- \n
- Access powerful command-line tools
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Practice shell scripting or DevOps tools<\/a> like Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Lightweight and resource-efficient environment
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Better compatibility with open-source software<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"3](\"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-1-1200x630.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMethod 1: Install Linux Using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Best For:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Developers and casual users
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Quick access to Linux tools without leaving Windows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Enable WSL Feature:<\/strong> Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
bash
CopyEditwsl --install<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Restart Your PC<\/strong> (if prompted)
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Choose a Linux Distribution:<\/strong> Once rebooted, select a distro (e.g., Ubuntu) or manually install from Microsoft Store:
\n- \n
- Open Microsoft Store
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Search for “Ubuntu” or your preferred distro
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Click “Install”
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Set Up Your User Account:<\/strong> After launch, set a username and password.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Start Using Linux:<\/strong> Open the distro via the Start menu and you’re inside a full Linux terminal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Method 2: Dual-Boot Linux and Windows<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Best For:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Power users who want full Linux performance
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Users who need access to both operating systems<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Warning:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back up all important data before proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Create a Bootable USB:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- Download your preferred Linux ISO (e.g., Ubuntu)
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Use a tool like <\/a>Rufus to create a bootable USB drive
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Create Space for Linux:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- Use Disk Management to shrink your Windows partition
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Boot from USB:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- Reboot and enter BIOS (usually F2, F12, or DEL key)
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Set USB as the primary boot device
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Install Linux:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- Follow the installation wizard
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Choose the \u201cInstall alongside Windows\u201d option if available
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Boot Menu:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- On startup, choose between Linux or Windows using the boot menu (GRUB)
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nMethod 3: Use a Virtual Machine (VM)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Best For:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Testing and learning without changing your actual system
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Running multiple OSs side-by-side<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Install a VM Tool:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- virtualbox
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - VMware Workstation Player
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Download a Linux ISO<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n- Create a New VM:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\n- \n
- Allocate memory and disk space
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Mount the ISO and start installation
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n - Install and Use Linux Inside the VM<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Getting Started With Guvi<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once you successfully install Linux on a windows system, start learning Linux<\/a> by enrolling in HCL Guvi\u2019s course on Introduction to Linux Shell Scripting with Bash<\/a>. This covers various Linux concepts from beginner to advanced level along with professional certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To wrap up, you can incorporate three different ways to install Linux on a windows machine. If you want to use the Linux command prompt then you can install WSL as the Linux acts as a subsystem. If you want a dual operating system, you can dual-boot the Linux in windows. Or, the best and easiest step is to install a virtual box and start using Linux. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on your needs and your system\u2019s capabilities, you can choose the method and start using Linux on a windows machine today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Installing an Operating system on another operating system might be a difficult task. This blog serves as a detailed installation guide for linux on a windows machine. It provides three different methods to install linux on windows. Choose the best option that suits your needs and machine. Why Use Linux on a Windows? Method 1: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":80824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[907,714],"tags":[],"views":"5586","authorinfo":{"name":"Naveen Kumar","url":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/author\/naveen-kumar-l\/"},"thumbnailURL":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1-1-300x116.png","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80226"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80226"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86720,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80226\/revisions\/86720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guvi.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Create a New VM:<\/strong>
- virtualbox
- Install a VM Tool:<\/strong>
- Testing and learning without changing your actual system
- On startup, choose between Linux or Windows using the boot menu (GRUB)
- Follow the installation wizard
- Reboot and enter BIOS (usually F2, F12, or DEL key)
- Create Space for Linux:<\/strong>
- Download your preferred Linux ISO (e.g., Ubuntu)
- Create a Bootable USB:<\/strong>
- Start Using Linux:<\/strong> Open the distro via the Start menu and you’re inside a full Linux terminal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Choose a Linux Distribution:<\/strong> Once rebooted, select a distro (e.g., Ubuntu) or manually install from Microsoft Store:
- Restart Your PC<\/strong> (if prompted)
- Lightweight and resource-efficient environment