How To Install Ubuntu Alongside Windows 10

Brief: This detailed article shows you how to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10, step-by-step, accompanied with proper screenshots.

Previously I had written about dual booting Ubuntu Linux with Windows 7 and 8, but those tutorials did not cover systems that come with Windows 10 pre-installed. The newer systems that come with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, have UEFI instead of BIOS. This makes thing a little different from the conventional way of dual booting.

In this tutorial, we shall see how to install Ubuntu with Windows 10 already installed.

This tutorial is performed on a newly bought Dell Inspiron 7437 that has Core i7 fourth generation processor, 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM and built in 1 GB Intel graphics. I’ll cover all the steps you need to do in order to successfully dual boot Linux with Windows 10 UEFI. If you have already done some of these steps, just skip to the next one. If you have a fresh system, even better.

The steps mentioned here are applicable to other Ubuntu based Linux distributions such as Linux Mint, Elementary OS etc. Cutting the chit-chat, let’s see how to dual boot Linux on a UEFI secure boot enabled Windows 10 system.

Dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1:

Though I have used Ubuntu 14.04 here, it is applicable to all versions of Ubuntu, be it Ubuntu 15.10 or Ubuntu 16.04. There are various prerequisites to install Ubuntu on a UEFI system. I’ll list them for easier read here:

• Ubuntu ISO burned to a USB or DVD (we’ll see it)
• Windows backup (optional)
• Windows 10 bootable USB (optional yet recommended as it will save your day if anything goes wrong)

Let’s see the steps of installing Ubuntu along side Windows 10.

Step 1: Make a backup [optional]

It is always nice to make a back up, just in case if you mess up with the system. There are numerous articles on the web to show you how to backup your system. You can follow this tutorial here.

Step 2: Create a live USB/disk of Ubuntu

The next thing you need to do is to create a live USB or disk. I recommend Universal USB Installer to create a live USB of Linux OS in Windows.

Step 3: Make a partition where Ubuntu will be installed

Assuming tat you have a fresh system, the first thing we need to do is to make a partition to install Linux. The 256 GB in my system was already had several partitions from manufacturer but mainly for backup and other purposes. Main partition was C drive, of around 220 GB, where Windows 8.1 was installed.

If you have just one partition like this, you need to make some free space out of it for Linux. If you have several partitions of considerable size, use any of them except C drive because it may erase the data.

To make a partition in Windows 8, go to Disk Management tool. You can find disk management tool by searching for ‘disk’ in Control Panel.

In the Disk Management tool, right click on the drive which you want to partition and select shrink volume. In my case, I shrank the C drive to make some free space:

You can leave the free space as it is. We shall use it while installing Ubuntu.

Step 4: Disable fast startup in Windows [optional]

Windows 8 introduced a new feature called “fast startup” for quick boot. While it is not mandatory, it would be better to have it disabled.

Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > System Settings > Choose what the power buttons do and uncheck the Turn on fast startup box.

Step 5: Disable secureboot in Windows 10 and 8.1

This is the most important step. The new secure boot feature of Windows 8, originally intended for security feature for rootkit viruses, prevents dual booting of Windows with Linux. To dual boot Windows 8 with Linux, we must disable secure boot in UEFI.

Step 6: Installing Ubuntu along with Windows 10, 8.1

Once you have disabled secure boot, it’s time to install Ubuntu. I hope you already created the live USB as mentioned in step 2. Plug in the USB and boot the system from it.

To boot from USB, will have to choose boot from USB option from within Windows itself. Either with PC Setting (like for UEFI) or pressing shift key while clicking on Restart.

Once you have booted in the live USB, you will be presented with option to try or install Ubuntu. Click on install. You will be presented with few screen options to choose the language. It will then do some checks on available space, power and internet connection etc. Just click on Continue.

The main screen which you should pay attention to is Installation Type. Choose Something else here:

Remember we had created some free space beforehand? We shall use the free space to create Root, Swap and Home. Select the free space and click on the + sign.

It will provide you with option to create Linux partition. We are creating the Root partition. Any thing above 20 GB is more than sufficient for it. Choose the size, select Ext 4 as file type and / (means root) as the mount point.

