I'm in the process of dual booting my Windows 11 laptop with Ubuntu, and I have a couple of important questions. First, should I disable secure boot? I've seen mixed advice online, with some guides saying to disable it and others not mentioning it at all. Second, I need help with disabling BitLocker. During the Ubuntu installation, it prompted me to turn off BitLocker encryption. However, I'm having trouble locating it in my laptop settings. The closest thing I've found is "Device Encryption" under the Privacy and Security options. I'm really concerned about harming my laptop in any way, but I do have my important data backed up. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
For secure boot, I highly recommend turning it off. I had issues installing CachyOS while it was enabled, and it just made everything easier when I disabled it. As for BitLocker, if you can't find it in your control panel, it might not be encrypted.
Ubuntu supports secure boot, but a lot of users suggest turning it off mainly to avoid signing drivers, especially for certain hardware like NVIDIA. If your device panel isn't showing BitLocker, it's likely not encrypted. Here's a good guide to check if BitLocker is even active: [How to Check BitLocker Status](https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-check-bitlocker-status-in-windows-10/)
1. Turning off secure boot is generally easier for installation, although you can keep it enabled if needed afterward.
2. To disable BitLocker, go to **Settings**, then **Privacy & Security**, click on **Device Encryption**, and turn that off. Once you have Linux installed, you can always re-enable it later!
Secure boot can be tricky. Some distros work fine with it on, but for Ubuntu, many prefer to disable it during installation to avoid signing driver issues.