How to Dual Boot Windows 11 with Windows 10

If you want to try Windows 11 without removing Windows 10, why not use dual boot? This is how to do it.

With a dual-boot system, you can install Windows 11 on a Windows 10 PC. This allows you to try new Microsoft products without uninstalling your existing operating system.

Setting up a Windows dual-boot system is very simple. All you need is a Windows 11 compatible system, an ISO image, enough storage space and a few minutes. It sounds pretty good? Let’s look at two ways to start Windows 11 with Windows 10.

Prerequisites to Dual-Boot Windows 11 With Windows 10

Before starting Windows 11, you need to do some preparations. First, as expected, you must have a computer that can run Windows 11. Easier said than done, because the system requirements to run Windows 11 are higher than people expected.

If your PC can run Windows 11, download the Windows 11 ISO image and create a bootable flash drive. If you don’t have a flash drive, you can install the ISO image file.

Where Do I install Windows 11 on My Windows 10 PC?

You can shrink the existing volume and create a new partition on the disk to install Windows 11. We will walk you through the steps to shrink, format, and create a new partition.

Method 1: Dual-Boot Windows 10 and Windows 11 From Within

You can install Windows 11 by running the setup.exe file directly from the Windows source folder. This is useful if you don’t have a bootable flash drive. This method involves multiple steps, so please do whatever you need.

Step 1: Shrink a Volume or Partition

First, we will shrink the current partition to make another one large enough to install Windows 11. To do this, press Win + R to open Run. Next, type diskmgmt.msc and click OK to open the Disk Management tool.

How to Dual Boot Windows 11 with Windows 10

In the Disk section, right-click on any volume with enough free space and select Shrink Volume.

In the dialog box that appears, enter the amount of space you want to reduce (in MB) and then click “Shrink.” For example, if your current volume has 153122 MB (150 GB) of free space, enter 70000 in the “Shrink” field. It will shrink your current volume to 80GB and the remaining 70GB will show up as unallocated space.

Step 2: Create a New Volume

To create a new volume, right-click on the Unallocated space and select New Simple Volume.

In the New Simple Volume Wizard window, click Next. Then enter the size of the new volume and click Next. Make sure to allocate enough space to install Windows 11.

Select the Assign the following drive letter option and click Next.

Next, select Format this volume with the following settings and choose the following:

File System – NTFS
Allocation unit size – Default
Volume Label – Windows 11.

Labeling your volume will make it easier to recognize the drive during installation. Also, check the Perform a quick format option. Finally, click on Finish to create a new partition.

Step 3: Install Windows 11 With Windows 10

Connect Windows 11 bootable flash drive to PC. If you don’t have a bootable flash drive, install the Windows 11 ISO image.

To do this, right-click on the ISO image and select Install. Once the image is installed, it will appear as a new drive on this PC.

Next, open the bootable flash drive or mounted ISO in File Explorer. Then, open the Sources folder and run the setup.exe file. Click Yes when prompted by UAC (User Account Control).

In the Windows Setup screen, select No thanks to proceed. Next, accept the applicable notices and license terms and click Next.

Select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option. In the Where do you want to install Windows screen, select your Windows 11 volume and click Next.

That’s. Windows 11 will now begin to install. On traditional hard drives, this process can take some time and more.

During the installation process, your PC will reboot and display the Windows Boot Manager. Here, select the first Windows 10/11 setup option to continue setup. If you are using a leaked version of Windows 11, you may see Windows 10 instead of Windows 11.

After the setting is complete, restart your PC, and you will see the dual boot option in the boot manager.

Related: How to Create a Bootable USB Drive From Your Windows CD

Method 2: Dual-Boot Windows 11 with Windows 10 Using a Bootable Drive at Boot

If you prefer, you can also install Windows 11 at boot using a bootable drive. Here’s how to do it.

First, follow Step 1 in Method 1 toshrink a volume on your disk to create unallocated space. Once you have an unallocated space large enough to install Windows 11, proceed with the installation.

Shut down your PC and connect the bootable USB flash drive.
While restarting the PC, start pressing F12 to access the Boot menu.
Select your Windows 11 bootable drive as the boot device in Boot Manager.
In the Setup window, select your language and other preferences and click OK.
Next, click on Install Now, and accept the terms of the license.
Select the Custom: Install Windows only option.
In the Where do you want to install Windows screen, select Unallocated space partition and click Next.

Windows 11 will start installing on your selected partition. Follow through with the setup to complete the installation. Once installed, your device will automatically set Windows 11 as the default OS.

How to Choose the Default OS to Boot Between Windows 10 and 11?

You can change the default OS to boot on a dual-boot system from Startup and Recovery. Here’s how to do it.

Press Win + I to open Settings.
Go to System and then open the About tab from the left pane.
In the right pane, click on Advanced System Settings under the Related Settings section.
In the Startup and Recovery section, click on Settings.
Click the drop-down for Default operating system and choose your preferred OS.
Set the Time to display list of operating systems and Time to display recovery options when needed options to 30 seconds each.
Click OK to save the changes and restart your PC.

During the reboot, your system will ask you to select the preferred operating system to boot. If you do not select an option, the default operating system will start automatically. If you still don’t see the dual boot option during reboot, try disabling fast boot.

How to Turn Off Fast Startup in Windows 10/11

To disable fast startup:

Type control in the Windows search bar and open Control Panel.
Next, go to System and Security > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.
Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Next, uncheck Turn on fast startup under Shutdown settings, and click on Save changes.

Now You Can Dual-Boot Windows 11 with Windows 10

If you want to try Windows 11 without worrying about its stability and performance issues, dual boot is very useful. However, dual booting is not without its flaws. There are risks and problems that may affect system performance. Understanding the potential dual-boot issues that may occur can help you alleviate these issues as early as possible.