Win2grub — Safe
If you spend 80% of your time in Windows but hate the "reboot-and-spam-keys" dance, give win2grub a shot.
win2grub solves the "90% Windows / 10% Linux" use case perfectly. You stay in Windows until you decide it’s Linux time. Under the hood, win2grub uses the Windows bcdedit utility to talk to the UEFI firmware. It tells your motherboard: "Hey, on the very next reboot, ignore the default boot order and launch GRUB first."
Think of it as a "one-time boot override" from the command line. Most dual-boot systems default to either Windows or GRUB. If you default to Windows, you have to fight the boot menu every time you want Linux. If you default to GRUB, you annoy your family (or yourself) every time Windows updates and restarts 10 times. win2grub
Save this to your desktop and double-click it whenever you want "Linux mode":
Disclaimer: This post describes a hypothetical tool for illustrative purposes. Always back up your EFI partition before modifying boot entries. bcdedit is powerful; run as Administrator. If you spend 80% of your time in
Let me introduce you to my new favorite dual-booting companion: . What is win2grub ? win2grub is a lightweight script/tool for Windows that bridges the gap between the Windows Boot Manager and the GRUB bootloader. Instead of fighting your UEFI/BIOS for boot priority, win2grub sets the next boot to go directly to GRUB.
win2grub --restore-windows win2grub won't win any beauty awards, but it will save you hundreds of key-presses over the life of your machine. It turns dual-booting from a frustrating interruption into a deliberate, one-click action. Under the hood, win2grub uses the Windows bcdedit
win2grub --set-next \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi Your machine will boot straight into the GRUB menu. From there, pick your Linux distro.
# save as `to-linux.bat` @echo off win2grub --set-next \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi shutdown /r /t 5 (Runs the command and restarts in 5 seconds. Cancel with shutdown /a ) Did you accidentally delete GRUB? No problem. win2grub can also set Windows Boot Manager as the default:
After that one boot, the system reverts to the default. No permanent changes. No risk of bricking your bootloader. Step 1: Locate your GRUB .efi file. Usually, it’s at: \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi or \EFI\fedora\grubx64.efi on your EFI System Partition (ESP).
The old way: Save your work, restart, spam the Shift or F12 key, select the boot device, wait for GRUB, then select Linux.