How to Install Windows from Ubuntu

This wikiHow teaches you how to install Windows 10 on a PC that's already running Ubuntu Linux. Before you get started, make sure you've already purchased a Windows license and product key. Don't worry if you don't have Windows install...

Table of Contents

Creating a Primary NTFS Partition for Windows
Creating a Windows 10 Install Drive in Ubuntu
Running the Windows Installer
Setting Up Dual Boot

Part 1 of 4:

Creating a Primary NTFS Partition for Windows

Install Gparted if you haven't already. Gparted is a free partition tool with a graphical user interface that's pretty easy to use. You can download it from the Software Center or by running sudo apt-get install gparted from the command line.
1. If you've already created a partition for Windows but it's not a Primary Partition, you'll have to create a new one.^[1]
Open Gparted. You'll see a list of all drives and partitions.
Right-click the partition or drive you want to edit and select Resize/Move. This allows you to create a new partition from an existing one.
Enter the new partition size (in MB) into the "Free space following" blank. You should allocate at least 20 GB (20000 MB) for Windows 10. If you plan to install apps and use Windows regularly, you'll probably want to increase that amount.^[2]
Select Primary Partition from the "Create as" menu. It's on the right side of the window.
Select ntfs from the "File System" menu. It's on the right side of the window.
Type Windows10 into the "Label" field. This is just so you can easily identify the partition.
Click Add. It's at the bottom-right corner of the window.
Click the green check mark button. It's in the toolbar at the top of Gparted. This creates the partition, which may take a little while. When the partition is ready, click Close at the bottom-right corner of the window.

Part 2 of 4:

Creating a Windows 10 Install Drive in Ubuntu

Install UNetbootin from the Software Center. This is a free application that lets you create a bootable USB drive in Ubuntu. To learn more about UNetbootin, see https://unetbootin.github.io.
1. You'll need either a blank USB drive with at least 8 GB of space to create install media. Any data on the USB drive will be erased during this process.^[3]
2. For help installing software on Ubuntu, see How to Install Software in Ubuntu.
Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 in a web browser. If you don't already have a bootable Windows DVD or USB drive, you can create a one from a downloadable ISO.
1. You must have a license to install Windows 10. This means you should have already purchased Windows 10 and have a valid product key.
Select the latest version of Windows 10 and click Confirm. Additional options will expand at the bottom of the page.
Select a language and click Confirm. You'll choose the language from the drop-down menu below "Select the product language."
Click 32-bit Download or 64-bit Download. This downloads the ISO to your default download location.
Open UNetbootin and insert your USB drive. Opening UNetbootin displays the welcome screen where you can choose your bootable drive parameters.
Select the "DiskImage" radio button. It's toward the bottom-left corner of the window.
Select ISO from the "DiskImage" menu. It's to the right of the radio button.
Click the three-dot … button. This opens your file browser.
Select the file you just downloaded from Microsoft. It's the one that ends with .iso.
Select USB Drive from the "Type" menu. It's at the bottom-left corner of the window.
Select your USB drive from the "Drive" menu. This is the device label for your USB drive.
1. If you can't select your USB drive, it likely needs to be formatted to the FAT32 file system. You can do this in the file manager by right-clicking the USB drive and selecting Format.^[4]
Click OK. This creates a bootable Windows 10 USB drive from the downloaded ISO image. Once the drive is ready, you'll see "Installation Complete."
Click Exit to close UNetbootin.

Part 3 of 4:

Running the Windows Installer

Restart your computer into the BIOS/UEFI. The steps to enter the BIOS/UEFI depend on your PC manufacturer and model. You'll usually have to press a certain key (often F2, F10, F1, or Del) right after the computer starts back up.
1. Insert the USB drive into a free USB port if you haven't already.
Set the USB drive to come first in the boot order. You'll usually do this in a menu called "Boot" or "Boot Order." The steps to do this vary by PC, but you'll usually have to select USB Drive and mark it as 1st Boot Device. Check your PC manufacturer's website for more specific instructions about your BIOS/UEFI.
Save your changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI. Most BIOS/UEFI make the "Save" and "Exit" keys very clear somewhere on the screen. Once you exit the BIOS/UEFI, your computer will boot from your USB drive and display the "Windows Setup" window.
Click Custom: Install Windows only (advanced). It's the second option on the window. A list of partitions will appear.
Select the Windows10 partition and click Next. This is the partition you just created. Windows will now install on the selected partition.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows. Once you finish the setup, you'll boot to the Windows desktop.
Connect to the internet in Windows. Now that Windows is installed, you'll need to install a tool that allows you to dual-boot it with your existing Ubuntu installation.
1. To learn how to connect to Wi-Fi, see How to Connect to WiFi in Windows 10 or How to Connect to the Internet.

Part 4 of 4:

Setting Up Dual Boot

Open the Microsoft Edge web browser. You'll find it in Start menu, which is at the bottom-left corner of the screen. The final part of the process is setting up your computer to let you boot from either Windows 10 or Ubuntu at start up.
Navigate to https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD. EasyBCD is a free tool that lets you set up dual-boot from within Windows.
Scroll down and click Register under "Non-commercial." This brings you to a sign-up page.
Enter your name and email address and click Download. This should start the download immediately, but you might have to click Save or Download to confirm.
Click the file you just downloaded. It's the file that starts with EasyBCD. You should see it near the bottom of the browser. If you don't, press Ctrl+J to open the Downloads list and click it there.
Click Yes to allow the app to run.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install EasyBCD. Once the app is installed, it will be added to the Start menu.
Open EasyBCD. It's on the Start menu, which you can get to by clicking the Windows button at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click the Linux/BSD tab. It's near the top of the app.
Select Grub 2 from the "Type" menu. It's near the top of the tab.
Type Ubuntu into the "Name" field. It's right below the "Type" menu. This is how Ubuntu will appear in the boot menu.
Select Automatically locate and load from the "Drive" menu.
Click the Add Entry button. It's right below the "Drive" menu. This adds an option for Ubuntu to the standard Windows boot menu.^[5]
Remove the USB drive and restart the PC. You can restart the PC by clicking the Start menu, selecting the Power button (it looks like a knob), and choosing Restart. When the PC comes back up, it will boot to a screen that allows you to select either Windows 10 or Ubuntu. Selecting one or the other will boot into that operating system.

Micah Soto

Update 04 March 2020

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