How to Dual Boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu [Both Directions]

Although Windows is the dominant operating system on the market, Linux is slowly but surely growing in popularity, and Ubuntu is one of the most interesting Linux distributions.

If you want to learn more about the differences between the two operating systems, check out our Windows 11 vs. Ubuntu article for an in-depth comparison.

As for this guide, we will show you how to dual-boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu using both operating systems side by side.

What are the hardware requirements for Ubuntu?

• CPU: 2GHz or higher
• Memory: 4GB or more
• Storage: 25GB or more
• Graphics Card: Graphics card with at least 256MB of RAM

As you can see, compared to Windows 11 requirements , Ubuntu's hardware requirements are relatively modest, and some distros can run on PCs below these requirements.

How to dual-boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu?

Dual booting is the most feasible way to have two operating systems that you intend to use regularly, and can be done in a variety of ways.

If you already have Windows 11 installed on your computer, like most users, follow these steps. Sometimes the opposite is true and you can also install Windows 11 after Ubuntu.

Installing Ubuntu after Windows 11

1. Create a dedicated Ubuntu partition

1. Open"Disk Management". You can do this by pressing and selecting Disk Management from the list. Windows KeyX
   
2. Now, you need to select the drive that you want to shrink. Choose one with at least 50GB of free space, but you may need more if you plan to use Ubuntu extensively.
3. Right-click on the desired drive and select "Shrink Volume" from the context menu.
   
4. Enter the amount of space you want to shrink (in MB) set to 50000 or more and click Shrink.
   
5. Next, click on the unallocated space you just created and select New Simple Volume.
6. Set the simple volume size (in MB) to the maximum value and click Next.
7. Finally, set the desired drive letter and label and click Finish when finished.

You can also try Paragon Partition Manager, which is more efficient and has additional features that are useful for properly formatting partitioned drives.

2. Download the Ubuntu ISO and create a bootable flash drive

1. Visit the Ubuntu download page and click the "Download" button Download the ISO file.
   
2. Wait for the download to complete.
3. Connect the USB flash drive to the computer. You will need 4GB or larger.
4. Download Rufus and run it.
   
5. Select your flash drive in the device list.
   
6. Click the Select button and find your Ubuntu ISO file.
   
7. Click "Start" to start the process.
   
8. You will be asked to format the drive, so click "OK" to continue.
   

Wait for the process to complete. After creating the Ubuntu Live drive, you can install Ubuntu.

3. Select Ubuntu Drive and Install Ubuntu

1. Make sure the Ubuntu flash drive is connected to your PC.
2. When the computer starts, press and hold , or access the boot menu and select the USB drive. The key may vary depending on the motherboard. F2F10F12
   
3. If you cannot open the boot menu, access the BIOS and set the flash drive to One starts the device and saves the changes.
   
4. When your PC boots from the flash drive, select the option to Install Ubuntu.
   
5. Select the language and keyboard layout you want to use.
6. Then, select Normal installation and click Continue. You can also use a minimal installation and download the necessary updates later.
7. SelectOther content.
   
8. Next, select the partition you created for Ubuntu and format it with the ext4 file system.
   
9. Click Install now.
10. Select your location.
11. Enter your Ubuntu login details and click Continue.
    
12. Wait for the installation to complete.
    
13. Click the Restart Now button.
    

#Once you've done this, you just need to choose the operating system you want to boot into. As you can see, dual-booting Windows 11 and Ubuntu is easy, especially if you already have Windows installed.

Installing Windows 11 after Ubuntu

1. Create a dedicated window partition

1. Open a terminal and enter the following command:<strong>sudo apt install gparted</strong>
2. Press Y to continue.
3. Now open GParted.
4. Find the partition to be shrunk. Keep in mind that you cannot shrink an Ubuntu partition while Ubuntu is running. If you want to do this, you'll need to use an Ubuntu flash drive.
   
5. Right-click the partition and select Uninstall.
   
6. After unmounting the partition, click Resize/Move.
7. Set the new size to 50000 or larger and click Resize/Move.
   
8. Click the Apply icon in the toolbar to save changes.
9. Unallocated space will now be displayed. Right-click it and select New.
   
10. Set the file system to ntfs and set the maximum size of the partition. Now click Add.
    
11. Click the Apply icon to save changes.
12. Finally, find the partition you unmounted, right-click on it and select Mount.

2. Download Windows 10 and create bootable media

1. Go to the Microsoft download page.
2. Select the version of Windows 10 you want to download.
   
3. Select a language and make sure the 64-bit version is selected.
   
4. Download the ISO file.
   
5. Connect the USB flash drive to the computer. You'll need an 8GB drive, but a larger drive may be better.
6. Open GParted and select your USB flash drive from the top right corner. It should be named /dev/sdb.
   
7. If any partition has a key icon next to its name, right-click on them and select Uninstall.
8. Right-click on the partition and select Format.
9. Set the partition size to the maximum value and set the file system to ntfs or exfat.
10. Click Apply in the toolbar to save changes.
11. Locate the Windows 10 ISO file, right-click it and select Open with, then select Disk Image Mounter.
    
12. Open the mounted ISO file.
13. Select all files and copy them.
    
14. Move to your USB flash drive and paste the file there.

We discovered that not all users have the option to mount ISO files in the context menu. If this is the case, do the following:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Now run the following command:
   <strong>sudo mkdir /mnt/windows10/<br>sudo mount -t auto -o loop /path/to/window-10-iso /mnt /windows10/</strong>
3. Once you have done this, you should be able to do this by going to <strong>/mnt/windows10/</strong>

Note that we are using the Windows 10 ISO because the Windows 11 ISO is not officially available for download yet.

3. Boot from the flash drive and install Windows 10

1. Enter the BIOS and go to the Security section. Disable Secure Boot.
2. Save changes and exit BIOS.
3. Press the dedicated key to open the boot menu and select your flash drive. If you don't know the key, you can set the USB flash drive as the first boot device.
4. When booting from the flash drive, select the desired language time format.
   
5. Select the version to install and accept the terms of service.
6. Then, select "Customize: Install Windows Only (Advanced) ".
   
7. It is very important to choose a partition specifically for Windows. If you choose the wrong partition, you will lose your files permanently.
   
8. The installation will now begin. Wait while Windows is installing.
   
9. After the installation is complete, your PC will restart.

4. Join the Windows Insider Program and upgrade to Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app and go toUpdate and Security" section.
   
2. In the left pane, select Windows Insider Program. Now click on the Get Started button in the right pane.
   
3. Click "LinkAccount" and select your Microsoft account.
   
4. Select "Development Channel" and click "Confirm".
   
5. Accept the privacy statement and click Restart Now.
6. After joining the Windows Insider Program, return to the Settings app.
7. Go to the "Update & Security" section and click the "Check for Updates" button.
8. Windows will now automatically download Windows 11 updates.
9. After downloading the update, restart your computer to install it.

Fix Grub

Many users have reported that if you dual-boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu, the latter is not available from the boot menu at all. To fix this issue, you just need to do the following:

1. Press the boot menu key and select Ubuntu from the list.
2. Make sure you are connected to the internet.
3. Open Terminal and run the following command:
   <strong>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair<br>sudo apt-get update<br>sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair && boot-repair</strong>
4. After installing boot-repair, type boot-repair in the terminal to start it.
5. Select Suggested Fixes.
   
6. After the repair is completed, check if the problem still exists.

Alternatively, you can solve this problem by doing the following:

1. Boot into Ubuntu, as we showed you in the previous section.
2. Open Terminal and run the following command:
   <strong>sudo update-grub2</strong>
3. After the process is completed, return to the BIOS.
4. Go to the boot section and set Ubuntu as the first boot device.

Windows will always replace your bootloader, especially if you installed it after Ubuntu or any version of Linux, but hopefully this method will help you resolve the issue yourself.

To learn more, check out our guide on how to fix Windows 10 and Ubuntu dual-boot issues.

Note If you cannot access Ubuntu from the boot menu, please execute these commands in the Ubuntu Live environment. Just boot from your Ubuntu flash drive and follow the steps above.

Does Ubuntu support secure boot?

Secure Boot is a technology that verifies the code that a firmware starts with to prevent rootkits. Many Linux distributions do not support Secure Boot, so if you want to install them, you will need to disable Secure Boot first.

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Ubuntu has been compatible with Secure Boot since version 12.10, and it should work on most PCs with Secure Boot enabled.

However, only the first stage EFI boot loader is signed by Microsoft, which may cause some boot issues on some PCs. If this occurs, Secure Boot must be disabled from the BIOS.

What are the disadvantages of dual boot?

Regarding the disadvantages, dual booting requires a lot of space on your PC, especially if you plan to use both operating systems regularly and install various software on them.

This isn't a problem with larger hard drives, but if you're low on storage, you may want to free up some space or consider upgrading your storage.

Another disadvantage of dual boot is multitasking. When using dual boot, there is no quick and easy way to boot into another operating system.

Instead, you need to restart your PC and select the operating system you want to access. Remember, you have to do this every time you want to switch to another operating system.

This isn't a major problem, but it can get tedious at times, especially if you frequently use both operating systems at the same time.

Finally, booting issues can occur, but this mostly happens when installing Windows after Ubuntu or any other version of Linux.

Which Ubuntu distributions can I dual-boot in Windows 11?

Ubuntu has 8 different official distributions, they are: Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu StudioXubuntu.

As for third-party distributions, there are about 40, if not more. Regarding popularity, these are the 3 most popular Ubuntu-based distributions:

• Linux Mint
• Bang! _OS
• Base Operating System

All Ubuntu distributions can dual-boot with Windows 11 without any major issues, and installing them in dual-boot mode works for all distributions are similar.

The only problem that may occur is if you have Secure Boot enabled and are trying to install an older version of Ubuntu, but this can be easily fixed.

If you want to dual-boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu, follow the instructions in our guide. However, since Windows 11 has not been officially released yet, you need to dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows 10 before upgrading to Windows 11.

The situation is no different if you want to dual-boot Windows 11 and Windows 7. Create a separate partition for other operating systems and follow our detailed process.

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