When choosing a numerical method to approximate the solution of a continuous mathematical problem, we need to consider which method results in an approximation that is not only close to the solution of the original problem, but possesses the important qualitative properties of the original problem, too. For linear elliptic problems the main qualitative properties are the various maximum principles. The preservation of the weak maximum principle was extensively investigated in the last decades, but not the strong maximum principle preservation. In this paper we focus on the latter property by giving its necessary and sufficient conditions, investigating the relation of the preservation of the strong and weak maximum principles and illustrating the differences between them with numerous examples. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.