How to Install Ubuntu from Windows 11/10 (Complete Guide)

You can install Ubuntu on a Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC using three methods: dual-booting alongside Windows, running it inside a virtual machine, or enabling the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). This guide walks you through all three approaches, with step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips, so you can choose the right method for your needs and complete the installation in under an hour.

Which Installation Method Should You Choose?

The right method depends on how you plan to use Ubuntu and whether you want to keep Windows running alongside it.

Method	Best For	Pros	Cons
Dual Boot	Full Linux experience, gaming, development	Full hardware access, native performance	Requires partitioning, one OS at a time
Virtual Machine	Testing, learning, running both OSes simultaneously	Safe, no partitioning needed	Slower, limited hardware access
WSL	Developers, command-line users	Instant setup, no reboot needed	No GUI apps by default, partial Linux support

Choose dual-boot if you want Ubuntu as your primary OS or need full hardware performance for development and gaming. Choose a virtual machine if you want to explore Ubuntu without touching your Windows partition. Choose WSL if you are a developer who only needs Linux command-line tools like bash, git, python, or apt inside Windows.

What You Need Before You Start

Before beginning any installation method, confirm you have a 64-bit PC running Windows 10 (version 1903 or later) or Windows 11, at least 25 GB of free disk space (50 GB recommended for dual-boot), and a USB drive with 8 GB or more capacity if you plan to dual-boot. You will also need a stable internet connection to download the Ubuntu ISO and your Windows BitLocker recovery key saved — you can find it at account.microsoft.com under Devices.

Important: Back up your Windows data before attempting a dual-boot installation. Partitioning errors are rare but can occur on misconfigured systems.

Method 1: Dual-Boot Ubuntu with Windows (Recommended for Most Users)

Dual-booting installs Ubuntu on a separate partition, letting you choose between Windows and Ubuntu every time you start your PC. This gives you full hardware access and native performance on both systems.

Step 1: Download the Ubuntu ISO

Go to ubuntu.com/download/desktop and download Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — the Long Term Support release, which is the most stable version available in 2026. The .iso file is approximately 5 GB, so save it somewhere easy to find, like your Downloads folder.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive with Rufus

You need a bootable USB drive to install Ubuntu. Rufus is the most reliable tool for this on Windows. Download it from rufus.ie — the portable version requires no installation. Plug in your USB drive (all data on it will be erased), open Rufus, and configure it as follows:

Device:           Your USB drive (e.g., "SanDisk 16GB")
Boot selection:   Select the Ubuntu ISO you downloaded
Partition scheme: GPT  (for UEFI systems — most PCs made after 2012)
Target system:    UEFI (non-CSM)
File system:      FAT32
Cluster size:     4096 bytes (default)

Click START, select Write in ISO Image mode when prompted, then click OK. Rufus takes 5–10 minutes to write the image.

To confirm which partition scheme your PC needs, press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. Look for BIOS Mode — if it says UEFI, use GPT; if it says Legacy, use MBR.

Step 3: Shrink Your Windows Partition to Make Space for Ubuntu

Ubuntu needs its own partition. You will carve space out of your Windows drive without deleting Windows. Press Win + X and select Disk Management, then right-click your main Windows drive (usually C:) and select Shrink Volume. In the “Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB” field, enter 25600 for a minimal 25 GB install or 51200 for a more comfortable 50 GB install. Click Shrink.

A new block of Unallocated Space will appear on the drive. Leave it unallocated, the Ubuntu installer will use it automatically.

If Shrink Volume shows a smaller maximum than expected, open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following command, then disable hibernation with powercfg /h off, restart, and try again:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All

Step 4: Disable Fast Startup in Windows

Fast Startup can cause issues with dual-boot systems because it puts Windows into a hibernation-like state instead of fully shutting down, which locks the NTFS partition and can prevent Ubuntu from reading it cleanly. Go to Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do, click Change settings that are currently unavailable, uncheck Turn on fast startup, and save your changes.

Most modern Ubuntu versions (20.04 and later) support Secure Boot natively, so you do not need to disable it. Only disable Secure Boot in your BIOS if Ubuntu later fails to boot after installation.

Step 5: Boot from the USB Drive

Restart your PC with the USB drive plugged in and press the boot menu key during startup. The key varies by manufacturer — Dell uses F12, HP uses F9 or Esc, Lenovo uses F12 or the Novo button, ASUS uses F8 or Esc, MSI uses F11, and Acer uses F12. Select your USB drive from the boot menu. Ubuntu’s GRUB menu will appear, select Try or Install Ubuntu.

Step 6: Run the Ubuntu Installer

The Ubuntu installer guides you through setup in clear screens. Select your language and click Install Ubuntu, choose your keyboard layout, then select Normal installation for a full desktop with apps. Check Download updates while installing Ubuntu if you have an internet connection.

On the installation type screen, select Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager. This is the safest option, the installer automatically uses the unallocated space you created in Step 3. You can drag the divider between Windows and Ubuntu to adjust the size allocation if prompted. Click Install Now and confirm the partition changes.

Select your time zone on the map, then enter your name, computer name, username, and a strong password. You will need this password every time you install software or make system changes in Ubuntu. The installation takes 10–20 minutes depending on your hardware and internet speed. When complete, click Restart Now, remove the USB drive when prompted, and press Enter.

Step 7: Use GRUB to Choose Your OS at Boot

After installation, every time you start your PC the GRUB bootloader appears and lets you choose between Ubuntu and Windows Boot Manager. GRUB defaults to Ubuntu after 10 seconds. Once you are inside Ubuntu, you can edit GRUB settings to change the default OS or adjust the timeout.

