You don’t have to have two different computers to use Linux and Windows 10. It’s possible to have a Linux distro installed on a computer with Windows 10 preinstalled.
In this article, I will show you how to dual boot Windows 10 and the popular Ubuntu Linux distro. But before that, you have to install Ubuntu on your Windows 10 PC.
Before you go through this process, you must backup your files. That’s because installing an OS is a risky process. Sometimes it can overwrite the existing OS and delete all your files.
N.B.: Most of the processes in this article take time to get done, so you need to be patient.
What We’ll Cover – A step-by-step Guide to Dual-Booting Windows 10 and Linux
- Prerequisites
- How to Partition your Hard Drive for Ubuntu
- How to Optimize your Hard Drive for More Partition Space (Optional)
- How to Download Ubuntu in ISO Image Format
- How to Make an Ubuntu (Linux) Bootable USB Drive
- How to Install Ubuntu Linux Distro along with Windows 10
- Now You Can Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10
- Conclusion
Prerequisites
Most importantly, there are some things you must have in place if you want to use (and dual boot) Ubuntu and Windows 10 on the same PC:
- A computer preinstalled with Windows 10
- A partitioned hard drive
- A BIOS in UEFI mode (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
- An empty USB drive of at least 4Gig for creating a bootable disk
- An internet connection to download Ubuntu ISO image (the Linux distro) and Rufus (a bootable drive creation tool)
How to Check If Your PC BIOS is in UEFI Mode
To check if your PC BIOS comes in UEFI mode, search for “system information” and hit ENTER.
Look under BIOS mode to confirm that your PC BIOS mode comes as UEFI.
If your PC BIOS is not in UEFI mode, the two operating systems won’t see each other. You can learn more about the difference between these two modes here.
How to Partition your Hard Drive for Ubuntu
You have to partition your hard drive because you must set aside at least 20Gig for Ubuntu to live in and boot from.
To partition your hard drive, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Right-click on Start and select “Disk Management”.
Step 2: Right-click on your C drive and select shrink volume.
Step 3: Select at least (20000) 20Gig for Ubuntu and click “Shrink”. IT can take some time to complete, so be patient.
Step 4 (optional): You can go ahead and assign a letter to the new volume. Right-click on the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume”.
Step 5: Follow the wizard and assign a letter to the drive, then follow the rest of it.
After completing the wizard, the drive should be listed on your computer.
Congrats! You’ve successfully partitioned your hard drive.
N.B.: If you have a lot of free space in your hard drive but your PC still didn’t give you up to 20Gig partition space, then you need to optimize your PC’s hard drive. Proceed to the next section of this article to do that.
How to Optimize your Hard Drive for More Partition Space (Optional)
The common purpose of hard disk optimization is to speed up your computer during boot time and make it run smoother.
At the same time, the process will defragment the hard disk and make free space more available for partitioning.
To optimize your hard drive, click Start (Windows logo key), search for “defrag” and select “Defragment and Optimize Drives”.
Make sure your C drive is highlighted, then click “Optimize”.
After you’ve been able to set aside at least 20Gig for Ubuntu by partitioning your hard drive, then it’s time to download Ubuntu and make a bootable USB.
How to Download Ubuntu in ISO Image Format
The next thing is to download Ubuntu in ISO image format so you can install Ubuntu. You can download it from the Ubuntu distro website.
After downloading Ubuntu, don’t do anything with it yet. You need to make a bootable USB and put it in there. That’s how you’ll be able to use it.
The reason you can’t install Ubuntu just like that is that it doesn’t come as an executable. It comes in form of ISO (optical disk image). That means you have to find a disk to put it in before it can work.
The next part of this guide shows how you can put the downloaded Ubuntu ISO on a USB stick.
How to Make an Ubuntu (Linux) Bootable USB Drive
You won’t be able to make a bootable USB drive for Ubuntu by just placing the downloaded ISO image in it. Follow these steps to get it done:
Step 1: You need to download a bootable USB drive creation tool like Rufus. You can download Rufus from their website.
Step 2: Insert the empty USB drive into your Windows 10 PC. Right-click on Rufus and select “Open”.
Step 3: Under “Device”, select your USB drive. And under “Boot selection”, click the “Select” button and select the Ubuntu ISO file you downloaded
Step 4: Leave every other thing as default and click the “START” button to start burning the Ubuntu distro to the drive.
Step 5: Click OK to start the process.
Once the process is done, you should see “READY” on a green background. Click the Close button. Its time to install Ubuntu.
Congrats! Now you have a bootable drive with which you can install Linux.
The next step is to install the Ubuntu distro on your Windows 10 PC. To do this, you have to boot your PC from the bootable USB drive you created.
How to Install Ubuntu Linux Distro along with Windows 10
Step 1: Ensure the bootable drive is inserted into your Windows 10 PC
Step 2: Right-click on Start, hold SHIFT, and select Restart.
Step 2: Select “Use a Device”.
Step 3: On the next screen, you should see several devices you can boot from.
You may see the bootable drive as the name of the USB brand.
It’s possible to see it as “Ubuntu” too. Some other times, you might not see it, so you need to click on “See more devices».
