Both systems have their advantages and flaws, and if you want to learn more, we suggest that you read out Windows 11 vs Linux guide for in-depth information. However, you don’t have to pick one or the other. With a bit of effort you can dual boot Windows 11 and Linux on your PC, and today we’re going to show you how to do that.

How can I dual boot Windows 11 and Linux?

Note that dual-booting can be done in two ways. You can install Windows 11 from Linux and if you already have Windows 11 on your PC, just install Linux by applying the below steps.

1. Install Linux from Windows 11

1. Create a new partition for Linux

In order to have a new partition created, you need to download Linux and create a bootable flash drive to install it.

2. Download Windows ISO and create a bootable flash drive

Once the process is finished, you’ll have a bootable Linux flash drive ready. Now we can go on and install Linux.

3. Change the boot order and install Linux

After completing all these steps, dual booting Windows 11 and Linux should be working properly. Of course, you’ll have to select the desired operating system every time you boot your PC. We used Linux Mint in our example, but the steps are more or less the same for every Linux distribution.

2. Install Windows 11 from Linux

1. Create a new partition for Windows

Now that we have our Windows partition ready, we need to download Windows and create a bootable USB flash drive.

2. Download Windows and create a bootable flash drive

3. Create a bootable USB flash drive

4. Mount Windows 10 ISO and create installation media

If you don’t have the option to mount the drive from the context menu, you can do that with these commands in the Terminal: sudo mkdir /mnt/windows10/ sudo mount -t auto -o loop /path/to/window-10-iso /mnt/windows10/ Once the files have been copied, your bootable flash drive is ready to use, so let’s go on and install Windows 10.

5. Install Windows 10

6. Join the Windows Insiders Program and download Windows 11

After completing these steps, you should have Windows 11 running on your PC, alongside Linux.

Why is Linux missing after installing Windows in dual boot mode?

We’ve observed that Linux might be missing after installing Windows in dual boot mode. Although this can be extremely alarming, it’s expected because Windows will overwrite the Linux bootloader. SPONSORED However, there’s a way to repair this: Some users claim that you can fix this issue by this method as well: These instructions are intended for Ubuntu distributions, and other versions of Linux might require you to use different methods to repair the bootloader. We have a dedicated guide on how to repair Windows 10 bootloader from Linux, so be sure to check it for more information.

Does Secure Boot interfere with Linux dual boot?

The Secure Boot capability is one of Windows 11’s requirements along with the TPM, so let us tell you how this could affect Linux computers and dual booting. Secure Boot technology allows only the approved boot loaders to boot your PC in order to protect it from malware. The issue arises because many versions of Linux aren’t compatible with Secure Boot, and since Secure Boot is a requirement for Windows 11, many were worried that Linux might not run in dual boot mode with Windows 11. The answer is yes, Linux will be able to run long Windows 11, but you’ll have to use Linux that is compatible with Secure Boot, such as Ubuntu or Fedora, or disable the Secure Boot from the BIOS. As you can see, to use Windows 11, you need to have Secure Boot capability, but you don’t have to keep this option enabled at all, which means that you can dual boot Linux without any issues.

Should I install Linux or Windows 11 first when dual booting?

If you want to dual boot Linux and Windows, it is usually a better option to install Windows first, and then create a new partition for Linux. For starters, it’s a lot easier to create a Linux bootable drive and the necessary partitions from Windows, however, the biggest issue is the bootloader. If you install Windows after Linux, you’re going to overwrite your bootloader and you won’t be able to boot to Linux until you repair the bootloader. Therefore, we suggest installing Linux after your install Windows to avoid these types of problems. Are you using dual boot on your system? Let us know in the comments below.

SPONSORED Name * Email * Commenting as . Not you? Save information for future comments
Comment

Δ