /boot /`
- `df -h / /boot`
- `lsblk --discard` if the question is TRIM
- the `ata`, `nvme`, `mmc` or `ntfs3` lines from `sudo dmesg`

Say which release you installed from and which one you are on now, because installer bugs and update bugs live in different repositories. Then file at [github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues), or send us a report through [hardware submit](/hardware/submit/).

## Related

- [Boot and Limine](/hardware/boot-limine/)
- [Suspend and sleep](/hardware/suspend-sleep/)
- [T2 Macs](/hardware/t2-mac/)
- [Creating a snapshot failed](/fix/creating-a-snapshot-failed-snapper/)
- [LUKS passphrase not accepted at boot](/fix/luks-passphrase-not-accepted-at-boot/)
- [Rollback with snapper and Limine](/upgrade/rollback-with-snapper-and-limine/)

## Sources

- [Issue #11979: 2013 MacBook Pro A1502: Apple AHCI SSD not detected, then pacstrap I/O error; cannot set libata.force=noncq](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11979)
- [Issue #12060: Kernel migration rejects valid FAT32 ESP discovered as systemd autofs](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/12060)
- [Issue #11821: Nothing in the update path measures ESP free space, including the post-transaction hook that writes the UKI](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11821)
- [Issue #11368: BUG: Omarchy v4.0.2 does not detect eMMC as an installation drive](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11368)
- [Issue #11101: limine-install fails on software RAID / Intel RST ESP: 'Failed to parse disk and partition from source /dev/mdXpY'](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/11101)
- [Issue #10826: NVMe suspend fix targets the dGPU on MacBooks with discrete graphics](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/10826)
- [Issue #8725: Error mounting an external hard drive](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/8725)
- [Issue #8271: Installer erases T1/T2 firmware on Apple hardware, permanently disabling Touch Bar / camera / Touch ID](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/8271)
- [Issue #7263: Dual-boot install fails when the free space is on a different disk than Windows itself](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/7263)
- [Issue #2229: Enable SSD TRIM](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/2229)
- [PR #4840: Enable SSD TRIM on LUKS-encrypted drives (closed unmerged)](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/pull/4840)
- [Issue #2747: Unable to install Omarchy on a 4TiB ssd](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/2747)
- [Issue #4284: systemd-stub prints 'Failed to read *.cred, Volume corrupt' on boot (Limine + UKI)](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/4284)
- [Issue #4192: Kernel 6.18.1-arch1-2 update breaks boot - missing vfat module prevents /boot mount](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/4192)
- [Issue #3850: Snapshots using up all disk space](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/issues/3850)
- [PR #5448: Add dosfstools for /boot recovery (merged)](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/pull/5448)
- [install/hardware/apple/fix-suspend-nvme.sh in v4.0.4](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/blob/v4.0.4/install/hardware/apple/fix-suspend-nvme.sh)
- [default/snapper/root in v4.0.4](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/blob/v4.0.4/default/snapper/root)
- [bin/omarchy-update-requires-free-space in v4.0.4](https://github.com/omacom/omarchy/blob/v4.0.4/bin/omarchy-update-requires-free-space)
- [Omarchy Manual: System snapshots](https://omarchy.org/manual/system-snapshots/)