How to add kernel boot parameters via GRUB on Linux

Last updated on November 27, 2020 by Dan Nanni

The Linux kernel can be supplied with various parameters during boot time or at run time. These parameters customize the default behavior of the kernel (e.g., automatic reboot upon kernel panic), or inform the kernel about hardware configuration. Kernel parameters can be changed at run time by modifying files in /proc or /sys, while certain kernel parameters need be passed to the kernel at boot time by a boot loader such as GRUB or LILO.

In this tutorial, I will describe how to add kernel boot parameters via GRUB on Linux.

If you want to change or add kernel parameters when you are using GRUB boot loader, you can edit GRUB config file. The following are distro-specific ways to add kernel boot parameters to a GRUB config file.

Add Kernel Boot Parameters on Debian or Ubuntu

If you want to add kernel parameters during boot time on a Debian based system, edit GRUB config template at /etc/default/grub. Add a kernel parameter in the form of name=value in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT variable.

$ sudo -e /etc/default/grub

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="...... name=value"

Then run the following command to actually generate a GRUB config file.

$ sudo update-grub

If the command update-grub is not found, you can install it as follows.

$ sudo apt-get install grub2-common

Add Kernel Boot Parameters on Fedora

To add kernel parameters during boot time on Fedora, edit GRUB config template at /etc/default/grub. Add a kernel parameter in the form of name=value in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX variable.

$ sudo -e /etc/default/grub

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="...... name=value"

Then run the following command to generate a GRUB2 config file.

$ sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Add Kernel Boot Parameters on CentOS

To add kernel parameters during boot on CentOS, directly edit a GRUB config file located at /boot/grub/grub.conf. In the config file, look for the entry describing the default Linux image used. The string default=N at the top of the config file indicates which entry is the default image.

Under the default image entry, append a kernel parameter to the line starting with kernel /vmlinuz-. A kernel parameter should be formatted as name=value.

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