How to Dual Boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu

If you are already running Windows 10 and want to use Ubuntu and don’t want to give up Windows, you can use Ubuntu on a virtual machine or dual boot your Windows alongside Ubuntu.

The major advantage of having dual boot is that your Ubuntu part can have complete access to your hardware rather than involving virtualization layers which drastically decreases performance if you use a virtual machine.

Once you complete the process, you have the privilege to choose your preferred Operating System every time you boot. So let’s start the tutorial on how to dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu but there are some requirements involved in this process as below:

Requirements for this process:

1. Windows 10 should be already installed
2. Your hardware should be using UEFI instead of Legacy with secure boot disabled
3. USB drive for ISO flashing
4. Working internet connection to download ISO
5. Enough space for installing Ubuntu (30GB at least)

How to Dual Boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu

Here are simple steps to dual boot Windows and Ubuntu.

Step 1: Download The Ubuntu ISO file

We are required to download the latest version of Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support). You can also choose the non-LTS version.

Go to the official site of Ubuntu. Click on Download and select 20.04 LTS. It will start downloading the file with an approx size of 2.6 GB

Step 2: Downloading SD Card Formatter

Windows do not work well when we consider formatting drives. To solve this problem most efficiently, we can use an SD Card Formatter.

Go to the download page for Windows and scroll down till the end of the page. You will see options to Accept and Decline. Click on Accept and it will start downloading the SD Card Formatter. Install SD Card Formatter in your system.

Insert USB Drive into your system and open the SD Card Formatter and select Your Drive from the options and then click on Format Button.

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Note: Don’t remove the USB drive till the whole process completes from now on.

Step 3: Installing Rufus for Making Drive Bootable

After formatting our USB drive, we are ready for making it Bootable. The reason why it is so important is that you can’t just install Ubuntu by downloading ISO. You are required to have some platform on which the ISO file has been written.

Rufus will do exactly what we are looking for. Download Rufus from its official website and install it on your computer.

Open Rufus and you will see, that your USB drive will be already selected. You are required to add the ISO file which we have previously downloaded by clicking on the select button.

Click on the start button to start the process.

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You will get pop-ups for Download required and ISOHybrid image detected such as:

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Just don’t worry about anything hit OK and continue for both pop-ups.

Once the process is complete, click on the Close button.

Step 4: Creating New Partition for Ubuntu

Now we are moving forward to the last step required on the Windows side. To run Ubuntu alongside Windows, we have to free up some space where we can install Ubuntu.

Use Win + R to open Run and type cmd and hit Enter. It will open a command prompt. 

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Use the given command to open Disk Management.

diskmgmt.msc

 

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Once the Disk management utility opens up, right-click on the C drive (or any other drive with required space) and click on shrink volume.

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Now, you can choose the space for installing Ubuntu. We recommend you to have at least 30 GB for a better experience.

As we are giving values in MB, use 30000 for getting approx 30GB of free space. And click on Shrink.

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After the process, you can see the 29.30 GB of unallocated space and this is the space where we are going to install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

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Reboot your system and when you see a blank screen use the following keys according to your brand:

Acer = Del or F2

Asus = F9 (for Desktop and Laptop)

Asus = F2 (Notebook)

Dell = F2 (for Desktops and Laptops of Inspiron models)

Dell = F12 (for Laptops of Precision models)

HP = F10, Esc or Esc + F10

Lenovo = F1 or F2

Step 6: Ubuntu Configuration

We will have to select a USB drive. In our case, it’s SanDisk. Use arrow keys to select SanDisk and hit Enter. You will see Ubuntu boot up

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Click on Install Ubuntu

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Choose your preferred language. In our case, it is English.

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Now, we have to select the Keyboard layout. In Ubuntu, the default is English (US) which is perfectly fine for most of the audience. If you prefer something else, you can choose it from here.

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In the next step, we are going to select the type of installation. We are going with a normal installation which will get us a web browser, office software, and media player out of the box.

Select the “Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware and additional media formats” option. And click on continue

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You will be given 3 options in the next step. Select the last one named “something else”. It will allow us to manage space manually. 

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Select the last option labeled as free space and click on the + button

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Now, enter the following

Size = 25000 MB

Type of new partition = Logical

Mount point = / (root)

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Click OK.

Again, select the free space and click on the + button. In this step, we are going to use our remaining space for a Swap partition. 

A Swap partition is used when your RAM is used and your Linux system still requires memory. 

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Click on Use as. You will be given many options to choose from. Select swap area and click OK.

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Now, let’s install the GRUB boot loader. We are required to select the root partition of Ubuntu. It is the same partition that we have partitioned for 25 GB and it is named/dev/sdb5. 

Select sdb5 in Device for boot loader installation.

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Click on install now.

Choose your time zone. In our case, we are going with Kolkata.

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In the last step, enter your name, computer’s name, and other details.

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The installation will start and take time according to the write speed of your drive.

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Once the installation is complete, you will be given two options. 

Click on Restart Now.

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Step 7: Setting Up BIOS 

You will be still booted in Windows. Once the Windows boots up, restart your Windows and get into bios using keys that you have used previously. Select Ubuntu.

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You will be given a boot loader called GRUB. From here, you can select your preferred OS and start using Ubuntu alongside Windows.

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Frequently asked questions related to dual-booting Windows and Ubuntu

Can I dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10?

Yes, if you have a spacious disk and you want to benefit from both platforms, you can use Windows and Ubuntu simultaneously using dual boot.

Why dual boot is not recommended?

There is only one reason why it is not recommended often and that is disk space. You have to have a large disk enough to store multiple Operating Systems and their data. 

Is VirtualBox better than dual boot?

Yes, but only if you have a powerful Computer. If you do not have a powerful CPU, you should opt for dual booting.

Related Post:

• How to Install Linux Distros on Windows 10
• Fix 0x80070643 Error Code in Windows 10
• Fix shell user theme extension not enabled in Ubuntu

Which OS do you prefer the most? Windows or Ubuntu?

This was our take on how to dual boot Windows and Ubuntu without any errors and malfunctioning. From now on, you can use both of them rather than sacrificing one. Multiboot is a better option than VirtualBox especially when you are running with low-power hardware.