How to dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows 10

Although you can now install different Linux distros through WSL or virtual machine on Windows 11 (and 10), including Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, and Fedora, sometimes you may still need to use the full-blown version of Linux to access the full hardware capabilities for the best experience and performance.

If you don’t have a spare computer to install a full version of Linux, you can modify your current installation to run a Linux distro alongside Windows on a dual-boot setup. I’ll outline the steps to dual-boot Windows 11 and Linux using Ubuntu because it’s among the most popular distros, but you can refer to these instructions for almost any distro you want to use or if you’re using Windows 10.

In this guide, I will explain the steps to create a dual-boot system with Windows and Linux. You can also set up a dual-boot system with two different versions of Windows.

Set up Windows and Linux dual-boot system

• Shrink Windows partition
• Create Ubuntu bootable media
• Dual-boot Windows and Ubuntu
• Customize Ubuntu Grub menu

Shrink Windows partition

Although the Ubuntu setup includes an option to install alongside Windows 11 (or 10), sometimes it may not work as expected. Instead, it’s recommended to shrink the Windows partition to make room for the Ubuntu installation before proceeding and use the manual setup during installation.

You can also use a secondary (internal) drive instead of changing the setup partition, so this way you are separating each operating system on a different physical drive without having to modify an existing partition.

To shrink a partition on Windows 11 with Disk Management, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Create and format hard disk partitions and click the top result to open the Disk Management console.

3. Right-click the drive you want to change its partition size and select the Shrink Volume option.

   

4. Confirm the amount of space to shrink the partition (in megabytes). 

   

   Quick note: Ubuntu (and most distros) requires at least 25GB of available space.

5. Click the Shrink button.

Once you complete the steps, you’ll end up with a small partition and some unallocated space to install Ubuntu. You can also use other methods to change the size of the partition on Windows 11.

Create Ubuntu bootable media

You’ll also need to download the ISO file containing the latest version of Ubuntu, which you can use to create a bootable media. You can download Linux Mint from the official site, Fedora can be downloaded here, and Kail Linux from this site.

On Windows, the easiest way to create a USB bootable drive with the Linux files that will boot on BIOS or UEFI is using the Rufus tool.

To create a bootable Linux USB media, use these steps:

1. Open Rufus page.

2. Click the Download option for the latest version.

3. Save the file onto your computer.

4. Double-click the .exe file to launch the tool.

5. On “Device,” use the drop-down menu and select the USB flash drive.

6. Choose the MBR option in the “Partition scheme” setting.

7. Choose the BIOS or UEFI option in the “Target system” setting.

8. On “File System,” select FAT32.

9. (Optional) Confirm a name for the drive in the “Volume label” setting.

10. Choose the FAT32 option in the “File system” setting.

11. Continue with the default settings as they are.

12. Click the Start button.

13. Choose the “Write in ISO image mode” option (if applicable).

14. Click the OK button.

15. Click the Yes button (if applicable).

16. Click the OK button.

After completing the steps, you can proceed with the steps below to create a dual-boot system with Ubuntu and Windows 11.

Alternatively, you can also use the Ventoy utility that allows you to make any installation media bootable by simply draging and dropping the ISO file into a USB drive.

Dual-boot Windows and Ubuntu

Once you shrunk the Windows setup partition and created the Linux bootable drive, you can now proceed with the dual-boot setup.

To dual-boot Windows and Linux, use these steps:

1. Restart your computer with a USB drive with the Linux installation files.

   Quick Tip: If your PC is not starting into the Ubuntu (Fedora, Kali, or Mint) setup, you may need to access the system BIOS to change the boot settings to start from USB. Typically, you can change these settings by pressing one of the functions (for example, F2, F8, F12), Delete, or ESC key. However, make sure to check your computer manufacturer’s support website for more details.

2. Using the keyboard, select your language, and press Enter to continue.

3. Select Install Ubuntu.

   

4. Click Continue.

   

5. Check the Download updates while installing Ubuntu option.

6. Check the Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware, Flash, MP3 and other media option.

7. Click Continue.

   

8. Select the Something else option.

9. Click Continue.

   

10. Double-click the free space, the unallocated space you created on Windows 10 (or right-click it and select Add).

    

11. Under “Use as,” use the drop-down menu and select Swap area to create a swap partition.

12. On “Size,” select the amount of space for the swap partition. Typically, it should be at least 1.5x or 2x the size of the amount of RAM installed on your computer.

13. Click OK.

    

14. Double-click the free space, the unallocated space you created on Windows 10 (or right-click it and select Add).

15. Set the amount space on megabytes you want to use for the installation.

16. Under “Mount point,” use the drop-down menu and select root “/” as the mount point.

17. Click OK.

    

18. Select the ext4 partition you just created and click Install Now.

    

19. Click Continue to begin the Ubuntu installation.

    

20. Select your timezone, and click Continue.

    

21. Select your keyboard layout, and click Continue.

    

22. Enter the information to create a new account, and click Continue.

    

Once you’ve completed the steps, Ubuntu will install on your device alongside Windows 10.

Customize Ubuntu Grub menu

After the installation, you’ll notice Ubuntu’s Grub boot menu, which allows you to select the operating system you want to start. However, you can customize the menu to configure Windows 11 (or 10) as the default using Ubuntu.

To customize the Grub startup menu, use these steps:

1. Start your device on Ubuntu.

2. Right-click on the desktop, and click Open terminal.

3. Type the following command to tell Ubuntu where to get the app files and press Enter:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer

4. Type the following command and press Enter:

   sudo apt-get update

5. Type the following command to install the Grub Customizer application and press Enter:

   sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

   

6. Open the Ubuntu menu.

7. Type Grub Customizer and click the result to open the app.

   

8. Select the Windows entry at the bottom of the list, and click the up-arrow button to move the entry all the way to the top.

9. Click the Save button.

   

After completing the steps, restart your computer. Windows 11 (or 10) should now be the default option during boot.