Dual boot — running Ubuntu Linux and Windows 10 on the same machine — is the pragmatic answer to a very common dilemma: you want free, open-source software for daily work, but a specific Windows application still anchors you to Microsoft’s world. This tutorial walks through the whole process on a single drive, from preparation to the boot menu.
Step 1: Back up, then shrink Windows
Before anything touches the disk, back up your data. Then, inside Windows 10, open Disk Management (right-click Start → Disk Management), right-click the Windows partition and choose Shrink Volume. Aim to free at least 50 GB for a comfortable Ubuntu installation with room for updates.
One preparation step that saves hours of pain later: in Windows settings, disable Fast Startup. It leaves the NTFS filesystem in a state Linux mounts read-only, which confuses beginners endlessly.
Step 2: Make the Ubuntu USB stick
Download the Ubuntu desktop ISO and write it to a USB stick of 4 GB or more with Rufus (Windows) or dd. Boot from it via your firmware’s boot menu — usually F12, F2 or Esc at power-on. On machines with modern firmware you may need to disable Secure Boot first; Ubuntu handles Secure Boot correctly, but some third-party drivers do not.
Step 3: Install side by side
From the live session, run the installer. When it detects your Windows 10 installation it offers “Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager” — accept it, and the installer uses the free space you created in step 1 automatically. Manual partitioning (choose “Something else”) is only needed if you want a separate /home partition, which is worth it if you reinstall distributions often.
Step 4: The GRUB menu
After installation, rebooting lands you in GRUB, the boot menu that lists Ubuntu first and Windows Boot Manager below it. Both entries work out of the box. If GRUB ever loses Windows after a big update, one command inside Ubuntu — sudo update-grub — rescans and restores the entry.
Step 5: Post-install essentials
- Run updates first:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade - Install media codecs when prompted — otherwise the browser plays no MP4
- For the NTFS data partition, keep Fast Startup in Windows disabled forever
- Test audio, Wi-Fi and sleep before declaring victory — cheap adapters occasionally need one extra driver
Why dual boot still beats a VM for learning
A virtual machine is fine for tasting Linux; dual boot is for actually using it. Native hardware means real performance, real battery behavior and real driver problems — which is precisely the experience you need to become fluent. When your Windows partition eventually gathers dust, you will know it is time to shrink it again and give Ubuntu the space.