If you want to know more about the differences between the two operating systems, check our Windows 11 vs Ubuntu article for an in-depth comparison. As for this guide, we’re going to show you how to dual boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu and use the two operating systems side by side.

What are Ubuntu’s hardware requirements?

CPU: 2GHz or better RAM: 4GB or more Storage: 25GB or more GPU: Graphics card with at least 256MB of memory

As you can see, Ubuntu has relatively humble hardware requirements compared to Windows 11’s requirements, and some distributions can work on PCs that are below these requirements.

How can I dual boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu?

Dual booting is the most viable way to have two operating systems that you intend to use on a regular basis and it can be done in more than one way. If you already have Windows 11 installed on your PC, like most users, follow the procedure below. Sometimes it is the other way around and you can install Windows 11 after Ubuntu too.

Install Ubuntu after Windows 11

1. Create a dedicated Ubuntu partition

You can also give a try to Paragon Partition Manager that is much more efficient and has other features that are useful for properly formatting partition drives.

2. Download Ubuntu ISO and create a bootable flash drive

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

3. Select the Ubuntu drive and install Ubuntu

After doing that, you just need to select the operating system that you want to boot to and that’s it. As you can see, it’s easy to dual boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu, especially if you already have Windows installed.

Install Windows 11 after Ubuntu

1. Create a dedicated Windows partition

2. Download Windows 10 and make a bootable media

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

3. Boot from the flash drive and install Windows 10

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

Repair GRUB

Many users reported that if you dual boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu, the latter isn’t available from the boot menu at all. To fix that, you just need to do the following: Alternatively, you can fix this problem by doing the following: Windows will always replace your bootloader, especially if you install it after Ubuntu or any version of Linux, but hopefully, this method should help you fix the problem on your own. To learn more, check our guide on how to fix Windows 10 and Ubuntu dual boot issues.

Does Ubuntu support Secure Boot?

Secure Boot is a technology that verifies the code that is launched by the firmware to prevent rootkits. Many Linux distributions don’t support Secure Boot, so if you want to install them, you need to disable Secure Boot first. Ubuntu has been compatible with Secure Boot since version 12.10 and it should work on most PCs with Secure Boot enabled. SPONSORED However, only the first-stage EFI boot loader is signed by Microsoft, which may lead to some boot issues on certain PCs. If this happens, you’ll have to disable Secure Boot from BIOS.

What are the disadvantages of dual booting?

Regarding the disadvantages, dual booting requires a lot of space on your PC, especially if you’re planning 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 running low on storage space, you might want to free up some space or consider upgrading your storage. Another disadvantage of dual booting is multitasking. When using the dual boot, there’s no quick and easy way to boot to the other operating system. Instead, you need to restart your PC and then choose the operating system that you want to access. Keep in mind that you have to do this every time you want to switch to another operating system. This isn’t a major problem, but it can become tedious at times, especially if you use both operating systems frequently. Lastly, there are booting issues that can occur, but this mostly happens when installing Windows after Ubuntu or any other version of Linux.

What Ubuntu distros can I dual boot with Windows 11?

Ubuntu has 8 different official distributions and they are the following: Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Server, and Ubuntu StudioXubuntu. As for third-party distributions, there are about 40 of them, if not more. Regarding popularity, these are the top 3 most popular Ubuntu-based distributions:

Linux Mint Pop!_OS elementary OS

All Ubuntu distributions can be dual booted with Windows 11 without any major problems, and installing them in dual boot mode is similar for all of them. The only issue might occur if you have Secure Boot enabled and trying to install older version of Ubuntu, but that can be easily fixed. If you want to dual boot Windows 11 and Ubuntu, do that by following the instructions from our guide. However, since Windows 11 isn’t still officially released, you’ll need to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10 first, and then upgrade to Windows 11. Things are no different if you want to dual boot Windows 11 and Windows 7. Create a separate partition for the other operating system and follow our detailed procedure. Have you ever tried Ubuntu and are you planning to dual boot Windows and Ubuntu once Windows 11 is released? Let us know in the comments below.

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