Disable automount on Ubuntu

If you frequently use USB sticks or other USB storage devices, it may become annoying that they are automatically mounted whenever you insert them into your Ubuntu Linux system. This is especially the case with multi-partitioned USB drives.

In this tutorial, we will go over the step by step instructions to disable USB automount on Ubuntu Linux by using the dconf-editor GUI program. Read on to learn how.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install dconf-editor on Ubuntu
  • How to disable USB automount
Disable automount on Ubuntu
Disable automount on Ubuntu
Software Requirements and Linux Command Line Conventions
Category Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used
System Ubuntu Linux
Software dconf-editor
Other Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command.
Conventions # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Disable USB Automount




The simplest way to prevent USB devices from mounting automatically is with the dconf-editor GUI program. It’s very easy to install and use on Ubuntu. Follow the steps below to complete the procedure.

  1. First, open up a terminal and use the following command to install dconf-editor with your system’s package manager.
    $ sudo apt install dconf-editor
    
  2. Next, you can open dconf-editor editor in the application launcher or simply type the following command in your terminal to open the application.
    $ dconf-editor
    
  3. In this program, navigate through the folders in this order:

    org > YOUR DESKTOP MANAGER > desktop > media-handling

  4. Then, simply flip the automount option off, then you may close the program.

    Disable auto mount in dconf-editor
    Disable auto mount in dconf-editor


Conclusion

That’s all there is to it. Your changes will be saved when you close the dconf-editor program. You can verify it works by inserting your USB media to see if it still mounts automatically, but it shouldn’t. The dconf-editor is handy to control other system settings as well, but only tinker with it if you know what you’re doing, since configuring certain options could have unpredictable effects.