If you still cannot see your bootable drive, head over to your boot menu by getting into BIOS. You will see it there.
N.B.: You should be very careful while making changes in BIOS. Whatever you do there has a lasting effect on your computer. If you are not sure of what you’re doing there, you should contact an IT professional.
Step 4: Choose «Install Ubuntu». You can also try it before installing it.
Follow other prompts of the installation wizard and make sure you don’t replace your Windows 10 OS installation with Ubuntu. This is why I suggested you back up all your files.
When you get to the point to select the partition you made, scroll to the partition you made earlier and press ENTER.
Click OK to select all the space in the partition.
This time around, the “Install now” button will not be greyed out anymore.
Follow other prompts until Ubuntu starts installing.
After the installation is done, Ubuntu will prompt you to remove the bootable drive and press ENTER to reboot your Computer.
Now You Can Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10
Immediately after you reboot the computer, you should see a screen that looks as shown below:
Now, you can select which one to boot into between Ubuntu and Windows 10.
To boot into Ubuntu, select Ubuntu. And to boot into Windows 10, select Windows boot manager.
You can also get into your BIOS from the same place by choosing UEFI Firmware Settings.
Conclusion
I hope this article helps you dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10 on your computer.
The ultimate aim of this article was to show you how to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10.
But the article went beyond that to show you how to:
- check if your PC’s BIOS is in UEFI mode
- partition your hard drive
- optimize your hard drive
- make a bootable USB drive
- install Ubuntu Linux Distro along with Windows on your Windows 10 PC.
If you find this article helpful, kindly share it with your friends and family.
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Dual booting Linux with Windows is one of the most convenient ways of enjoying the two operating systems on the same computer.
You have both OS installed on the disk, on real hardware and when you power on your system, you can choose which operating system to use.
In an earlier tutorial, I showed the steps to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 7 which comes with an MBR partition. The steps are almost the same for the newer systems that come preinstalled with Windows 10.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to install Ubuntu with Windows 10 already installed on the system.
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Before you start following the tutorial, I advise reading it entirely first. See what you need and what you should do in this tutorial. Once you have a good idea about the procedure and have all the necessary things on hand, start the process. Dual-boot is not a complicated process. It just takes some time and patience.
The steps mentioned here apply to other Ubuntu versions such as Lubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu-based Linux distributions such as Linux Mint, elementary OS, etc.
Compatibility checks
This tutorial is suitable for systems that come with Windows 10 pre-installed with UEFI secure boot and GPT partitioning system. Please check whether your system uses GPT or MBR.
Make sure your system uses UEFI: This tutorial is only applicable for systems with UEFI boot. If you have bought your system in the last 5-6 years, chances are that you should already have a UEFI system on GPT partition. However, there is no harm in verifying that your system uses UEFI. If your system uses legacy BIOS with MBR partitioning system, please follow this dual boot tutorial.
Bitlocker encryption process is different: Newer systems with Windows 10 Pro have their disk encrypted with Bitlocker. If you have such a system, please follow this tutorial to dual boot with Bitclocker encryption.
Dual Booting Ubuntu With Windows 10 Pro With BitLocker Encryption
I have written about dual booting Windows and Ubuntu in the past. The process has improved so much in the last few years. Ubuntu and other Linux play very well with secure boot and UEFI now. So, why I am I writing about installing Ubuntu with Windows 10 once again?
It’s FOSSAbhishek Prakash
System with both SSD and HDD: If you have a system with both SSD and HDD, i.e. dual disk system, the process is pretty much the same. However, you’ll be a lot better following this dedicated tutorial on dual booting dual disk system.
Dual Booting Ubuntu and Windows With a SSD and a HDD
Dual booting Ubuntu and Windows is not that complicated and I have covered it in detailed tutorial in the past. Recently, I also wrote about dual booting on a Bitlocker encrypted Windows system. And yet here I am talking about it again. Why? Because the scenario is slightly different and
It’s FOSSAbhishek Prakash
Prerequisites: What do you need?
You’ll need the following things to easily and safely install Linux alongside Windows:
- A computer that comes preinstalled with Windows 10.
- A USB key (pen drive or USB drive) of at least 4 GB in size and no data on it.
- Internet connection (for downloading Ubuntu ISO image and live USB creating tool). You can do this on any system, not necessarily on the system you are dual booting.
- Optional: External USB disk for making back up of your existing data.
- Optional: Windows recovery or bootable disk (if you encounter any major boot issues, it could be fixed).
Let’s see the steps of installing Ubuntu alongside Windows 10. I have made a video of the entire process. You may watch that as well.
Step 1: Make a backup of your Windows system [optional]
It is always nice to have a backup of your data, just in case you mess up with the system while dealing with disk partitions.
I advise copying all the essential data you cannot afford to lose on an external USB disk. You can use an external HDD (slower but cheaper) or SSD (faster but expensive) and copy the important files and folders.
Step 2: Download Ubuntu (or whichever Linux distribution you are using)
Head over to Ubuntu’s website and download the ISO file. The file should be around 2.5 GB in size. If you need to download Ubuntu via torrents, you can click the ‘alternative downloads.’
