Running Two Operating Systems on One PC: How to Dual-Boot Windows 11 and Windows 10

What if you want to run Windows 11 but don't want to give up your current installation of Windows 10? One solution is to install Windows 11 alongside Windows 10 in a dual-boot configuration.

Are you excited about the prospect of running both Windows 11 and Windows 10 on the same computer? Before diving in, let's first introduce some practical methods to install at least two operating systems on a single computer/laptop.

< strong > 1. Install a virtual Windows 11 on Windows 10 : You can install Windows 11 in a virtual machine on Windows 10 to try out all of its features without leaving your current Windows 10 environment. While this is a popular method, it's not ideal if you have low RAM, as the system might run very slowly and freeze often.

**2. Create a portable Windows 11 USB drive**: A bootable USB drive with Windows 11 can be used to dual-boot Windows 11 on a computer running Windows 10, but this is not a customizable solution. It requires an existing computer with Windows 11, which could be at home or in the office, and a Windows To Go Creator tool to make it.

3. Install Windows 11 on a separate hard drive or disk partition: Consider a dual-boot setup. If you have an extra hard drive lying around, this will require a separate one. Otherwise, you'll need a disk partition with at least 25 GB of free space (the more, the better), which you can easily get with a partitioning tool.

In this article, we'll focus on how to install Windows 11 on a separate drive on your Windows 10 PC so you can dual-boot the two operating systems without impacting each other's performance.

How to Create a New Partition for Installing Windows 11 Before installing Windows 11, you might need to create a new partition to ensure adequate space and an independent operating system environment. Here's how to do it: 1. **Launch the Disk Management tool:** - Type "Disk Management" into the search bar and select the "Disk Management" app. 2. **Inspect the existing disk layout:** - After opening Disk Management, you'll see a list of all disks on your computer, including their sizes, statuses, and partitions. 3. **Choose the disk to adjust:** - Locate the disk where you want to create the new partition, typically your primary hard drive for installing Windows 11. 4. **Create unallocated space:** - If the disk is full, you'll need to delete an existing partition to free up space. Right-click the partition you wish to delete and choose "Delete Volume." Note: This will permanently remove all data from that partition, so back up important files first. 5. **Create a new partition:** - You should now see some "Unallocated" space. Right-click this unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume." 6. **New Simple Volume Wizard:** - Follow the wizard's steps: - Confirm the unallocated space and click "Next." - Set the size for the new partition. For a Windows 11 installation, at least 64 GB is recommended, but you can adjust as needed. - Assign a drive letter or accept the default. - Choose a file system (NTFS is recommended) and cluster size, then click "Next." - Finally, review your settings and click "Finish." 7. **Wait for the creation process to complete:** - Creating a new partition may take some time, depending on the size you allocated. 8. **Verify the new partition:** - Once finished, you should see the new partition in the Disk Management interface and a new drive in "My Computer" or "This PC." Now that you've successfully created a new partition, you can proceed with the Windows 11 installation.

We will set up a new installation of Windows 11 on your computer without touching the original Windows 10. If you have a spare second hard drive, just dedicate it to Windows 11. But if you need to install the new OS on the same disk, use the Partition Master tool to create a new partition on unallocated space following our instructions.

Step 1. Launch Partition Master. On the main interface, right-click on “Unallocated” space on the hard drive or external storage device and select “Create”.

Step 2. Adjust the size of the new partition, the file system (select the filesystem as needed), label, and so on, then click OK to proceed.

Step 3. Click the Run 1 Task button and create a new partition by clicking Apply.

Watch the following video tutorial to learn how to create partitions on an NTFS, FAT, or EXT file system.

How to Download Windows 11 Without Using an ISO

Download the Windows 11 Builder on your computer, and then follow these steps:

Step 1. Launch OS2Go after installation, and click on Create Windows Install Drive. The homepage will display the system information it fetches, which will keep updating. Apart from Windows 11, the Win11 Builder also lets you download Windows 10/8.1.

Step 2: Plug in the USB flash drive to your computer. The Windows 11 installer should detect it automatically, and you can then click on Create.

Step 3. If you're using a used USB drive, the software will wipe its data. Once the download starts, wait for it to finish, or leave and do something else.

Step 4. Once the Windows 11 ISO image has successfully downloaded to your USB drive, proceed to install Windows 11 on your computer by booting from the bootable USB drive and following the on-screen Setup Wizard instructions.

How to Perform a Clean Install of Windows 11 on Your Windows 10 PC

Step 1: Insert the Windows 11 installation USB into your computer, restart, and press the necessary key to enter the boot menu. Select the USB drive as the boot priority.

Step 2. Follow the installer's on-screen instructions to proceed with the Windows 11 setup.

Step 3: Make sure you select the correct disk volume for the installation drive.

Step 4: Wait for the installation to finish, and your computer will restart automatically.

How to Set the Default Operating System on Boot

When you have two operating system drives installed on your computer, you're prompted to choose between Windows 10 and Windows 11 every time you start up. If you find this inconvenient, you can set one as the default operating system to boot into by following these steps.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings. Go to System > About, and then click the link for Advanced system settings.

Step 2: Click the Settings button under the Startup and Recovery section.

Step 3: In the "Startup" section, click on the drop-down menu beside "Default operating system" and choose the OS you want to boot into directly. The "Display operating systems for" option is useful if you want to be able to choose which OS you boot into for a limited time. Click "OK" to save your changes.

Step 4. Now, when you restart your computer, you'll see a boot menu with Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you don't select anything, the computer will automatically start the operating system you set as default after xx seconds.

Conclusion

Based on what we've discussed in this article, a dual-boot setup is the most efficient and productive way to run both Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the same machine. If you're already familiar with creating new partitions, downloading Windows 11 without an ISO, installing the OS, and setting the default boot order, share this guide with someone who might need assistance.