How To Dual Boot Ubuntu 20.04 LTS And Windows 10

Onkar Sharma
Jul 03, 2020

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Introduction

The first thing for this tutorial is that you need to know what an operating system is. An operating system acts as an interface between a user and computer hardware. As per Wikipedia, "An operating system is system software that manages computer hardware, software, and handles various services for computer programs". We know that Microsoft Windows is a family of proprietary operating systems designed by Microsoft Corporation.

Like Windows or Mac OS, Linux is also an operating system. Linux is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems. Some of the popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora, Linux Mint and Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a free and open-source Linux distribution based on Debian. As per Wikipedia, "Ubuntu is released every six months, with long-term support (LTS) releases every two years. As of 23 April 2020, the latest release and also the most recent long-term support release is 20.04, which is supported until 2025 under public support and until 2030 as a paid option".

There are some benefits of using Ubuntu — it's free (I think this is the most attractive feature), fully customizable, more secure, open-source, and command-line based.

This tutorial will show you various steps on how to dual boot Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Windows 10.

System Requirements

Before downloading and installing Ubuntu alongside Windows 10 (dual boot), the following requirements are essential:

Operating System Version - Microsoft Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit).
Random Access Memory (RAM) - Minimum 4 GB RAM recommended.
Free Disk Space - Minimum 25 GB free space recommended.
Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media.
Good Internet Connection to download the Rufus and Ubuntu ISO file.

Download Ubuntu ISO File

Follow the instructions below to download the latest Ubuntu ISO file.

Step 1

To download the latest version of Ubuntu, i.e. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, visit the official Ubuntu website in your web browser.

Step 2

By clicking on the "Download" button, you can download the latest version of Ubuntu, i.e. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (long term support).

Download and Install Rufus

According to the Wikipedia, "Rufus (The Reliable USB Formatting Utility, with Source) is a free and open-source portable application for Microsoft Windows that can be used to format and create bootable USB flash drives or Live USBs". It supports a variety of bootable .iso files and is available in 38 languages. Follow the below instruction to proceed.

Step 1

To download the latest version of Rufus, visit the official Rufus website in your web browser.

Step 2

By clicking on the "Download" button, you can download the latest version of Rufus.

Step 3

Navigate to the "Downloads" folder and click on the "Rufus.exe" file to install it.

Create a Bootable USB Drive

It's time to convert your USB (pen) drive to a bootable disk, but before proceeding, you'll need to format your USB (pen) drive. Follow the instructions below to create a bootable USB (pen/flash) drive.

Step 1

Insert your blank USB (Pen) drive into your system (Must be at least 8 GB Space).

Note

If you have some important data in your USB, then back up your data. And, then, format it. To do this, navigate to "This PC" and find your USB device, right-click on it and choose the "Format" option. (Make sure, the 'file system' option is FAT32).

Step 2

Open the Rufus that you have recently downloaded in your system.

Step 3

Choose your USB drive by selecting the drop-down menu.

Step 4

Now, under the "Boot Selection" drop-down menu, choose the "Disk or ISO image" option. And then, select your "UBUNTU 20.04 LTS" ISO file by clicking on the "SELECT" button.

Step 5

Here, you can also set your volume name. Then, click on the "START" button to proceed.

Step 6

Click on the "OK" button.

The process will begin and wait for few minutes to complete.

Creating a Partition For Ubuntu

Since you are going to install the Ubuntu along with Windows 10 operating system. Then, you have to create a free partition (unallocated space) in your system to install the Ubuntu on it. To create a free unallocated space in your system, you need to shrink the existing drive or volume that you want. Follow the below instructions to proceed.

Step 1

From the Start menu, open the Run dialog box. (Alternatively, you can Press the "Window + R" key to open the RUN window).

Step 2

Type "diskmgmt.msc" and press enter to open it.

Step 3

To shrink the particular disk partition that you want, select it and then right-click on it and select "shrink volume".

Step 4

After clicking the "Shrink Volume" option, a "Shrink E:" window will appear on the screen. Just enter how much space you want to shrink in MB and click on the Shrink button. For example: If you want to shrink 60 GB, select 61440 MB in "Enter the amount of space to shrink to MB".

Step 5

After completion of the shrinking process, you will see a new Unallocated space which can be used as a new partition or volume.

Note

I have also described the shrinking process in detail in my previous article on the topic, "How to shrink the Hard Disk Partition in Windows 10".

Install Ubuntu

Now, it is time to install the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Follow the instructions below to proceed.

Step 1

Plug your USB drive and restart your system. During the restarting of your system, press the F10 or F12 button (whatever will work for your system) to open the BIOS.

Step 2

Now, select your USB drive and click on it.

Step 3

Welcome Wizard will appear on the screen. Now, click on the "Install Ubuntu" button to proceed.

Step 4

Select your desired "keyboard layout" and click on the "Continue" button to proceed.

Step 5

Now, select your Network to install the third-party software, download updates, and install full support for your language.

Step 6

Use the default option as "Normal Installation" and click on the "Continue" button.

Step 7

Now, pay attention to this step, now you have two options to proceed.

This option is for beginners, who have little knowledge about setting up Ubuntu. In this option, Ubuntu will handle all tasks related to partitioning. You do not need to do anything regarding the partition.

Step 8

Select the default option as the "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10" and click on the "Continue" button to proceed.

Option B) This option is meant for intermediaries who have sufficient knowledge of Ubuntu's installation and can handle partitions on their own basis. In this option, you have to manually set the partition for Ubuntu.

Step 8

Select (check) the "Something else" option and click on the "Continue" button to proceed.

option for intermediate, choose something else

Step 9

"Installation Type" window will appear on the screen, now you have to manually allocate your memory to Ubuntu. Now, choose the free space and click on the '+' button.

Step 10

"Create partition" window will appear on the screen. First of all, choose your memory for '/root' by allocating the size (in MBs), choose the "Logical" option for Type, and Mount point as 'root' i.e. '/'. Click on the "OK" button to proceed.

choose your memory for '/root' partition

Step 11

Again, select the left free space and click on the '+' button. Then, choose your memory for 'swap area' by allocating the size (in MBs), choose the "Logical" option for Type, and 'Use as' as 'swap area'. Click on the "OK" button to proceed.

Step 12

Again, select the left free space and click on the '+' button. Then, choose your memory for '/home' by allocating the size (in MBs), choose the "Logical" option for Type, and 'Mount Point' as '/home'. Click on the "OK" button to proceed. Then, click on the "Install Now" button to proceed.