Step 3: Create a live USB/disk of Ubuntu
I presume that you are using Windows to create the live USB. Several free applications allow you to create a live Ubuntu USB. You can use any of these tools. Since I cannot show all of them, I’ll go with Rufus.
Download Rufus for free from its website. It will download a .exe file.
Plug in your USB. This device will be formatted so make sure you don’t have any important data on this USB disk.
Run the Rufus tool you just downloaded. It automatically identifies the plugged-in USB but double-check it anyway. Now, browse to the location of the downloaded ISO image and ensure that it uses GPT partitioning scheme and UEFI target system.
Hit the start button and wait for the process to complete. Your live Linux USB is ready.
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Installing Ubuntu and creating the live Ubuntu USB process can be done on any computer. But the rest of the process takes on the system on which you are dual booting.
Step 4: Make some free space on your disk for Ubuntu installation
In many systems, while installing Ubuntu, it gives the option to make a disk partition for Ubuntu. However, that is not a surety. This is why making the required free space on the disk would be better before starting the installation procedure.
In the Windows menu, search for ‘disk partitions’ and go to ‘Create and format hard disk partitions.’
In the Disk Management tool, right-click on the drive which you want to partition and select shrink volume.
If you have just one partition like this, you need to make some free space out of it for Linux. Use any of them except C drive if you have several partitions of considerable size because it may erase the data.
The 256 GB in my system already had several partitions from the manufacturer but mainly for backup and other purposes. The primary partition was the C drive, around 220 GB, where Windows 10 is installed. In my case, I shrank the C drive to make some free space for Linux installation.
How much space do you need for Linux in dual boot?
This depends on how much total disk space you have. You may install Ubuntu on 15 or 20 GB but you’ll soon start running out of disk space. These days, you should have at least 120 GB of disk. In that case, go for 30-40 GB of disk for Linux. If you have 250 GB disk, allocate 60-80 GB or even more. If you have more disk space, allocate even more free space, if you want.
What if you have D, E or F drives?
This is a common confusion for many people as they think Ubuntu can only be installed on the C drive. That’s not true. I had only one C drive, so I shrank it. If you have D, E or F drive, you may shrink one of those drives. You may also choose to delete the D, E or F drive. NEVER DELETE C DRIVE.
Step 5: Boot from live Ubuntu USB
You created a live Ubuntu USB in step 3. Plug it into the system. Before you go and boot from the live USB, let’s have a quick word about the infamous secure boot.
Do I need to disable the secure boot for installing Linux?
6-8 years back, the UEFI secure boot was not well-supported by Linux; hence, you had to disable secure boot before installing Linux. Thankfully, Ubuntu and many other Linux distributions currently support secure boot very well. Usually, you should not need to do anything about it. However, if your system doesn’t allow booting from live USB or if you see any other related issue, you may disable the secure boot on Windows.
Alright! Let’s see how to boot from the USB. You can go to the boot settings by pressing F2/F10 or F12 at the system start time and selecting to boot from the USB. However, some people find it difficult.
The longer but an easier step is to access the UEFI boot settings from within Windows. In the Windows menu, search for UEFI and then click on ‘Change advanced startup options’:
Go to the Advanced startup option and click on Restart now button.
On the next screen, click on ‘Use a device’:
Recognize the USB disk with its name and size. It may also be displayed as EFI USB Device.
Now it will power off your system and reboot into the disk you chose which should be the live USB disk. You should see a screen like this after a few seconds:
The ‘Try Ubuntu without installing’ option allows you to experience Ubuntu from the live disk. The option to install Ubuntu can be found on the desktop.
The “Install Ubuntu” option will start the Ubuntu installation immediately.
You can opt for either option based on your preference.
Step 6: Installing Ubuntu along with Windows 10
Start the installation procedure. The first few steps are simple. You choose the language and keyboard layout.
On the next screen, choose Normal installation. No need to download updates or install third-party software just yet. You may do it after the installation completes.
Hit continue. It may take some time to go to the next step.
Note: Some people try to download updates and install media codes while installing. In my experience, it sometimes creates issues during installation and may also cause the installation to fail. For this reason, I advise against them.
Important: Installation takes two approaches based on what you see on the next screen
Since this is a detailed tutorial, I’ll cover both aspects.
Approach 1: You see the “Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager”
If you see the “Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager” on the Installation type screen, you are in luck. You can select this method and hit continue.
The next screen will give you the option to create a partition for Ubuntu by dragging the divider. You can allocate appropriate disk space to Linux here. Ubuntu will create one partition of the allocated disk space and it will have root with home and a swapfile of 2 GB in size under root itself.
Approach 2: You don’t see ‘Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager’ option or it is greyed out
But if you are one of the unlucky ones who don’t see this option, no need to worry. Things are not that bad for you. You can still install Ubuntu with Windows.
On the Installation type screen, go with Something Else.
It will take you to the partitioning screen. Remember you had created some free space beforehand?
You may allocate the entire free space to root (swapfile and home will be created automatically under root) or separate root, swap and home partitioning. Both methods are acceptable.
I show the steps for creating root, swap and home partitions separately. But feel free to use a single partition for all of them.
Select the free space and click on the + sign.
