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Connect to Wi-Fi with iwctl (iwd)

Get online from a minimal console with iwd's interactive or one-shot Wi-Fi commands.

LinuxnetworkWi-FiiwdLow risk
Run iwctl station wlan0 connect "MyHomeWiFi" and enter the passphrase when prompted; use station wlan0 scan and get-networks first to find the SSID.

01Command

Command
$ iwctl station wlan0 connect "MyHomeWiFi"

02What it does

iwctl is the client for iwd, a lightweight Wi-Fi daemon that many minimal installs and the Arch ISO use instead of wpa_supplicant and NetworkManager. Start with iwctl (interactive mode), scan with station wlan0 scan, list networks with station wlan0 get-networks, then connect with station wlan0 connect SSID — iwd asks for the password and stores it for automatic reconnection. Check the device name with station list if wlan0 doesn't exist.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsiwd package installed and iwd.service running; interface name may be wlan0, wlp2s0 etc.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • iwctl(1) — Arch Linux manual
    Arch Linux · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Arch manual documents iwctl's station object with scan, get-networks and connect commands for Wi-Fi control
  • iwd — ArchWiki
    Arch Linux · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: ArchWiki's iwd page shows connecting with iwctl station device connect SSID and listing networks after station scan

Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: Network

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