Linux Mint 20 has been released in wild by the Linux Mint project development team as a new long term support edition which will receive support and security updates until 2025.
This tutorial will guide you on how you can install Linux Mint 20 in dual-boot with a variant Microsoft Operating System, such as Windows 8, 8.1 or 10, on machines with EFI firmware and a pre-installed version of Microsoft OS.
If you’re looking for a non-dual-boot installation on Laptop, Desktop, or Virtual Machine, you should read: Installation Guide of Linux Mint 20 Codename ‘Ulyana’.
Assuming that your laptop or desktop system comes pre-installed with Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 or 8 you should enter the UEFI menu and disable the following settings: Secure Boot and Fast Boot features.
If the computer has no pre-installed OS and you intend to use Linux and Windows in dual-boot, first install Microsoft Windows and then proceed with Linux Mint 20 installation.
Download Linux Mint 20
- Linux Mint 20 ISO images – https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
In case you own a UEFI computer stay away from the 32-bit version of Linux Mint because it will only boot and work with BIOS machines, while the 64-bit ISO image can boot with BIOS or UEFI computers.
Step 1: Shrink HDD Space for Dual-Boot
1. In case your computer comes pre-installed with Microsoft Windows on a single partition, logon to Windows system with a user who has administrator privileges, press [Win+r] keys to open run prompt and type the following command in order to open Disk Management tool.
diskmgmt.msc
2. Right-click on C: partition and select Shrink Volume in order to resize the partition. Use a value best-suited for you, depending on your HDD size, on the amount of space to shrink MB field (minimum 20000 MB recommended) and hit Shrink button to start the process of resizing the partition.
3. When the process finishes a new unallocated space will appear on the hard drive.
Close Disk Management utility, place Linux Mint DVD or USB bootable image in the appropriate drive, and reboot the computer in order to start with Linux Mint 20 installation.
In case you’re booting Linux Mint for installation from a USB dive in UEFI mode make sure you’ve created the bootable USB stick using a utility such as Rufus, which is UEFI compatible, otherwise your USB bootable drive won’t boot.
Step 2: Installation of Linux Mint 20
4. After reboot, press the special function key and instruct the machine firmware (UEFI) to boot-up from the appropriate DVD or USB drive (the special function keys usually are F12, F10 or F2 depending on the motherboard manufacturer).
Once the media boot-up a new screen should appear on your monitor. Choose Start Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon and hit Enter to continue.
5. Wait until the system loads into RAM in order to run in live-mode and open the installer by double-clicking on Install Linux Mint icon.
6. Choose the language you wish to perform the installation and click on the Continue button to proceed further.
7. Next, you should select your keyboard layout and click on the Continue button.
8. On the next screen hit on the Continue button to proceed further. Third-party software (multimedia codes) can be automatically downloaded and installed on this step by checking the check-box.
The recommendation would be to leave the box unchecked for the moment and manually install proprietary software later after the installation process completes.
9. At the next screen, you can choose the Installation Type. If Windows Boot manager is automatically detected you can choose to Install Linux Mint alongside Windows Boot Manager. This option ensures that the HDD will be automatically partitioned by the installer without any data loss.
The second option, Erase disk and install Linux Mint, should be avoided for dual-boot because is potentially dangerous and will wipe out your disk.
For a more flexible partition layout, you should go with Something else option and hit on the Continue button to proceed further.
10. Now let’s create the partition layout for Linux Mint 20. I would recommend that you create three partitions, one for / (root), one for /home accounts data and one partition for swap.
First, create the swap partition. Select the free space and hit on the + icon below. On this partition use the following settings and hit OK to create the partition:
Size = 1024 MB Type for the new partition = Primary Location for the new partition = Beginning of this space Use as = swap area
11. Using the same steps as above create the /(root) partition with the below settings:
Size = minimum 15 GB Type for the new partition = Primary Location for the new partition = Beginning of this space Use as = EXT4 journaling file system Mount point = /
12. Finally, create the home slice with the below settings (use all the available free space to create home partition).
Home partition is the place where all documents for user accounts will be stored by default, except the root account. In case of system failure, you can reinstall the operating system for scratch without touching or losing the settings and documents of all users.
Size = remaining free space Type for the new partition = Primary Location for the new partition = Beginning Use as = EXT4 journaling file system Mount point = /home
13. After finishing creating the partition layout, select the Windows Boot Manager as the device for installing the Grub boot loader and hit on Install Now button in order to commit changes to disk and proceed with the installation.
