nmcli device status UNMANAGED on Ubuntu 20.04 Jammy

Changing NIC from Unmanaged to Managed State in Ubuntu

Before creating a teaming NIC on Ubuntu, ensure that the ethernet interfaces are in a managed state. This guide walks you through how to change the state from unmanaged to managed.

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Step 1 — Check Netplan Configuration

ls /etc/netplan/
# if config file is 00-network-manager-all.yaml
cat /etc/netplan/00-network-manager-all.yaml

Step 2 — Display Network Device Status

nmcli device

Note: Identify devices that show STATE = unmanaged and note their DEVICE and TYPE.

Step 3 — Check for Unmanaged Devices

sudo grep -ri unmanaged-devices /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/
sudo grep -ri unmanaged-devices /etc/NetworkManager/

Make sure your device is not listed under unmanaged-devices.

Step 4 — Edit Global NetworkManager Configuration

sudo vim /usr/lib/NetworkManager/conf.d/10-globally-managed-devices.conf

Add ethernet to the managed list by modifying the file like this:

[keyfile]
unmanaged-devices=*,except:type:ethernet

Then reload the NetworkManager service:

sudo systemctl reload NetworkManager.service

Step 5 — Verify the Device State

nmcli device
nmcli connection show

Step 6 — Restart Networking

nmcli networking off
nmcli networking on

Step 7 — Test Connectivity

nmcli connection up eno1

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✅ Tip: Once your NIC shows as managed, you can proceed to configure NIC teaming using netplan or nmcli.

Source: nixcraft.com