Dual boot configurations are ideal for installing different operating systems on the same computer. On this occasion, we have chosen Windows 11 and Ubuntu 21 as an example to update one of our classic guides, as they are the latest versions of the two major licensed platforms.
The average consumer uses only one operating system on his PC. And it is generally a Windows that was preinstalled by the manufacturer who sold him the computer. Microsoft has a brutal dominance of this channel and most OEMs use Windows, although there are some vendors that offer Linux. We leave aside macOS, because Apple has not licensed it to third parties for many years and – except for special installations using Hackingtosh – forces you to buy a Mac if you want to use it.
More advanced users who want to try other operating systems, whether they are Windows regulars who intend to approach the world of Linux, or users of the free system who also need Windows to run some applications or games, have several possibilities. One of them is to use the “Live” format that runs the software from an optical media or a USB and another one is using the always used virtual machines. However, both methods are not free of compromises in order to obtain maximum performance.
If you are looking for the best experiencemulti-boot configurations with multiple operating systems installed on the same PC are ideal. They take a little longer to install than a virtual machine and take up more storage space than a “Live”, but their advantages are appreciable: you get maximum hardware performance, the different systems occupy their own space without interfering with each other, and the boot menu allows you to start and switch between them in seconds in a convenient and easy way.
How to install Windows 11 and Ubuntu 21 together
The last few years we have been offering you several multiple installation options. The last one was an installation with Windows 10 and Windows 11, but its possibilities go far beyond that. You can use different versions of Windows, combine them with Linux and even install macOS under hackintosh in the same process. This type of configurations practically only has the limitations of available space on the internal storage units and perform the process in a particular order.
For the occasion we will use Windows 11 and Ubuntu 21, with ‘clean’ installations, from scratch, although you can keep your Windows installation and from there install Linux. This is another option that we will also review at the end. Of course, you can use other versions of Windows or any GNU/Linux distributionas the process is the same. Let’s go with it.
Hardware required
Until Windows 10, the minimum hardware requirements were practically identical to those of Linux. As you know, Microsoft added in Windows 11 additional requirements like the TPM, secure boot module, DirectX 12 graphics and a list of supported CPUs where some very competitive series were left out.
After no small amount of controversy, the company has ended up “relaxing” these requirements (since otherwise the share of Windows 11 was going to be greatly reduced) and it can be installed on almost any PC with the following minimums, which can also be applied to Ubuntu 21 although those of the latter are more reduced by default:
- Processor: 64-bit CPU with 2 or more cores.
- RAM: 4 GB.
- Storage: 64 GB (25 GB for Ubuntu)
- (For Windows 11): DirectX 12 compatible graphics chip; UEFI firmware with ‘Secure Boot’ support and secure platform module version 2.0.
To give you an idea, we used a current ASUS TUF Dash laptop, with 11th generation Intel CPU, RTX 3060 GPU, 16 GB RAM and a single 500 GB PCIe SSD. We have kept the Microsoft recommended configuration, TPM 2.0 and secure boot enabled to test the behavior of Ubuntu 21 with this UEFI configuration. In any case, you can use computers with older hardware than this one and as we said above, use other versions of both Windows and Linux.
Windows 11 installation
If you follow us regularly you will know the process from memory. We start from scratch, with the SSD of the laptop completely empty, to perform clean installations. In this type of configuration always install Windows first and then Linuxso that the boot loader of the latter (GRUB) is used.
Create the installation media Microsoft has made things easier by offering direct download of the system ISO image without having to go through the cumbersome wizard process or creating media yourself. Better to do it on our own. To do so:
- Access the Windows 11 download page.
- Select the available option (Windows 11 multi-edition), the English language and download the image  “Win11_Spanish_x64v1.iso”.
- Use an empty pendrive of at least 8 GB capacity.
- Download the ‘Rufus’ application (it can be another one you prefer to burn the image).
- Configure the software as in the image and create the bootable flash drive. (If you do not have TPM or secure boot select the second option).
Install Windows 11. The installation is trivial, as you know. You just have to be careful when creating the partitions, leaving free space for the subsequent installation of Linux. In this way:
- Insert the created media into a USB port and access the BIOS-UEFI to select it as the first boot device.
- Start the installation by selecting the language and version of Windows for which we have a license.
- In this step you can complete the license section or omit it to do it later.