It will provide you with the option to create a Linux partition. You are creating the Root partition. Anything above 25 GB is more than sufficient for it. Choose the size, select Ext 4 as the file type and / (means root) as the mount point.
Clicking on OK in the previous step will bring you to the partition screen. Next, create a swap. Like previously, click on the + sign again. This time, use the file type as the Swap area.
Ideal swap size in Linux is debatable. If you have 2 GB or less RAM, use swap double the size of RAM. If you have 3-6 GB of RAM, use a swap of the same size as RAM. If you have 8 GB or more RAM, you may use swap half the size of RAM (unless you have plenty of disk space, and you want to use hibernation and in that case, use a swap of at least the same size as RAM).
If you feel like you have less swap on your system, don’t worry. You can easily create swapfile and add more swap space to your systems.
Similarly, create a Home partition. Allocate it maximum space (in fact allocate it the rest of the free space) because this is where you’ll save music, pictures and downloaded files.
Once you are ready with Root, Swap and Home, click on Install Now:
Well, you have almost won the battle. You can smell victory now. Select a timezone when asked.
Next, you’ll be asked to enter a username, hostname (computer’s name) and password.
Now it’s just a matter of waiting. It should take 8-10 minutes to complete the installation.
Once the installation finishes, restart the system.
You’ll be asked to remove the USB disk. You can remove the disk at this stage without worrying. The system reboots after this.
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You do not need the live USB disk to use Linux anymore. You have installed Ubuntu on your computer’s disk. Remove the USB and keep it for later if you want to use it for installing Linux on some other system. You may also format and use it for regular data storage or transfer.
If everything goes smoothly, you should see the grub screen once the system powers on. Here, you can choose Ubuntu to boot into Ubuntu and Windows boot manager to boot into Windows. Pretty cool, right?
Dual boot did not succeed? Here are some troubleshooting tips
Life is not even for everyone. For some, the dual boot might not succeed just yet. However, instead of giving up, you may follow a couple of tips and retry the installation procedure.
Try changing the USB port
This may sound ridiculous but sometimes some USB ports cause issue with booting the USB or installing Linux. Changing the USB port could be a trick.
Try not using internet while installing Linux
I have experienced that sometimes Linux installation throws error if it is connected to the internet. If you encountered a “‘grub-efi-amd64-signed’ package failed to install into /target” error, please try installing Ubuntu without internet.
Disable secure boot and/or fast boot
In some rare cases, secure boot would not allow you to boot from live USB or install Linux. Disable secure boot. You may also disable fast boot in some cases.
Dual boot finished but you don’t see the grub screen to boot into Ubuntu
Please check your boot order in the UEFI settings. Do you see Ubuntu/UEFI below Windows Boot Manager? If yes, move it up the order. If you don’t see grub at all, you may carefully try this or this tutorial.
Grub rescue error or no bootable device found after dual booting
Use this tutorial for no bootable device found error. And this one is for grub rescue error.
Additional Tips: You’ll notice that there is a time difference between Windows and Ubuntu You can fix the time gap issue in dual boot easily. Also, in the grub screen, Ubuntu is up the priority. You can also change the boot order to make Windows default if you are going to use Windows more often than Linux. If you want to reverse the process, follow this guide to remove Ubuntu from dual boot with Windows.
I hope this guide helped you to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10 UEFI. I went into too much detail here, but I wanted to answer all the typical confusion and show all the required steps.
If you still have doubts or face strange errors, please comment, and I’ll try to help you out.
Introduction
Dual-booting is a powerful process that allows you to install two operating systems (OS) on a single computer, allowing you to choose which one to boot into. It’s like having two separate computers in one, each with its unique strengths. This setup is beneficial for users who need the reliability and extensive software library of Windows 10 while also enjoying the flexibility and open-source nature of Ubuntu 24.04. By dual-booting, you can leverage the strengths of both platforms, whether it’s for software development, testing, or to enjoy a broader range of applications and games. It also serves as a safety net; you can still boot into the other if one system fails, giving you peace of mind.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- Partitioning
- BIOS/UEFI Settings
- Installing Ubuntu
- Post-Installation
- Grub Boot Loader
- Tips for Switching Between OS Smoothly
Preparation
Check system requirements
To ensure a smooth installation, your system should meet the following requirements:
- RAM: At least 4 GB
- Processor: 2 GHz dual-core or better
- Storage: At least 128 GB of hard drive space
- USB Drive: A USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage
Backup your data
Dual-booting requires adjusting disk partitions, which carries a minor risk of data loss. Therefore, backing up your data before starting the installation process is essential. You can do this by:
- Copying files to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
- Creating a system image for a complete backup.
- Ensuring you have a recovery option in case any issues arise during the installation.
Download the Ubuntu 24.04 ISO file.
Head over to the official Ubuntu website ubuntu/download/desktop and download the latest ISO file for Ubuntu 24.04.
Create a bootable USB drive.
To create a bootable USB drive for Ubuntu 24.04, you can use specific tools like Rufus (for Windows) or Etcher (for macOS and Linux). These tools have been designed to simplify the process and ensure a successful bootable drive creation.
We’ll be using Rufus to create a bootable USB drive.
- Plug in your USB and open Rufus.
This is your bootable USB drive.
