Software & Apps Linux How to Dual Boot Windows and Debian Use Debian as the second OS on your Windows 10 PC by Gary Newell Writer Gary Newell was a freelance contributor, application developer, and software tester with 20+ years in IT, working on Linux, UNIX, and Windows. our editorial process Gary Newell Updated on December 02, 2020 Tweet Share Email Linux Switching from Windows Want to run Linux on a Windows PC? If you know how to dual boot Debian and Windows, you can switch between operating systems whenever you want. These instructions are for installing Debian 8 Jessie on PCs running Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8. Where to Get Debian for Windows The first step is to download the appropriate ISO file for your computer's architecture. For 64-bit systems, go to https://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst in a web browser and select amd64 under Small CDs or USB sticks to download the Debian ISO file. If you're running a 32-bit version of Windows, select i386 under Small CDs or USB sticks. Check in the Control Panel to tell if you're running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. How to Prepare Your PC to Boot Debian From a USB To prepare your PC for dual booting Linux and Windows, you may need to shrink your Windows partition to make room for Debian. If your system uses UEFI, you must also disable Windows Fast Startup so that you can boot from a USB device: Back up Windows with Macrium Reflect or another software backup tool before you begin in case something goes wrong. Right-click the Windows Start menu and select Power Options. Select Additional power settings on the right side. Select Choose what the power button does. Select Change settings that are currently unavailable. Uncheck the Turn on Fast Startup box and select Save Changes. How to Create a Bootable Debian USB Drive You will need to download and install the Win32 Disk Imager to burn the ISO file to the USB drive: Insert a blank USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on your computer. Launch Win32 Disk Imager and select your USB drive under Device. Select the blue folder under the Image File section and select the Debian ISO file you downloaded. If you don't see the ISO file listed, set the File type to All. Select Write. Select Yes to confirm. Restart your computer and hold down the Shift key until you see the option to boot from the USB drive. If your computer boots into Windows, you may need to change the boot order in the system BIOS. You can do anything in the live version of Debian that you can do when it is fully installed, but any changes you made will be lost when you reboot. How to Dual Boot Debian and Windows 10 To install Debian so that you can dual boot Windows and Linux: Select Graphical install. Choose your language, region, and keyboard layout. When you get to the Configure the network section, give your PC a hostname and assign your network a domain name if you want. If your PC doesn't automatically detect your network connection, you may be prompted to set up a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. In the Set Up Users And Passwords section, you must choose a root password, which will be required for processes that need administrator access. You'll then be asked to create a user name and password. In the Partition Disks section, choose Guided - use the largest continuous free space and select Continue. You'll be given the option to create one single partition for Debian or set up a separate home partition. The following steps are the same regardless of which one you choose. On the screen showing how the disk will be partitioned, choose Finish partitioning and write changes to disk and select Continue. Select Yes and Continue to confirm. In the Configure the Package Manager section, choose Yes under Use a network mirror and select Continue to download Debian packages for your region. You can skip this step, but you will eventually need to install Debian packages to get the most out of your new operating system. In the Software Selection section, choose the Linux desktop environment you want to use. Make sure the boxes beside print server and standard system utilities are also checked before selecting Continue. On the Finish the Installation screen, select Continue. With the setup complete, reboot your computer and remove the USB drive. A menu should appear with an option to boot either Debian or Windows. Whenever you want to change operating systems, just restart your computer. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit