NetworkManager.conf

main configuration file for NetworkManager

TLDR

Basic configuration

$ [main]\nplugins=ifupdown,keyfile

Set DNS mode

$ [main]\ndns=dnsmasq

Disable MAC randomization

$ [device]\nwifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no

Set hostname mode

$ [main]\nhostname-mode=dhcp

SYNOPSIS

/etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

NetworkManager.conf is the main configuration file for NetworkManager. It controls DNS handling, plugins, device management, and various global settings. The file uses an ini-style key file format with sections of key-value pairs.Additional configuration can be placed in /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/ as drop-in files.

PARAMETERS

[main]

Main configuration section.

plugins

System settings plugin names (keyfile is always appended).

dns

DNS processing mode (default, dnsmasq, systemd-resolved, none).

dhcp

DHCP client to use (internal, dhcpcd).

hostname-mode

How the transient hostname is managed (default, dhcp, none).

no-auto-default

Devices for which no automatic default connection is created.

[keyfile]

Keyfile plugin-specific settings.

[ifupdown]

Settings for the ifupdown plugin (Debian/Ubuntu).

managed

Whether devices listed in /etc/network/interfaces are managed by NetworkManager (true/false).

[connection]

Default values for connection properties.

[device]

Per-device persistent configuration.

[logging]

Controls logging output.

level

Log verbosity level (OFF, ERR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE).

domains

Filter log messages by topic (PLATFORM, WIFI, DHCP4, DNS, VPN, etc.).

[connectivity]

Optional internet connectivity checking.

uri

URL to check for connectivity.

interval

Check frequency in seconds (default: 300).

[global-dns]

System-wide DNS configuration that overrides per-connection settings.

EXAMPLE CONFIG

$ [main]
plugins=ifupdown,keyfile
dns=systemd-resolved

[ifupdown]
managed=false

[device]
wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=yes

[connection]
wifi.powersave=2

[logging]
level=WARN

DNS MODES

$ default          - Update resolv.conf directly
dnsmasq          - Run local dnsmasq instance
systemd-resolved - Use systemd-resolved
none             - No DNS management

CAVEATS

Syntax errors may prevent NetworkManager from starting. Use conf.d/ for drop-in files. Restart NetworkManager after changes with `systemctl restart NetworkManager`.