- Select the custom installation and you will get to the partitioning process. (You will see the empty disk because we have set it up to do everything from scratch. There are other possibilities as we will see later).
- Create the partition of the size you need for Windows 11, leaving an unallocated space to install Ubuntu later, as in the example image 86 GB.
From there install Windows 11 without further ado.
Installation of Ubuntu 21
We repeat ourselves from previous guides. No user with minimum knowledge should be afraid of the free system, because the installation of a GNU/Linux distribution is today as easy as installing Windows.
Creates the installation medium. Canonical also allows you to directly download the ISO image of the operating system.
- Access the Ubuntu web portal and download the Ubuntu Desktop 21.10 version. As we said, you can use other versions of Ubuntu (such as the one that offers long-term support 20.04 LTS) or the distribution that you like.
- Use your favorite program to burn the ISO. From here we still recommend a Rufus that works just as well for “burning” Windows or Linux images.
- Use a USB flash drive preferably, but you can also use a DVD.
- Run Rufus, select the downloaded Ubuntu image in the “Boot choice”, use GPT in “partition scheme” and “UEFI (not CSM) as target system. This is the most advanced file system configuration and works perfectly with the latest versions of Ubuntu. If for whatever reason it doesn’t work on your computer, you can always try “MBR”, which is more compatible.
Install Ubuntu 21. The installation of Linux has advanced in an extraordinary way in a process -almost- completely automated and very fast, that in this computer with SSD and from a USB 3.2 pendrive, we completed in 5 minutes of clockwork.
- Insert the created media into a USB port on the machine and make sure that the flash drive is placed as the first boot media in the BIOS/UEFI as we saw in the Windows installation.
- You will enter the graphical installation mode which is self-explanatory. Click on install and select the language, the keyboard layout and the type of installation. Leave the downloading of the latest updates for later.
- You will come to an important section that shows how easy it is to install Ubuntu. As you will see in the following image, the installer recognizes the installed Windows system and allows you to install Ubuntu alongside it without touching the existing partitions at all (Advanced users can choose to customize, resize, etc.).
- Click on “Install Ubuntu together with Windows Boot manager”. The rest of the screens are trivial and the installation will finish without further ado. On a computer like the test one, with the NVMe SSD and a fast pendrive, it completes in a jiffy.
Once the Ubuntu installation is complete, every time you reboot you will have the GRUB bootloader available, which allows you to boot Windows or Linux as you see in the image.
You can also select the system to boot in the BIOS-UEFI, but it is more cumbersome to access it each time. In the firmware, if you select Ubuntu as the first boot entry you will have access to its boot loader and you can boot either system. If, on the other hand, you only want Windows on a daily basis and Linux eventually, you can put the Windows Boot Manager first and the system will boot directly into Windows 11 without going through GRUB.
Install Windows 11 and Ubuntu 21 (Another option with Windows already installed)
This type of multiple system and dual boot configurations can also be done starting from a computer that has Windows already installed. It is a natural situation especially in laptops that usually include a copy of Windows as standard and occupy the entire disk. In this case we would already have the first part done and we would only need to create space on the storage unit to install Ubuntu. Let’s review the process:
- Press the hotkey shortcut  “Win + R” to access the run function (you can do it the same way by right clicking the mouse on the start button) and type diskmgmt.msc to open the Disk Management tool
- You will see several partitions, the recovery partition or others. We are interested to act on the main partition, in the example the C: called SYSTEM that is completely occupied with Windows.
- Right-click on the main partition and select reduce volume.
- In the dialog box that will appear select the amount of space to reduce which will be the partition size for Ubuntu 21. We select 80 GB for the example.
You do not have to do anything else on the subject of partitions except leave a free space as we have seen. Install Ubuntu 21 as we saw in the previous step in the empty 80 GB space we created. The installer will do the rest, format the free partition, install Linux alongside Windows and create the boot system. Here each user will have to select the space he wants to reduce depending on his availability and usage approach. Or use a second storage unit if available.
Either in completely clean installations or keeping systems that were already installed, install Windows 11 and Ubuntu 21 together, on the same PC with dual boot, is an excellent configuration to take advantage of the benefits of both. It offers better performance than a ‘Live’ format or virtual machines, they do not interfere with each other and the boot loader allows access to each of them in seconds at the click of a button.
The guide is a use case with two specific systems, but you can mount a larger number of them, use other versions of Windows, other GNU/Linux distributions and even macOS in between, although this process is more complicated.
