How to install Linux alongside Windows (dual boot)?
Jun 18, 2025 am 12:19 AMThe key to installing dual systems for Linux and Windows is partitioning and boot settings. 1. Preparation includes backing up data and compressing existing partitions to make space; 2. Use Ventoy or Rufus to create Linux boot USB disk, recommend Ubuntu; 3. Select "Coexist with other systems" or manually partition during installation (/at least 20GB, /home remaining space, swap optional); 4. Check the installation of third-party drivers to avoid hardware problems; 5. If you do not enter the Grub boot menu after installation, you can use boot-repair to repair the boot or adjust the BIOS startup sequence. As long as the steps are clear and the operation is done properly, the whole process is not complicated.
Installing dual systems for Linux and Windows is not that complicated. As long as the steps are clear and the operation is properly, there will basically be no problems. The key lies in the two links of partitioning and startup settings. Once you have figured it out, the rest is to follow the prompts step by step.
Preparation: Backup data to divide space
Before you begin, be sure to back up important data. Although the risk of installing dual systems is not high, if an error occurs, the hard disk data may be damaged.
Then make room for Linux. You don't need to reinstall Windows, you just need to compress an "unallocated" space on the disk:
- Open "This Computer" → Right-click to select a partition (usually D disk or E disk) → "Compressed Volume"
- Enter the size of space you want to make (such as 50GB)
- After the compression is completed, you will see an "unallocated" area, which is the space left for Linux
Note: Do not format existing partitions, and do not manually adjust the partition structure unless you are familiar with disk management.
Create Linux boot USB drive
Most mainstream Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint) provide official boot disk production tools:
- Download ISO image file (Ubuntu is recommended, suitable for beginners)
- Insert USB drive (at least 4GB)
- Use Rufus or Ventoy to create bootable USB drives
It is recommended to use Ventoy here, which supports multiple images to store at the same time, making it convenient to install other systems in the future. After making it, restart the computer, enter the BIOS settings and start from the USB drive.
Key settings when installing Linux
After entering the Linux installation interface, select "Trial" or "Install". When installing formally, the most critical step is to choose the partition method .
The installer will usually automatically detect your Windows system and provide the following options:
- Coexist with other operating systems (recommended for beginners to choose this)
- Manual partitioning (suitable for experienced users)
If you choose manual partitioning, you can arrange it like this:
- Mount point
/
(root directory), type ext4, size at least 20GB - Mounting point
/home
(user data), type ext4, give it all the remaining space - Swap partition swap (optional, recommended to set if memory is less than 8GB)
Don’t forget to check “Installing third-party drivers”, especially those related to graphics cards and wireless network cards, otherwise there may be a black screen or the problem of being unable to connect to the Internet.
Startup sequence and boot repair
After the installation is completed, it will enter the Grub boot menu by default, allowing you to choose whether to start Linux or Windows. If you enter Windows directly, it means that Grub is not correctly written to the boot area.
At this time, you can use the installation disk to enter trial mode again and run the boot-repair
tool to repair it. This tool can automatically detect and fix boot problems, which is very practical.
The startup sequence in the BIOS can also be adjusted manually to ensure that "Ubuntu" or "Linux" is ahead of Windows, so that Grub can display normally.
Basically that's it. The whole process is not complicated, but some details are easy to ignore, such as turning off quick boot, reserve enough space, BIOS settings, etc. As long as you do it step by step, installing a dual system should not be difficult.
The above is the detailed content of How to install Linux alongside Windows (dual boot)?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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