How to check if Ubuntu has booted in UEFI mode?
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I have installed Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) on my PC in dual boot with Windows 10. I need to check if Ubuntu is booting in UEFI mode or legacy mode. I found a few sources online to check this, but I'm getting ambiguous results.
To be specific, this page, section "Identifying if an Ubuntu has been installed in UEFI mode" gives three ways to check this.
- Its /etc/fstab file contains an UEFI partition (mount point: /boot/efi)
- It uses the grub-efi bootloader (not grub-pc)
- From the installed Ubuntu, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) then type the following command:
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
I tried the 1st and 3rd ways.
My fstab file contains the below entry:
UUID=xxx /boot/efi ntfs defaults 0 1
So, that means Ubuntu has booted in UEFI mode.
But running the command given in the third method
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
prints Installed in Legacy mode.
Which is correct? Which is a reliable method for Ubuntu 18.04?
boot dual-boot 18.04 uefi
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
add a comment |
I have installed Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) on my PC in dual boot with Windows 10. I need to check if Ubuntu is booting in UEFI mode or legacy mode. I found a few sources online to check this, but I'm getting ambiguous results.
To be specific, this page, section "Identifying if an Ubuntu has been installed in UEFI mode" gives three ways to check this.
- Its /etc/fstab file contains an UEFI partition (mount point: /boot/efi)
- It uses the grub-efi bootloader (not grub-pc)
- From the installed Ubuntu, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) then type the following command:
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
I tried the 1st and 3rd ways.
My fstab file contains the below entry:
UUID=xxx /boot/efi ntfs defaults 0 1
So, that means Ubuntu has booted in UEFI mode.
But running the command given in the third method
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
prints Installed in Legacy mode.
Which is correct? Which is a reliable method for Ubuntu 18.04?
boot dual-boot 18.04 uefi
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
add a comment |
I have installed Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) on my PC in dual boot with Windows 10. I need to check if Ubuntu is booting in UEFI mode or legacy mode. I found a few sources online to check this, but I'm getting ambiguous results.
To be specific, this page, section "Identifying if an Ubuntu has been installed in UEFI mode" gives three ways to check this.
- Its /etc/fstab file contains an UEFI partition (mount point: /boot/efi)
- It uses the grub-efi bootloader (not grub-pc)
- From the installed Ubuntu, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) then type the following command:
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
I tried the 1st and 3rd ways.
My fstab file contains the below entry:
UUID=xxx /boot/efi ntfs defaults 0 1
So, that means Ubuntu has booted in UEFI mode.
But running the command given in the third method
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
prints Installed in Legacy mode.
Which is correct? Which is a reliable method for Ubuntu 18.04?
boot dual-boot 18.04 uefi
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
I have installed Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) on my PC in dual boot with Windows 10. I need to check if Ubuntu is booting in UEFI mode or legacy mode. I found a few sources online to check this, but I'm getting ambiguous results.
To be specific, this page, section "Identifying if an Ubuntu has been installed in UEFI mode" gives three ways to check this.
- Its /etc/fstab file contains an UEFI partition (mount point: /boot/efi)
- It uses the grub-efi bootloader (not grub-pc)
- From the installed Ubuntu, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) then type the following command:
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
I tried the 1st and 3rd ways.
My fstab file contains the below entry:
UUID=xxx /boot/efi ntfs defaults 0 1
So, that means Ubuntu has booted in UEFI mode.
But running the command given in the third method
[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in UEFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
prints Installed in Legacy mode.
Which is correct? Which is a reliable method for Ubuntu 18.04?
boot dual-boot 18.04 uefi
boot dual-boot 18.04 uefi
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
edited Jan 19 at 12:49
Codito ergo sum
1,5023825
1,5023825
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
asked Jan 19 at 4:31
Nagabhushan S NNagabhushan S N
1338
1338
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
You can use the following command line,
test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios
or longer but easier to understand
if test -d /sys/firmware/efi;then echo efi;else echo bios;fi
See the following link,
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Test_if_running_in_UEFI_mode
Edit: Comment about /boot/efi
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of the /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted.