- Click on “Select” and choose the downloaded Ubuntu ISO file.
- Set the partition scheme to GPT (GUID Partition Table).
- The volume label is optional, but you can name it.
- Click on “START” to initiate creating a bootable USB drive.
- Select “Write in ISO Image mode” and click OK.
- You will receive a warning indicating that all data on the USB drive will be erased. Click “OK” to proceed.
- The process will begin and may take some time to complete, depending on the speed of your USB drive.
- Rufus will display “READY” if the creation of the USB bootable drive was successful.
Ensuring UEFI is enabled
To ensure UEFI is enabled for dual-booting, follow these steps:
- Access your system’s UEFI/BIOS settings during startup by pressing a key like F2, Del, or Esc.
- Disable ‘Legacy Boot’ and enable ‘UEFI Mode.’
- If you encounter issues during the Linux installation, ensure ‘Secure Boot’ is disabled, as it may prevent unauthorized operating systems from booting.
Partitioning
Let’s Understand disk partitioning
Comprehending disk partitioning entails dividing your hard drive into distinct sections, referred to as partitions, each capable of independent formatting and utilization. When setting up a dual-boot system with Windows 10 and Ubuntu 24.04, it’s imperative to allocate space for both operating systems on your hard drive. A grasp of disk partitioning enables efficient storage management and minimizes the risk of data loss during installation.
Shrink Windows partition
Before installing Ubuntu, you need to shrink the existing Windows partition to create free space for Ubuntu. To avoid potential issues, it is best to use the Windows Disk Management tool.
- To access Disk Management in Windows, search for “create and format hard disk partitions.”
- Opening the “create and format hard disk partitions” tool will launch the Disk Management window.
- To create unallocated space for Ubuntu, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the Windows partition (usually C:) and select ‘Shrink Volume.’ This action will commence the process of resizing the partition to free up space for Ubuntu.
- Remember, the objective is to create sufficient unallocated space to accommodate Ubuntu without compromising the performance of your Windows system.
- You can shrink any volume on your disk to create the necessary unallocated space for Ubuntu. The primary aim is to generate space specifically designated for Ubuntu’s installation.
- When you click “Shrink Volume,” a new popup window will appear
- To allocate 300GB for Ubuntu, follow these steps:
- Convert 300GB to MB: 1 GB = 1024 MB, so 300 GB = 307200 MB.
- Subtract 307200 MB from the total available space on the partition, typically shown in MB. For example, if you have 953204 MB available, subtract 307200 MB from it.
- The resulting value will be the amount of space you shrink from the partition. This will become an ‘Unallocated’ space, which you can then use to install Ubuntu.
- Shrink the volume to proceed.
- We are to leave the space unallocated because Windows uses NTFS (New Technology File System), and Ubuntu uses EXT4 (fourth extended file system). When you install Ubuntu, it will automatically format the unallocated drive into the EXT4 file system.
NOTE: You should allocate a minimum of 25 GB of free space for Ubuntu to operate effectively.
BIOS/UEFI Settings
Accessing BIOS/UEFI Settings:
Using Windows Settings:
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
- Under “Advanced startup,” click the Restart Now button.
- Once the system restarts, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings.
- Click on “Restart” to enter the BIOS/UEFI settings.
Using Boot Key:
Restart your computer and repeatedly press the “Del” key to enter the BIOS/UEFI. This key is often displayed during the boot process and can be Esc, Delete, or one of the Function keys (F1, F2, F10).
To change the boot order:
- Look for the Boot tab or menu once you’re in the BIOS/UEFI settings.
- Navigate to the Boot section using the arrow keys.
- You will see a list of bootable devices. Use the + or – keys, or follow on-screen instructions, to adjust the order of the devices.
- Place the USB drive or DVD containing Ubuntu 24.04 at the top of the list to prioritize booting from it.
- Save changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI by pressing the F10 key, then selecting Yes to confirm.
Installing Ubuntu
- Upon booting from the USB, the Ubuntu installation wizard will welcome you.
- Choose the installation language and keyboard layout.
- Ubuntu 24.04 has introduced new accessibility options with improved accessibility features, addressing a community request for easier access.
- Choose the keyboard layout that suits your preferences.
- Welcome screen options
- Try Ubuntu: This option enables you to run Ubuntu directly from the USB drive without installing it. It’s useful for testing Ubuntu or accessing files on your computer before committing to an installation.
- Install Ubuntu: Choose this option to initiate the installation process. It will guide you through installing Ubuntu 24.04 on your computer’s hard drive.
Click on Install Ubuntu
- Type of installation
- Interactive Installation: This traditional method involves the installer guiding you through each step, simplifying the setup process for Ubuntu.
- Automated Installation: This method utilizes a pre-configured file (YAML) to automate the installation without user interaction. It’s ideal for deploying Ubuntu on multiple machines with identical configurations rapidly.
Select Interactive Installation
- Applications
- Default selection (previously Minimal): This option provides a leaner installation, perfect for users who prefer a base system with minimal overhead.
- Extended selection (previously Normal): This option offers a more comprehensive installation tailored for everyday use. It includes commonly used applications such as LibreOffice (office suite), Thunderbird (email client), and essential utilities.
