Encrypting your home folder keeps your data and documents safe. Even though you must log into the system to access your files, a person accessing your computer through a USB-based live operating system could still mount your home folder and access your files.

Should I encrypt my Linux installation?

Should You Encrypt Your Linux Partition? Most Linux distributions make it easy to encrypt your home folder or even entire partitions, without many issues. This is a great option to have if you need your data to be encrypted. In most cases, all you need to do is check a box, and Linux will take care of the rest.

What is Encrypt my home folder?

Encrypting your home folder doesn’t actually make your computer more secure – it simply makes all the files and folders in your home folder more secure from unauthorized viewing.