How to Encrypt Full Disk During Ubuntu 24.04 Install

Encrypting your Ubuntu 24.04 installation provides an added layer of security by scrambling data on your disk, making it unreadable without the decryption key.

This guide will walk you through encrypting the boot, swap, and root partitions during the installation of Ubuntu 24.04.

Pre-installation Considerations

Before starting the installation process, ensure you have:

  • 2 GHz dual-core processor or better.
  • 4 GB system memory.
  • 25 GB of free hard drive space.
  • Either a USB port or a DVD drive for the installer media.
  • Back up any critical data on the target system as the entire disk will be erased during encrypted installation.

Step 1: Create a Bootable Ubuntu 24.04 USB Drive

Go to the official Ubuntu download page and select the 24.04 LTS version, which will begin downloading automatically.

Alternatively, you can download the Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop or Server ISO image directly from the command line using the following wget command.

wget https://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso
OR
wget https://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso

Next, insert your USB stick into your computer and create a bootable image using the USB creation tool or use a tool like the dd command as shown.

sudo dd if=ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync

Replace /dev/sdX with the name of your USB device and make sure you choose the correct device to prevent losing any data.

If you’re unsure of the name of your USB device, you can use the lsblk command, which will list all block devices connected to your system, including your USB device.

lsblk

Look for your USB device in the list, which will typically be listed as something like /dev/sdX (where X is a letter) and will often have a size listed next to it that matches your USB device’s capacity.

Find USB Device Name
Find the USB Device Name

Once you’ve identified your USB device, replace /dev/sdX in your command with the correct device name as shown.

sudo dd if=ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdc1 bs=4M status=progress && sync

Step 2: Install Ubuntu 24.04

Now that you’ve made a USB drive that can start up your computer, you need to start your computer from it. You can do this by choosing the system’s start-up choices (often by pressing F2, F12, or the Del key) and choosing the USB Drive as the start-up device.

After starting your computer from the USB drive, you can begin installing Ubuntu by selecting the “Try or Install Ubuntu” option.

Try or Install Ubuntu
Try or Install Ubuntu

Once the installer has initialised you will be invited to choose your language.

Choose Ubuntu Language
Choose Ubuntu Language

Next, you will be presented with the option to select any accessibility settings you require.

Accessibility in Ubuntu
Accessibility in Ubuntu

Choose your preferred keyboard layout language.

Ubuntu Keyboard Language
Ubuntu Keyboard Language

Next, connect to your network, which will enable Ubuntu to fetch most recent updates and third-party drivers during installation.

Download Ubuntu Packages
Download Ubuntu Packages

You are then offered the choice to try or install Ubuntu.

Choose Install Ubuntu
Choose Install Ubuntu

You will be prompted to choose between Interactive installation and Automated Installation. The interactive option is the standard route, but more advanced users can use the automated installation option to import a configuration file from a web server to standardize multiple installs and add further customizations.

In this tutorial, we will remain on the primary route.

Ubuntu Install Type
Ubuntu Install Type

You will be prompted to choose between the Default selection and Extended selection options. The default installation comes with the basic essentials to get started which you can then expand on after installation using the App Center. The extended selection contains additional office tools and utilities, useful for offline situations.

Choose Default Selection
Choose Default Selection

In the following screen, you will be prompted to install third-party software that may improve device support and performance (for example, Nvidia graphics drivers) and support for additional media formats. It is recommended to check both of these boxes.

Ubuntu Proprietary Software
Ubuntu Proprietary Software

Next, the screen allows you to configure your installation. If you would like Ubuntu to be the only operating system on your hard drive, select Erase disk and install Ubuntu.

Choose Erase Disk and Install Ubuntu
Choose Erase Disk and Install Ubuntu

This option also allows you to encrypt your entire drive using LVM, ZFS, or using the Trusted Platform Module on the device. To do this open the Advanced features option before proceeding to the above screen and select ‘Use LVM and encryption’.

Choose LVM and Encryption
Choose LVM and Encryption

Next, you will see a window where you need to create a Security key, which will be required before you can log in with your username and password on your Ubuntu system.

Create a Passphrase to Encrypt Files
Create a Passphrase to Encrypt Files

On this screen, you’ll be asked to type in your name and the name you want your computer to have on the network. After that, you’ll choose a username and create a strong password.

Create User Account
Create User Account

Choose where you are on the map and pick your timezone.

Choose Your TimeZone
Choose Your TimeZone

Clicking Next will show you a summary of your installation setup, which double-check everything before you click Install.

Ubuntu Install Summary
Ubuntu Install Summary

Once you proceed, Ubuntu will start the installation process.

Ubuntu Installation Process
Ubuntu Installation Process

After the installation finishes, you’ll be asked to restart your computer.

Ubuntu Installation Finishes
Ubuntu Installation Finishes

After you restart your computer, you’ll see a message asking you to take out your USB flash drive. Once you’ve done that, just press the ENTER key.

Remove USB Drive
Remove USB Drive

Enter your encryption password if you created one.

Enter Security Passphrase
Enter Security Passphrase

After that, you’ll see the login screen where you can type in your username and password.

Ubuntu Login
Ubuntu Login

And there you have it! Welcome to your new Ubuntu Desktop!

Ubuntu Desktop
Ubuntu Desktop

After you install your operating system, it’s important to keep it updated, which will help you to fix bugs and improve security.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

You’ve installed Ubuntu 24.04 with complete disk encryption, so your data stays safe even if someone unauthorized gets their hands on your storage device.

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Ravi Saive
I am an experienced GNU/Linux expert and a full-stack software developer with over a decade in the field of Linux and Open Source technologies

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2 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Hi!

    While it’s decent of you to write this article, what I meant with my request was if you could find out how to encrypt both the boot and root partitions during installation.

    You know, like in the article “How to Full Disk Encrypt Ubuntu 22.04 During Installation” shows you how to do. I tried that on Ubuntu 24.04, but it won’t let me boot up afterward.

    I, of course, managed to get Ubuntu 22.04 to work according to the article. Do you think there is a way to get Ubuntu 24.04 to have both the boot and root partitions encrypted?

    Reply
    • @Christian,

      Unfortunately, I didn’t find any option to encrypt individual partitions during the installation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The only available option is to encrypt the entire disk.

      Reply

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