How To Dual Boot Linux Mint And Windows 10 [Beginner's Guide]

I’ve already installed Linux Mint. Can I install windows 10 now?
I mean first installing Linux Mint and then windows. Is it possible? If possible then how? Please help.

Thanks in advance.

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Typically you would install Windows first. Most mainstream Linux distros will auto-detect other OS’s already installed and ask you if you want to install along side that other OS and allow you to adjust the partition sizes. It should also then install a GRUB menu that will give you the option of which OS to boot into on startup. Windows will tend to just wipe out what ever was there and install itself as the only OS.

Here’s a good step-by-step guide:

But I have already installed Linux Mint 19.2. So now I want to install Windows 10 for dual boot. So is it possible? Cause everyone shows first windows then installing linux. But mine is opposite.

I don’t know if there is a procedure to do it that way. I’ve always done it Windows first and then Linux. Any guides I’ve ever seen for dual-booting follow this order because it’s fairly easy to do it this way.

I suppose it is possible to create a separate partition and then select that partition when installing Windows, but the issue I foresee happening with that is the Windows boot manager will just override the Linux boot option and just boot straight into Windows.

When you install Windows first, then Linux, it will then give you the option on start up to select the OS you want.

I understand. But now I cannot do that. Cause if I do that, my data will be lost :frowning_face:

If you have an external storage drive, you can copy everything from your /home directory so you don’t lose your data. Then copy it back over once you’ve reinstalled Mint.

May I ask why you need Windows?

I want to play games on windows. Cause Linux Mint gives me very low fps

What are your full system specs, and is this a laptop or a desktop?

i3-3210m
gt620m 2gb
4gb ram
laptop

So that’s a somewhat lower-end spec machine. It won’t really matter if you’re running Windows, gaming performance isn’t going to be very strong. Windows uses a lot more ram than Linux, so with only 4GB, performance might suffer even more with Windows.

Which games do you want to play?

i got 40-50 fps when I used windows on CS:GO.
in manjaro linux, i got 60-70 fps on CS:GO
but in Linux mint i got 20-40 fps. and it’s really laggy
in manjaro it was also laggy. That’s why i want to use windows for linux

Ah OK. Yeah CS:Go is fairly easy to run.

In Linux, make sure you switch to the Nvidia proprietary drivers. They tend to provide better performance than the open-source drivers, which are usually installed by default.

In Mint, go to settings > additional drivers, give it a moment to refresh and then it should then give you the option to switch to the Nvidia drivers. Let it finish, then reboot and give it a try.

@saimum All you have to do is overwrite the Windows bootloader with GRUB2 after installing Windows, and you are set.

Has to make sure Windows doesn’t wipe out the Linux OS on installation first though. :wink:

It won’t if you do a custom installation onto a specific partition.

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Indeed, I just wanted to make sure the OP knows this.

@saimum, I wonder why you are stuck on installing Windows second. Linux is so easy and fast to install. You can install Linux in what maybe 10-15 minutes? Why waste all this time worrying and trying to figure out something that not even recommended?
Go ahead and install windows. Then re-install Linux.

but i have many important files. that’s why i cannot reinstall linux. :’(

how to do that. any tutorial?