Windows 11 is the latest edition of Microsoft Windows and is available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 and 8.1 users. So, if you are planning to switch to Windows 11, you need to know how to Dual Boot Windows 10. Dual-booting means having two operating systems installed on one computer at the same time. It gives you the flexibility of using different operating systems depending on what you are working on. For example, if you are a business person and need to use Windows 10 for work, but want to keep your personal files and settings on your computer, Dual Boot Windows allows you to do that.
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Do you want to install Windows 11 along with Windows 10 on your PC? In this article, you will see how to dual boot Windows 11 with Windows 10 operating system. Although they share a lot of similarities, there are also a few differences. If you are using Windows 10 on your personal computer and want to install Windows 11, you will need to dual boot. Let’s see how you can dual boot windows.
1. Windows 11 System Requirement:
In case you forget later things you will need. The first thing you will need is to check if your PC meets the requirement for installing Windows 11. Here are the Windows 11 system requirements.
You can match them with your system. Then you have to download Windows 11 so you should have a stable internet connection. You need a USB drive with a minimum eight-gigabyte capacity or a dual-layer DVD with 8GB of space.
2. How to Download Windows 11?
- To download Windows 11, visit the official Microsoft. There are three options.
- You can download the Update Assistant if you want to update your current Windows 10 to Windows 11.
- Here you are going to dual boot, so you have to download Windows 11 and create bootable media. For that, you can either download the Windows 11 ISO or Windows 11 Media Creation Tool.
If you choose the ISO option, you have to use a third-party app to create bootable media. The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool downloads the OS and creates a bootable drive, so we will go with this option, download it and run it. Read and accept the license terms here. You get the option but cannot change the edition.
The Media Creation Tool will only download Windows 11 as the exact edition you are using Windows 10, click Next. Select the flash drive option or DVD. If you plan to use it, click Next. Select the USB flash drive. Click Next. It will take some time to download and create bootable media.
3. Create Partition for Windows 11:
You can install Windows 11 on any existing partition that doesn’t have any running operating system. The partition you choose should not have any data because the installation will delete all of those. If you haven’t any such partition, you need to create one. Press the Windows + ‘R’ button, type diskmgmt(dot)msc and hit Enter. Now you will have to shrink an existing partition to create a new partition. The requirement for Windows 11 is 64GB to run, but you should give it more to update and install applications.
So right-click on a partition that has the required free space and choose Shrink Volume. Then enter the size to Shrink. If it doesn’t have the space needed, you can shrink other volumes also. Now right-click on the unallocated space, Select New Simple Volume. Click Next. Next. Again, assign the drive letter. Click Next. Here you can name it Windows 11, click Next. Now click Finish.
4. How to Install Windows 11?
Now restart your PC and open the BIOS settings. You have to press the F2 or Delete or Escape key to open the BIOS while booting the key to enter the BIOS could be different for your PC. You can search on the internet to know about your BIOS settings, find the boot priority, and set the USB drive to First. Save and Exit. Then press any key to start the installation. Select your language, keyboard input method, and click Next.
Click on install now on the next screen you have to enter the product key if you don’t have a product key you can skip it. Now select the version of Windows 11 and click Next. Read and accept the agreement then click Next. Select the custom install Windows only, now choose the partition you have created for Windows 11. Then click Next. Windows 11 installation will begin. When your PC restarts make sure to remove your USB drive. After some time Windows 11 will start.
5. How to Enable Dual Boot in Windows:
Sometimes an option to choose the OS doesn’t show up. so should enable the dual boot. On the Start, search for the command prompt and right-click on it, and choose Run as Administrator. Now copy the command “set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes” and paste it. Press the Enter key.
6. Disable the Fast Startup?
The fast startup might skip the dual boot menu so you should disable it on the Start menu. Search for Control panel. Open it click on Hardware and Sound. Select Power Options to click on choose what Power buttons do. Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable. Disable the Fast Startup Save changes.
7. Choose Default OS:
Now you can select the Default OS so that when your PC starts it can boot to your preferred OS.
- Click on Start
- Type View Advanced System Settings. Open it,
- Click on Settings
- Under Startup and Recovery,
- Select your Default OS.
You can also set the time to display the list of the operating systems as per your preference. Click okay now your PC is ready with the dual operating system Windows 10 and Windows 11. Restart the PC and then select the OS from the list. That’s it for this article. If you have any questions and suggestions, drop them below in the comment box.
