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github-actions[bot] edited this page Apr 22, 2026 · 4 revisions

User tools & setup > Change default kernel

Overview

It is possible to have multiple kernels (or "versions") of the same Linux distro installed on a computer. The newest kernel is usually booted by default, but this can be adjusted to user preference.

To change the default kernel at system boot, you need to identify and adjust the kernel ids used in the boot loader config file.

Note

This guide assumes your system is using the default systemd boot manager for Endeavour OS, rather than grub or refind.

1. Find kernel id with bootctl

  1. Change to the root user with sudo -s and enter your password.

  2. Check which kernel is currently set as default with:

    $ bootctl list

  3. The terminal will display various details for installed kernels, indicating the kernel (selected) at boot and set as (default).

    # kernel currently booted and set as default 
    type: Boot Loader Specification Type 1 (.conf)      
   title: EndeavourOS (6.19.11-arch1-1)  (default) (selected) # current
      id: 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1.conf
  source: ...
sort-key: endeavouros-6.19.11-arch1-1
 version: 6.19.11-arch1-1
machine-id: 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2 # current default id
   linux: ...
  initrd: ...
 options: ...
    # kernel to set as default at boot
    type: Boot Loader Specification Type 1 (.conf) 
   title: EndeavourOS (6.19.12-arch1-1)
      id: af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1.conf
  source: ...
sort-key: endeavouros-6.19.12-arch1-1
 version: 6.19.12-arch1-1
machine-id: af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20 # id to set as default

  4. Copy the machine-id of the kernel you want to set as the default. In this example:

    • Current id: 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2
    • New id: af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20

2. Edit boot loader config

  1. Enter nano /efi/loader/loader.conf to edit the boot loader config in the terminal.

    Terminal window showing the loader.conf file being edited with GNU nano editor

  2. Replace the old kernel id with the one you copied from earlier. This goes on the line containing default in the config file.

  3. Be sure to add a wildcard/asterisk after the id (no space in between). This ensures the same kernel is booted regardless of version number.

    default af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20* # add wildcard *
timeout 20  # wait time (sec) before system boots default
console-mode auto
reboot-for-bitlocker 1

  4. Double check the kernel id you entered is an exact match with the one from bootctl list.

  5. Press Ctrl+X to finish editing, then press Y to save the updated config.

3. Verify and reboot

  1. Run bootctl list again to verify the desired kernel was set as default, indicated with (default) by the kernel title.

        type: Boot Loader Specification Type 1 (.conf) 
   title: EndeavourOS (6.19.12-arch1-1)  (default) # new default
      id: af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1.conf
  source: ...

  2. Reboot the system to check that the correct kernel boots by default.

Additional information

Useful resources:

Find kernel id with ls

A list of the installed kernels can also be viewed with the ls command. This does not indicate which kernel is set to default, but has a much simpler terminal output.

  1. Enter ls /efi/loader/entries/ to display a list of the kernel entries.

    $ sudo ls /efi/loader/entries/
1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.18.21-1-lts.conf	      1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1-fallback.conf
1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.18.21-1-lts-fallback.conf  af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1.conf
1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1.conf	      af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1-fallback.conf

  2. The kernel id is the identifying string in front of the version number.

    # kernel id                      # version number
af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1.conf
1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1.conf

  3. Enter ls -l /efi/loader/entries/ to list all kernel entries with last updated dates.

    $ sudo ls -l /efi/loader/entries/
total 24
-rw-r----- 1 root root 534 Apr  6 03:23 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.18.21-1-lts.conf
-rw-r----- 1 root root 565 Apr  6 03:23 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.18.21-1-lts-fallback.conf
-rw-r----- 1 root root 542 Apr  6 03:23 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1.conf
-rw-r----- 1 root root 573 Apr  6 03:23 1fcde8d015be4360aa122975ea19eca2-6.19.11-arch1-1-fallback.conf
-rw-r----- 1 root root 542 Apr 20 18:18 af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1.conf
-rw-r----- 1 root root 573 Apr 20 18:18 af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20-6.19.12-arch1-1-fallback.conf

  4. In most cases, the (selected) kernel is likely the last updated file. In this case, it would be the entry accessed on Apr 20 18:18.

Check default kernel with cat

While bootctl provides detailed information on installed kernels, you can use cat to display the boot loader config file.

  1. Enter sudo cat /efi/loader/loader.conf to display the boot loader config.

    $ sudo cat /efi/loader/loader.conf
default af2ba735c1714a3ebdd24c10355d5b20*  # kernel id
timeout 20
console-mode auto
reboot-for-bitlocker 1

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