The existence of /boot/efi, a directory in an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,/boot/efiis a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while/sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of/sysfile system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of/boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
add a comment |
The easiest way to find out if you are running UEFI or BIOS is to look for a folder /sys/firmware/efi.
The folder will be missing if your system is using BIOS.
Execute:
$ ls /sys/firmware/efi
Example of UEFI boot output :
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
You can use the following command line,
test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios
or longer but easier to understand
if test -d /sys/firmware/efi;then echo efi;else echo bios;fi
See the following link,
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Test_if_running_in_UEFI_mode
Edit: Comment about /boot/efi
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of the /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted.
The existence of /boot/efi, a directory in an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,/boot/efiis a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while/sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of/sysfile system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of/boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
add a comment |
You can use the following command line,
test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios
or longer but easier to understand
if test -d /sys/firmware/efi;then echo efi;else echo bios;fi
See the following link,
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Test_if_running_in_UEFI_mode
Edit: Comment about /boot/efi
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of the /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted.
The existence of /boot/efi, a directory in an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,/boot/efiis a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while/sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of/sysfile system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of/boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
add a comment |
You can use the following command line,
test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios
or longer but easier to understand
if test -d /sys/firmware/efi;then echo efi;else echo bios;fi
See the following link,
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Test_if_running_in_UEFI_mode
Edit: Comment about /boot/efi
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of the /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted.
The existence of /boot/efi, a directory in an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
You can use the following command line,
test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios
or longer but easier to understand
if test -d /sys/firmware/efi;then echo efi;else echo bios;fi
See the following link,
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Test_if_running_in_UEFI_mode
Edit: Comment about /boot/efi
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of the /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted.
The existence of /boot/efi, a directory in an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
edited Jan 20 at 14:08
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
answered Jan 19 at 5:52
sudodussudodus
23.9k32875
23.9k32875
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,/boot/efiis a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while/sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of/sysfile system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of/boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
add a comment |
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,/boot/efiis a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while/sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of/sysfile system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of/boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.
– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
Yes. Both answers are almost same. This one is easier for newbies. Since that was the first answer, I accepted that. Also, both of the answers didn't answer my question completely. What is the difference between the two methods and why they give different outputs?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 7:20
@NagabhushanSN,
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of /boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
@NagabhushanSN,
/boot/efi is a persistent directory (that survives shutdown and reboot), while /sys/firmware/efi, actually the content of /sys file system is created every time the computer is booted. -- The existence of /boot/efi, an EFI system partition, can make it possible to boot in UEFI mode, but it does not make it impossible to boot in BIOS mode. So it does not tell you in which mode the computer is booted. It is possible to have installed Ubuntu and other linux systems that can boot both in UEFI and BIOS mode.– sudodus
Jan 20 at 11:42
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
Great! This was what I was looking for. Please update your answer, I'll accept it :)
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 20 at 12:51
add a comment |
The easiest way to find out if you are running UEFI or BIOS is to look for a folder /sys/firmware/efi.
The folder will be missing if your system is using BIOS.
Execute:
$ ls /sys/firmware/efi
Example of UEFI boot output :
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
add a comment |
The easiest way to find out if you are running UEFI or BIOS is to look for a folder /sys/firmware/efi.
The folder will be missing if your system is using BIOS.
Execute:
$ ls /sys/firmware/efi
Example of UEFI boot output :
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
add a comment |
The easiest way to find out if you are running UEFI or BIOS is to look for a folder /sys/firmware/efi.
The folder will be missing if your system is using BIOS.
Execute:
$ ls /sys/firmware/efi
Example of UEFI boot output :
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
The easiest way to find out if you are running UEFI or BIOS is to look for a folder /sys/firmware/efi.
The folder will be missing if your system is using BIOS.
Execute:
$ ls /sys/firmware/efi
Example of UEFI boot output :
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
edited Jan 19 at 4:57
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
answered Jan 19 at 4:49
Carlos DagorretCarlos Dagorret
505213
505213
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
add a comment |
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
This directory is not present. But fstab file has boot/efi mount-point. Ambiguous right?
– Nagabhushan S N
Jan 19 at 4:53
4
4
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
You boot in BIOS mode
– Carlos Dagorret
Jan 19 at 4:54
add a comment |
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