Two common ways to run Linux alongside Windows:
- Dual-Boot – Install Linux on a separate partition
- Virtual Machine (VM) – Run Linux inside Windows via virtualization
- ⚡ Full hardware performance
- 🧠 Suitable for development, heavy tasks
- 🔌 Access hardware-level features directly
- 🔄 Must reboot to switch OS
- ⚠️ Risk of bootloader/partition issues
- ⏱️ Slower to switch environments
- 🧼 Free up disk space in Windows
- 🔧 Create bootable Linux USB
- 💿 Boot from USB and install Linux alongside Windows
- ⚙️ Set boot order via GRUB (Linux bootloader)
- 🔁 Run Linux inside Windows (no reboot needed)
- 🧪 Great for testing, learning, scripting
- 📤 Easy backups & snapshots
- 🐢 Slower than native install (depends on RAM/CPU)
- 🚫 Limited hardware access (e.g., GPU, USB passthrough)
- 💾 Requires virtualization support (VT-x/AMD-V)
- VirtualBox (free, open-source)
- VMware Workstation Player (free for personal use)
- Hyper-V (Windows Pro feature)
| Feature |
Dual-Boot |
Virtual Machine |
| Performance |
Native/full speed |
Reduced (virtualized) |
| Hardware Access |
Full |
Limited |
| OS Switching |
Reboot required |
Instant (windowed) |
| Setup Complexity |
Moderate |
Easy |
| Ideal For |
Developers, power users |
Beginners, testers |
| Risk of Data Loss |
Medium (partitioning) |
Low |
- 📦 Backup data before dual-booting
- ✅ Enable virtualization in BIOS for VM
- 🧮 Allocate at least 2 CPU cores and 4GB RAM for Linux VM
- 🔐 Use separate partitions and strong admin passwords
- GRUB – Linux bootloader for dual-boot
- ISO File – Linux installation image
- Snapshot – Save VM state
- Virtual Disk (VDI/VMDK) – Linux storage in VM