Method 2: Install Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine on Windows

A virtual machine (VM) runs Ubuntu inside a window on your Windows desktop. No partitioning is required, and you can run both operating systems at the same time. VirtualBox is the best free option, download it from virtualbox.org by choosing the Windows hosts version and running the installer with default settings.

Step 1: Create a New Virtual Machine

Open VirtualBox and click New. Name it Ubuntu 24.04, set the type to Linux, and the version to Ubuntu (64-bit). Allocate at least 4096 MB of RAM — 8192 MB if your PC has 16 GB or more. Create a virtual hard disk using VDI format with dynamic allocation and a size of at least 25 GB, though 50 GB is recommended for comfortable use.

Step 2: Attach the Ubuntu ISO and Install

Go to Settings → Storage, click the empty disc icon under Controller: IDE, and select the Ubuntu .iso file you downloaded. Start the VM and follow the same installer steps as Method 1. When prompted for the installation type, select Erase disk and install Ubuntu, this only affects the virtual disk, not your real Windows drive. Complete the installation and restart the VM.

Step 3: Install VirtualBox Guest Additions

After Ubuntu boots inside the VM, click Devices → Insert Guest Additions CD image in the VirtualBox menu bar. Open a terminal in Ubuntu with Ctrl + Alt + T and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt
sudo /mnt/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

Restart the VM after the installation completes. Guest Additions enables shared clipboard, drag-and-drop file sharing, automatic screen resizing, and significantly better graphics performance, it makes the VM feel much more responsive.

Method 3: Install Ubuntu via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

WSL runs a real Ubuntu kernel inside Windows without a virtual machine or dual-boot setup. It is the fastest way to get Ubuntu’s command-line environment on Windows and the method Microsoft officially supports for developers. WSL 2, the current version, runs a full Linux kernel and supports Docker, systemd, and most Linux applications.

Step 1: Enable WSL with a Single Command

Open PowerShell as Administrator by right-clicking Start and selecting Windows PowerShell (Admin), then run:

wsl --install

This single command enables the WSL feature, enables the Virtual Machine Platform, downloads WSL 2, and installs the latest Ubuntu LTS, all automatically. Restart your PC when prompted.

Step 2: Set Up Your Ubuntu User Account

After restarting, Ubuntu opens automatically and asks you to create a user. Enter a username and password when prompted. The password will not display characters as you type — this is normal Linux behavior. You now have a fully functional Ubuntu terminal running inside Windows.

Step 3: Verify WSL 2 Is Active

Confirm WSL 2 is running (not the older WSL 1) by running this in PowerShell:

wsl --list --verbose

The output should show VERSION 2 next to Ubuntu. If it shows version 1, upgrade it with wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2.

Step 4: Access Your Windows Files from Ubuntu

Your Windows drives are mounted automatically inside WSL at /mnt/. To access your Windows C: drive, run cd /mnt/c/Users/YourWindowsUsername/ from the Ubuntu terminal. You can read and write Windows files from Ubuntu and vice versa.

On Windows 11, WSL supports Linux GUI applications natively through WSLg with no extra setup. To test it, install a GUI app and launch it:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install gedit -y
gedit

A native Linux text editor window will open directly on your Windows desktop.

Post-Installation Setup: What to Do After Installing Ubuntu

Regardless of which method you used, run a full system update immediately after your first login. This downloads security patches and brings all packages to their latest versions:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This typically takes 5–15 minutes on a fresh install. After updating, install common tools that are not included by default — development essentials, media codecs, and a media player can all be added in one command:

sudo apt install git curl wget build-essential ubuntu-restricted-extras vlc -y

Enable the built-in firewall (UFW) to protect your system with sudo ufw enable, then verify it is running with sudo ufw status. The status output should read active. For automatic security updates, open Software & Updates → Updates tab and set security updates to download and install automatically.

Troubleshooting Common Ubuntu Installation Errors

Ubuntu shows a black screen after installation. This is almost always a GPU driver conflict with NVIDIA graphics cards. At the GRUB menu, highlight Ubuntu and press e to edit the boot entry. Find the line starting with linux and add nomodeset before quiet splash, then press F10 to boot. Once inside Ubuntu, install the proprietary driver permanently with sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall followed by sudo reboot.

GRUB does not appear after dual-boot installation. Windows Boot Manager has overridden GRUB. Restart into BIOS/UEFI and change the boot order so the Ubuntu entry comes before Windows Boot Manager. Alternatively, boot from your live Ubuntu USB and run:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt   # Replace sda2 with your Ubuntu partition
sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda
sudo update-grub

The WSL command is not found on Windows 10. WSL requires Windows 10 version 2004 (Build 19041) or higher. Run winver to check your current version. If it is below 2004, go to Settings → Windows Update and install all available updates before trying again.

Ubuntu freezes during installation. This usually means a corrupted ISO or a bad USB write. Verify the ISO checksum in PowerShell:

Get-FileHash C:\Users\YourUser\Downloads\ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso -Algorithm SHA25

Compare the output with the SHA256 value listed on Ubuntu’s official download page. If they do not match, redownload the ISO and recreate the USB drive with Rufus.

Next Steps

You now have Ubuntu running on your Windows PC, whether as a dual-boot system, inside a virtual machine, or through WSL. The natural next step is learning the Ubuntu terminal: commands like ls, cd, apt, grep, and chmod will let you move through the system quickly and install software without touching a GUI. From there, setting up a development environment with Python, Node.js, or Docker natively in Ubuntu gives you a faster and more flexible workflow than anything available on Windows alone.