By default, Ubuntu Linux automatically powers on your computer’s Bluetooth adapter every single time you boot up the system. If you regularly use a wireless mouse or a Bluetooth headset, this is the expected and desired behaviour. However, if your workstation relies entirely on wired peripherals, leaving the Bluetooth radio constantly scanning in the background is a waste of battery life on a laptop and a minor, but unnecessary, security vulnerability on any machine.
While you can manually click the Bluetooth icon in the top right corner and turn it off after you log in, doing this every single day is tedious. If you want to ensure the Bluetooth adapter remains completely disabled from the very moment the system boots, you must change a core configuration file using the terminal.
Modifying the Bluetooth Configuration File
Ubuntu manages the default state of the Bluetooth radio through a central configuration file located deep within the system directories. You will need administrator privileges to edit it.
- Press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard to open a new terminal window.
- To edit the configuration file, you must use a command-line text editor like nano with “sudo” (superuser) permissions. Type the following command and press Enter:
sudo nano /etc/bluetooth/main.conf - The terminal will prompt you to enter your administrator password. When you type it, no characters will appear on the screen—this is a normal Linux security feature. Type the password and press Enter.
- The text editor will open inside the terminal. Use the Down Arrow key on your keyboard to scroll through the file until you reach the very bottom.
- Look for a line that says:
AutoEnable=true
(If the line does not exist at the bottom, look near the top under the[Policy]section). - Use your keyboard to carefully delete the word “true” and replace it with “false”, so the line reads exactly:
AutoEnable=false - To save your changes in the nano editor, press Ctrl + O (the letter O, not zero), and then press Enter to confirm the file name.
- To exit the editor and return to the normal command prompt, press Ctrl + X.
Testing the Changes
The changes you just made to the configuration file will not take effect until the Bluetooth service restarts. The easiest way to verify that your edit was successful is to reboot your entire computer.
Restart your machine. When you log back in and look at the system tray in the top right corner of your screen, the Bluetooth icon should be greyed out and turned off. If you ever purchase a Bluetooth accessory in the future, you can still manually turn the adapter on by clicking the icon, but it will no longer power itself on automatically during the boot process.