Before you start
- A 64-bit PC with at least 50 GB free
- An 8 GB+ USB drive
- A full backup
- Your BitLocker recovery key if your drive is encrypted
Method 1 Prepare Windows
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Step 1: Turn off Fast Startup
Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable, untick Turn on fast startup.
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Step 2: Make space
Open Disk Management, right-click C: > Shrink Volume and free at least 50 GB (100 GB+ is comfortable). Leave it as unallocated space.
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Step 3: Check firmware
Most PCs use UEFI with Secure Boot. Ubuntu, Fedora and Linux Mint support Secure Boot, so you can usually leave it on.
Method 2 Create the Linux USB
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Step 1: Download Linux
Get the ISO from the official site, for example ubuntu.com/download/desktop (LTS version recommended).
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Step 2: Write it to USB
Use Rufus (Windows) or balenaEtcher: select the ISO and the USB drive and start.
Method 3 Install Linux alongside Windows
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Step 1: Boot from USB
Restart and press the boot menu key (F12, F11, F9, Esc) and select the USB drive. Choose Try or Install Ubuntu.
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Step 2: Test hardware
Check Wi-Fi, sound and display work in the live session before installing.
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Step 3: Choose the install type
In the installer, choose Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager (wording varies by version). The installer uses the free space. Only choose manual partitioning if you know what you’re doing.
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Step 4: Finish
Create your user, wait for installation, and restart. Remove the USB when asked.
Choosing an OS at startup
The GRUB menu appears at boot: choose Ubuntu or Windows Boot Manager. If the PC boots straight into Windows, open the BIOS boot order and put ubuntu first.
Troubleshooting
The installer doesn’t offer “alongside Windows”
Windows may be hibernated (Fast Startup on) or the disk uses RAID/Intel RST mode. Turn off Fast Startup; switching RST to AHCI requires care and research for your model.
Windows asks for the BitLocker recovery key
Enter the key from your Microsoft account. Then in Windows, suspend and resume BitLocker to update its measurements.
Frequently asked questions
Will dual booting slow down Windows?
No. Only one system runs at a time.
How do I remove Linux later?
From Windows, delete the Linux partitions in Disk Management and extend C:. Then remove the Linux boot entry (search “remove grub from Windows boot” for your setup) and set Windows Boot Manager first in the BIOS.
Can I share files between them?
Linux can read and write your Windows NTFS drive. Windows can’t read Linux ext4 partitions without extra tools.
Summary
Back up, save your BitLocker key, turn off Fast Startup and shrink C:. Then boot a Linux USB and choose install alongside Windows. Pick your system from the GRUB menu at each start.