Click Extended Selection
- Check both options and click “Next” to proceed.
- Select “Install alongside Windows Boot Manager” from the installation options. This choice will automatically utilize the unallocated partition on your hard drive to install Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Windows.
Next, you’ll need to create a user account:
-
- Your Name: Enter your full name or a desired username for your account.
- Choose a computer name: This will be your computer’s name on the network.
- Pick a password: Create a strong password for your account.
- Click “Next” to proceed.
- Finally, select the timezone.
- Click “Next” to commence the installation process.
- Once the installation is complete, you need to restart the system.
- Remove the installation media (USB drive) and press Enter when prompted.
- Your system will reboot, and you should see the GRUB menu, which enables you to choose between Ubuntu and Windows.
To boot into Ubuntu:
- In the GRUB menu, select Ubuntu.
- Press Enter to initiate the boot process into your new Ubuntu installation.
Please note that the system may take longer to set up during the first boot.
Post-Installation
- After logging in, it’s advisable to check for updates and install drivers if necessary. Open the Terminal in Ubuntu and enter the following command:
- sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
This command will update your system and install any available updates.
- sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Grub Boot Loader
The GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) is a crucial component in a dual-boot system.
- What is GRUB? GRUB is the bootloader that Ubuntu uses to manage the dual-boot process. It’s the first screen you see after the BIOS/UEFI handoff, and it lets you choose which OS to boot into.
- Why GRUB?: It’s highly customizable and supports multiple operating systems, making it ideal for dual-boot setups.
Configuring Grub Settings
- Accessing GRUB: In Ubuntu, GRUB settings can normally be accessed and modified through the /etc/default/grub file.
- Editing GRUB: To edit this file, you should use text editors like nano or vi with root permissions, for example:
- sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Customizing Grub
- Customizing GRUB: You can set the default OS, change the menu timeout, and add custom boot parameters.
- Updating GRUB: After making changes, you need to update GRUB for them to take effect:
- sudo update-grub
Testing Boot Options for Windows and Ubuntu
- Reboot your system to apply the changes.
- Upon reboot, the GRUB menu should appear, displaying the list of available operating systems.
- Use the arrow keys to navigate and select either Windows or Ubuntu.
- Press Enter to boot into the selected operating system.
- Verify that both operating systems boot correctly without encountering any errors.
Tips for Switching Between Operating Systems Smoothly
- Fast Startup: Disable Windows’ Fast Startup feature, as it can interfere with the ability to mount Windows partitions in Ubuntu.
- Time Sync: Ensure that you set both OSs to the same time zone and configure Ubuntu to use local time if Windows not set to UTC.
- System Updates: Keep both systems updated to avoid security issues and ensure compatibility.
- Shared Data: Use a separate NTFS partition for data you want to access from both operating systems.
Conclusion
Dual-booting Windows 10 and Ubuntu 24.04 provides a versatile computing environment suitable for various needs. Whether for development, security, or educational purposes, this setup enables users to harness the strengths of both operating systems. By following the step-by-step process outlined for preparing, partitioning, and installing both operating systems, along with troubleshooting common issues, users can create a flexible and efficient computing environment tailored to their requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Will dual-booting affect the performance of my computer?
Answer: When properly configured, dual-booting typically does not significantly impact system performance. However, it’s essential to allocate sufficient resources and disk space to each operating system to ensure optimal performance.
Q2. Can I resize partitions after dual-booting Windows and Ubuntu?
Answer: Yes, you can resize partitions after dual-booting to allocate more space to the operating system or create additional partitions for data storage.
Q3. Can one of the operating systems be removed after dual-booting?
Answer: Yes, you can remove one of the operating systems from a dual-boot setup by deleting its partition and modifying the bootloader configuration accordingly. However, this process may result in data loss, so it’s crucial to back up your data before proceeding.
Q4. What if I run out of space on my hard drive?
Answer: If you underestimated the disk space needed for Ubuntu, you can try expanding the Ubuntu partition using a partition editor (Gparted), but only if there’s unallocated space available on your drive. Shrinking existing partitions to make space is riskier and should be done with caution and backups in place.
Recommended Article
We hope that this EDUCBA information on “How to dual boot Windows 10 Ubuntu 24.04” was beneficial to you. You can view EDUCBA’s recommended articles for more information.
- What is Windows?
- Boot Repair Ubuntu
- Ubuntu Office 365
- Windows Tools and Utilities
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Contents
- Introduction
- Back Up Your Data
-
Have a Windows recovery CD/DVD available
- Getting Recovery Media
-
Install Ubuntu after Windows
-
Install Ubuntu
- Automatic partition resizing (not recommended)
- Manual partitioning
-
Install Ubuntu
- Master Boot Record and Boot Manager
-
Installing Windows After Ubuntu
- Recovering GRUB after reinstalling Windows
- Master Boot Record backup and replacement
- Also see
Introduction
This page describes how to set up your computer in order to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows. While there are some benefits to dual-booting (e.g. better performance for a native install), it is not recommended. Instead, it is best to do a native install of Ubuntu, and then virtualize the other operating system.
