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Ivaj O'Franc
Ivaj O'Franc

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at dev.to

Tutorial: Dual Boot Arch Linux + Windows 11 on UEFI Systems

#archlinux #windows11 #dualboot #tutorial 
id: 2803423
title: "Tutorial: Dual Boot Arch Linux + Windows 11 on UEFI Systems"
published: true
tags: ["archlinux", "windows11", "dualboot", "tutorial"]
series: "I Fixed It and I Don't Know How"
description: "Step-by-step tutorial to install Arch Linux alongside Windows 11 in dual boot mode with UEFI and GRUB, without breaking your existing installation."
canonical_url: "https://dev.to/ivajofranc/tutorial-dual-boot-arch-linux-windows-11-on-uefi-systems-5dpd"
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Tutorial: Dual Boot Arch Linux + Windows 11 on UEFI Systems

🇪🇸 Lee también este post en español

This tutorial documents how to install Arch Linux alongside Windows 11 in dual boot mode, including GRUB setup, browser installation, and tools like Python.

🔹 Step-by-Step Guide (Practical Walkthrough)

1. Preparation

  1. Enter the laptop BIOS (e.g., Asus: F2 or Del) and set boot from USB.
  2. Download the official Arch Linux ISO: 👉 https://archlinux.org/download/
  3. Create a bootable USB (e.g., with Rufus, balenaEtcher, or dd).

2. Installation with archinstall

  1. Boot from the USB.
  2. Connect to the internet: 
   iwctl
   station wlan0 connect NETWORK_NAME
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  1. Run the guided installer: 
   archinstall
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  1. Choose:
    • Region and language
    • Disk and partitioning scheme (do not erase Windows)
    • Recommended base packages

3. Partition Setup

  • Create partitions for:
    • /boot/efi → mount on Windows’ existing EFI partition
    • / (root)
    • swap (optional)
    • /home (optional)

4. GRUB Installation and Setup

  1. Install GRUB and tools: 
   pacman -S grub os-prober efibootmgr
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  1. Edit /etc/default/grub to enable os-prober: 
   GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
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  1. Regenerate configuration: 
   grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
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  1. To make Windows the default system, edit /etc/default/grub: 
   GRUB_DEFAULT="Windows Boot Manager (on /dev/nvme0n1pX)"
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(replace with the correct entry detected by GRUB)

5. Browser Installation

  • Firefox (official repository): 
  sudo pacman -S firefox
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  • Google Chrome (AUR): 
  yay -S google-chrome
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  • Microsoft Edge (AUR): 
  yay -S microsoft-edge-stable-bin
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6. Python and Tools Installation

One command to install everything:

sudo pacman -S python python-pip python-setuptools python-wheel python-virtualenv
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✅ Issues and Solutions

  • GRUB didn’t show and booted straight into Windows → Fixed by enabling os-prober and regenerating grub.cfg.
  • Windows didn’t boot → Regenerated GRUB correctly.
  • Arch showed as default in GRUB → Set GRUB_DEFAULT to make Windows the default system.
  • Partitioning confusion → Recommended mounting Windows EFI and creating new partitions for Arch.

🔗 Useful Links

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