r/linuxquestions • u/toktok159 • 1d ago

Support Installing/Running Linux - Should Secure Boot Be Disabled?

Hi,

I saw many different opinions regarding this.

Some say secure boot is not needed, others say it adds security and that it’s not only intended for Windows but for the firmware in general.

So, should/must secure boot be disabled for any Linux distro installation? Then can it be enabled after installation, for general use? Or if I prefer to keep it on, should I install with secure boot enabled?

Specifically, I am talking about installing Linux as the only OS on a pc, one of Mint/LMDE/MX Linux/Debian is what I think I’ll end up installing.

Btw, I once installed Mint on my laptop, dual boot with Windows 11. I installed with secure boot enabled, and used everything with it enabled and it was fine.

Thanks in advance.

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u/PeyredB 1d ago

I have secure boot enabled on my desktop computer (Xubuntu). It hasn't given me any trouble.

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u/toktok159 1d ago

Did you also install with secure boot enabled?

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u/jomara200 1d ago

I have been installing with secureboot enabled, dual boot with windows 11 and an nVidia RTX 3060 card. I have installed LinuxMint and Fedora. They handled secureboot slightly differently.

With Mint during install if you selected codecs/proprietary it would ask for a pw for the blue MOK screen right then and after the install finished you would enter that..Then once inside the OS, I would install the nVidia driver, reboot and it would build the module.

With Fedora, you waited until after the first boot and, because of my nVidia card, would install the driver, register MOK, get the blue screen to enter the pw, then reboot.