Clicking on OK in previous step will bring you to the partition screen. Next we will create swap. Like previously, click on the + sign again. This time use the file type as Swap area. Suggestible swap size is double of RAM.

In similar fashion, create a Home partition. Allocate it maximum space (in fact allocate it 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. Next you will be asked to set username password etc. Basically, you just need to click next now.

Once the installation is completed, restart the computer, you should be welcomed by a purple grub screen. Enjoy Ubuntu along with Windows 10 in dual boot mode.

Note: If after installing Ubuntu, you boot directly in Windows, check in UEFI settings for changing the boot order.

I hope this guide helped you to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10 UEFI. If you want to reverse the process, follow this guide to remove Ubuntu from dual boot with Windows. Though this article is written for Ubuntu, it should be helpful for other Linux OS as well. Any questions or suggestions are always welcomed.

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How to Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10

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Introduction

This is a step by step guide to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10 on the same computer. Dual boot means to install Ubuntu and Windows 10 then use GRUB (Ubuntu boot manager) to select which Operating System to boot at any time.

What you need for the Dual Boot

• A computer with Windows 10 installed
• A USB stick with at least 3GB free space

Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10: High Level Steps

To dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10 follow these steps:

Prepare Windows 10 to dual boot with Ubuntu

Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10: Download Ubuntu

Follow the steps below to download Ubuntu Linux

• Open releases.ubuntu.com.

• Next, click on the version you wish to install. For this guide, I am downloading version 19.04.

• When the above page loads, click the link to download the desktop image. Save the file on a USB stick.

While the download is going on, proceed to the next step. Depending on your internet speed, download may take up to an hour. When the download completes, save the ISO file to your computer.

Then follow these steps below to prepare Ubuntu to boot from a USB stick (or drive).

• Download Universal USB Installer
• Scroll down the page and click Download UUI.

• Save the exe file to your computer

• Next, double-click the installer. Then click Yes to the User Acces Control dialogue.

Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10: Prepare Windows 10

This is a 2-step process

1. Create a free space on the hard disk to install Ubuntu
2. Disable Windows 10 secure boot (UEFI Secure Boot)

Create a free space on the hard disk to install Ubuntu

Before you dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10, you need to create a free space in your hard drive. This is where you will install Ubuntu.

Follow the steps below to create a free space on Windows 10.

• Login to Windows 10. Then right-click the Widows logo and select Disk Management.

• When Disk Management loads, right-click drive C and select shrink volume. Wait for Disk Management to calculate available free space.

• When the option to shrink drive c loads, enter the value in the highlighted part of the image below.

• When you have entered the value, click Shrink. When the drive Shrink competes you will have a free space. See the highlighted part of the image below.

Disable Windows 10 secure boot (UEFI Secure Boot)

Some hardware may not require this step. But it is recommended to enure that Ubuntu will boot.

Here are the steps to disable secure boot:

• From Windows 10, search for Command Prompt, right-click it and select Run as Administrator.

• When Command Prompt opens, type the command below. Then pres Enter.

• Windows 10 will restart into Advanced boot mode. See the image below.

• Click Troubleshoot.

• Then click Advanced Options.

• Next, click UEFI Firmware Settings.

• Finally, click Restart. Your computer will boot to UEFI. Locate Secure Boot and disable it.

Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10: Install Ubuntu

Now you are ready to install Ubuntu! This is the last step to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10.

Follow the steps below to install Ubuntu

• Still logged on to Windows 10, open command prompt as administrator. Then enter the command below and press enter.

• Your computer will reboot to advanced Windows 10 mode. See the image below:

• Next, click Use a device.

Follow the steps to select the USB drive as your installation media. Then proceed with the installation as shown below.

• When your PC boots into Ubuntu install, select Install Ubuntu. Then click Enter.

• Next, select your language. Then click continue.

• Select your keyboard and click continue.

• On Updates and Other Software, click continue.

• On Installation type, select something else. Then click continue.

• On the Installation type page select the free, unformatted partition. Then click the + sign to add a partition and assign a root Mount point.

After the reboot, you will have the option to either boot to Ubuntu or Windows 10 (shown below as Windows Boot Manager).

Conclusion

I hope you have been able to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10 with this guide. If you have any question use the “Leave a Reply” form at the end of this page.

You could also share your experience with Ubuntu Windows 10 dual boot.