How to Disable IPv6 on Linux

Follow this step-by-step tutorial to learn how to disable IPv6 on Linux from command line.

1. Open the Terminal (1).

   

2. Type: sudo su and enter your password to act as root.

3. Type: nano /etc/sysctl.conf and press “Enter” to open the configuration file. Or, just use your favorite text editor to edit this file.

4. Add the following lines to the sysctl.conf file:

   net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1
   net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1
   net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1

   For nano, press “CTRL+O” then “Enter” to save the modifications and “CTRL+X” to close the file.

5. In the Terminal type: cat /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/disable_ipv6 and press “Enter”.

   If the output is “1”, your have IPv6 already disabled and no further actions are required. If the output is “0”, follow the next steps.

6. Type: sysctl -p

   You should get something like this:

   

7. Type: cat /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/disable_ipv6 and press “Enter”.

   Now you should get “1” as a result, which means you have successfully disabled IPv6.