Back Up Your Data
Although this may seem obvious, it is important to back up your files to an external backup medium before attempting a dual-boot installation (or any other hard drive manipulation), in case your hard drive becomes corrupted during the process. External hard drives, USB flash drives, and multiple DVDs or CDs are all useful for this purpose.
Have a Windows recovery CD/DVD available
Some computer manufacturers that pre-install Windows provide a Windows recovery/re-installation CD or DVD with the computer. However, many companies no longer ship a physical disc but instead create a hidden partition on the hard drive in which the recovery-disk information is stored. A utility is then usually provided which allows the user to burn a recovery/re-installation CD or DVD from it. If you are buying a new computer and intend on dual-booting, make sure you have (or can make) a physical Windows recovery/re-installation CD or DVD. If neither a CD/DVD nor a recovery partition/burning utility is provided by your computer manufacturer, you may need to contact your vendor and ask for a CD or DVD (to which you are normally entitled under the Windows EULA).
You may need to request a physical recovery/re-installation CD or DVD directly from your computer manufacturer. See WindowsRecoveryCd.
Once you have created a physical backup disc from a restore-image partition on the hard-drive, the restore-image partition can either be removed or left in place. Ubuntu can be installed with it intact without problems.
Install Ubuntu after Windows
A Windows OS should be installed first, because its bootloader is very particular and the installer tends to overwrite the entire hard drive, wiping out any data stored on it. If Windows isn’t already installed, install it first. If you are able to partition the drive prior to installing Windows, leave space for Ubuntu during the initial partitioning process. Then you won’t have to resize your NTFS partition to make room for Ubuntu later, saving a bit of time.
When a Windows installation already occupies the entire hard drive, its partition needs to be shrunk, creating free space for the Ubuntu partition. You can do this during the Ubuntu installation procedure, or you can see How to Resize Windows Partitions for other options.
If you have resized a Windows 7 or Vista partition and cannot boot up Windows, you can use the instructions from WindowsRecovery to fix it.
Install Ubuntu
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Download an Ubuntu LiveCD image (.iso) from Ubuntu Downloads and burn it to a disc (see BurningIsoHowto).
- Insert the LiveCD into your CD-ROM drive and reboot your PC.
- If the computer does not boot from the CD (e.g. Windows starts again instead), reboot and check your BIOS settings by pressing F2, F12, Delete, or ESC. Select «boot from CD».
- Proceed with installation until you are asked this question: «How do you want to partition the disk?».
- If you have already partitioned the disk and left space for Ubuntu, install it to that and then follow the rest of the steps.
- Otherwise, choose one of the next two steps.
Automatic partition resizing (not recommended)
- Choose the first option, which should say «Install them side by side, choosing between them each startup».
- Specify the size of the new partition by dragging the slider at the bottom of the window.
- Click on «Forward».
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Continue on to Finishing Ubuntu Installation
Manual partitioning
- Choose «Manually edit partition table».
- Listed will be your current partitions.
- Select the partition you want to resize and press Enter.
- Select «Size:», press Enter.
- Select Yes, press Enter.
- Type in a new size in gigabytes for your partition, it’s recommended you free up at least 10 GB of free space for your Ubuntu install. Press Enter when happy with your changes. It may take some time to apply the changes.
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Create a swap partition of at least your amount of RAM (if you don’t know, 8000 MB is a good value).
- Create a partition for your Ubuntu installation.
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Create other partitions if necessary: see DiskSpace
- Select «Finish partitioning and write changes to disk».
Master Boot Record and Boot Manager
GRUB2 is the boot manager installed in Ubuntu by default. GRUB2 is an open source boot manager that install the main parts of the boot loaders inside Ubuntu. This means Ubuntu is independent and avoids any need for writing to other operating systems. To accomplish this, the only thing in your computer outside of Ubuntu that needs to be changed is a small code in the MBR (Master Boot Record) of the first hard disk, or the EFI partition. The boot code is changed to point to the boot loader in Ubuntu. You will be presented with a list of operating systems and you can choose one to boot. If you do nothing the first option will boot after a ten second countdown. If you select Windows then GRUB or LILO will chain-load Windows for you at the Windows boot sector, which is the first sector of the Windows partition.
Windows Vista no longer utilizes boot.ini, ntdetect.com, and ntldr when booting. Instead, Vista stores all data for its new boot manager in a boot folder. Windows Vista ships with an command line utility called bcdedit.exe, which requires administrator credentials to use. You may want to read http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=112156 about it.
Using a command line utility always has its learning curve, so a more productive and better job can be done with a free utility called EasyBCD, developed and mastered during the times of Vista Beta. EasyBCD is very user friendly and many Vista users highly recommend it.
Installing Windows After Ubuntu
There are two different approaches:
Recovering GRUB after reinstalling Windows
Please refer to the Reinstalling GRUB2 guide.
Master Boot Record backup and replacement
This method does not work for computers with UEFI boot. In consequence, it won’t work for pre-installed Windows 8 and some pre-installed with Windows 7.