Next, a new pop-up window will ask you if you agree with committing changes to disk. Hit on Continue to accept changes and the installer will now start to write changes to disk.
14. On the next screen choose your nearest physical location from the map and hit Continue.
15. Enter a username and a password for the first account with root privileges, choose your system hostname by filling the computer’s name field with a descriptive value and hit Continue to finalize the installation process.
16. The installation process will take a while and when it reaches the final step it will ask you to hit on the Restart Now button to complete the installation.
17. After reboot, the system will first boot-up in Grub, with Linux Mint as the first boot option which will be automatically started after 10 seconds. From here you can further instruct the computer to boot in Windows or Linux.
On computers, with newer UEFI firmware the Grub boot loader won’t be displayed by default and the machine will automatically boot-up in Windows.
In order to boot into Linux, you must press the special function boot key after the restart and from there to further select what OS you wish to start.
In order to change the default boot order enter UEFI settings, select your default OS and save the changes. Review the vendor’s manual in order to detect the special function keys used for boot or for entering UEFI settings.
18. After the system finishes loading, log in to Linux Mint 20 by using the credentials created during the installation process. Fire-up a Terminal window and start the update process from the command line by running the following commands:
$ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get upgrade
That’s it! You have successfully installed the latest version of Linux Mint 20 on your device. You will find the Linux Mint platform to be very robust, fast, flexible, enjoyable, easy to use, with a ton of software required for a normal user already installed and very stable.
Great “how to,” Thanks!
I boot to USB through Win10, > choose device > “USB.
(Reason, I do it that way is because my bios are NOT allowing legacy, and only UEFI, so no choose the BIOS!)
I choose the “install mint” icon on the Mint desktop!, then no choice but to install it alongside Windows. NONE!
So I choose something else, and go thru choices, Language, etc., and SKIP WIFI, and SKIP media thingy’s, to INSTALL, and see the little ROUND spinning thingy for 30 Minutes and go back to Win10 UGH!.
I did have Grub2 with Mint as Starting OS and Win10 bootloader choice until I tried to install Winland to have. Android on Mint screen! And good ole Winland totally messed up Grub2 so the only CHOICE I have now is Win10.
luck!
Hi. I’ve installed Linux loads of times on old machines to dual-boot with Windows. This is my first go with a new machine, and I’m really struggling.
The drive doesn’t have an MBR partition, but a UFEI one. I’m not sure if that’s the problem, but in the Installation type window, there is a list of 4 partitions.
When I select it, the
+button is greyed out, and I can’t set up home, root, or swap.I can’t proceed without doing so, and I can’t do it.
Any suggestions were very welcome. Usually, this takes me 2 hours. I’m on my third day now.
@Paddy,
If you use Fast Shutdown or Fast Boot on your Window system, the hardware drives that were in use avoid getting unmounted, due to this the Linux system is unable to use those drivers as they are still used by Windows. This might be the issue.
The instructions were clear and helpful; thank you. The downside to dual-booting is not having the Grub bootloader loading by default as it is a bit awkward using the special function keys to get to the boot options to select the OS.
In section 13, you say “After finishing creating the partition layout, select the Windows Boot Manager as the device for installing the Grub boot loader and hit on Install Now button…”
As you know, Linux needs a /boot partition, and if the machine is UEFI, it will require a /boot/efe partition, otherwise, the install cannot continue.
Are you suggesting using /dev/sda1 for a combined boot partition with EFI?
This is not UEFI!
Where is the gpt partition table?
Where is the EFI partition?
Hi, I am having difficulty loading Linux mint alongside windows. I followed these instructions but hit a few problems. When I came around to setting the swap and root files, if I selected “Primary” the free space became unusable, if I left it on logical it worked, however, whilst your instruction said “Primary“, you picture said “Logical” so that confused me.
Then, have made all three partitions, the last command is: “select the Windows Boot Manager as the device for handling grub” this was not in the drop-down list, just a load of dev addresses… anyway, I hit install and got an EFI error message saying that it will wipe the drive and may not boot, so I’m lost again… but- great instructions, it’s just, it didn’t work for me.
Thank you so much for your time in creating this wonderful article. It was great!!! Greetings from Venezuela.