Back-up the existing MBR, install Windows, replace your backup overwriting the Windows boot code:
- Create an NTFS partition for Windows (using fdisk, GParted or whatever tool you are familiar with)
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Backup the MBR e.g. dd if=/dev/sda of=/mbr.bin bs=446 count=1
- Install Windows
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Boot into a LiveCD
- Mount your root partition in the LiveCD
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Restore the MBR e.g. dd if=/media/sda/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda bs=446 count=1
- Restart and Ubuntu will boot
- Setup GRUB to boot Windows
Also see
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MultiOSBoot — How to boot more than two operating systems from a single hard drive.
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Virtualization Category
Want to use Linux but can’t fully abandon the Windows ship? Here’s how to dual boot on Ubuntu Linux and Windows 10 in your modern machine with two disk drives (C:\ and D:\).
Step 0: Safety pre-requisites
Before you go ahead and tinker with your devices, it is always a good idea to create recovery drives and backups. Here are some of the things that you should consider before doing the next steps.
- Windows 10 recovery drive
This will be very helpful if something if at some point you cannot boot to Windows. Here’s a guide from Windows. - Full data backup
Your important files should be copied to a different storage (external drives or thumb drives or cloud) to avoid data loss if something goes wrong. - Full disk image
You can also opt to create a full disk image to help you go back to the same state before you decided to tinker with your device. Macrium is the recommended software over the internet. It’s free but I never used it so use it with caution.
Step 1: Prepare the platform
If you have successfully considered and made your backups, we can now proceed with preparing our machines for the dual boot. We’ll have to change some settings in BIOS and in Windows Advanced Power Options.
BIOS
You can access the BIOS by pressing a key combination during bootup repeatedly. Mine is “F2” but the hotkey depends on the manufacturer of your PC.
- Disable Secure boot
- Disable Intel Rapid Start (if available)
- Disable Fast boot
Windows: Advanced Power Options
Windows Fast boot (Fast Startup) is different from the BIOS Fast boot option. This too should be disabled to avoid problems during bootup. You can access this option in Advanced Power Options in Windows 8/10. Here’s a guide on how to disable it.
- Disable Fast Startup
Workaround on Fast Startup
If so happens you cannot see the Fast Startup option and wanted to make sure that it is off, you can disable the hibernate file via Command Prompt. This will subsequently disable Fast Startup as it uses the same hibernate file for its operations. To do this,
Click start > Type CMD > right-click on Command Prompt > Run as Administrator
Then type the following:
powercfg -h off
These are all the platform preparation pre-requisites that you need if you are to use the entire second hard disk (D:\) for Ubuntu. However, if you are planning to put it in a partition on the second driver (D:\), you need to perform additional steps below.
Additional steps: For those willing to install Ubuntu on a separate partition of the second disk drive
We need to prepare the partition first before running the installation. We must shrink and create an unallocated space on the second drive for our partition. To do this,
Open Disk Management > Right click the second disk drive > Shrink
You can put your desired “Shrink space” in the next window that will appear.
Troubleshooting
If for some reason you cannot shrink the disk space further, you need to do a disk defragmentation first before doing the shrinking. I highly recommend to use either Defraggler or PerfectDisk for this task instead of the default built in Windows defragmenter.
After defragmenting the system files found in the second disk drive (boot-up defrag) together with defraging non-system files, you can now proceed to shrink the free space in the second disk drive.
Step 2: Prepare the installation media
Now its time to prepare the installation media that we are going to use to install Ubuntu. To do this you need the following:
- Minimum 8GB thumb drive with 8GB unused space or more
- Ubuntu ISO
- Rufus or any other bootable media creator
Create bootable media using Rufus
We’ll be using Rufus to create the bootable media. To do this,
Open Rufus > Select Device / Drive > Select ISO > Set Partition scheme to MBR and Target system to BIOS or UEFI > Start
This will create the bootable media in your thumb drive using the ISO provided. For reference here is what I used in my thumb drive.
Step 3: Boot to USB
This can be achieved by changing the boot order in your machine’s BIOS. This differs per manufacturer to its best consult your product manual on how to do this.
Step 4: Install Ubuntu
Follow on screen instructions to install Ubuntu. If you want to put Ubuntu in a partition on the second disk drive, best create your own partitions just like below.
Otherwise, you can use the whole second disk drive for Ubuntu installation.
Create partitions (for those who are going to install Ubuntu on a partition)
In my case, I partitioned the second disk drive to two since I plan to put Ubuntu on and it functions as my data repository. Using the Ubuntu setup partition tool, I divided my second hard disk as follows:
NVME (main disk drive - SSD) <- Windows OS
SDA (second disk drive)
/sda1/ <- This is where my data are located. This is in NTFS
/sda2/ <- this is where Ubuntu will reside
- Formatted this in ext4 and mount as "/"
Step 5: Install bootloader the root location of the second hard disk
Install the Grub bootloaded to /sda/ (not /sda1/ or /sda2/). Installing in /sda/ will avoid overwriting the default Windows bootloader located in the first disk drive.
Don’t worry about putting the bootloader in the second hard disk. Grub bootloader is intelligent enough to pick up other resident OS so you won’t have any problems booting to Windows afterwards
Step 6: Finish installation and reboot
And last but not the least, finish installing Ubuntu. Afterwards you can reboot and you will be greeted by Grub bootloader with entries automatically populated to include your Windows 10 installation.
Cheers!