How to Install Fedora 42 Alongside Windows 11 (Dual Boot Guide)

Want to explore the power and flexibility of Linux without giving up Windows 11? Installing Fedora 42 alongside Windows 11 in a dual-boot setup lets you enjoy the best of both worlds. Whether you’re a developer, student, or Linux enthusiast, Fedora’s cutting-edge features make it a great companion OS. This guide walks you through the safe and simple way to dual boot Fedora 42 with Windows 11, step by step.

🛠️ What You Need

• ✅ A PC with Windows 11 already installed
• ✅ A USB drive (at least 4 GB)
• ✅ Fedora 42 ISO image: https://getfedora.org/
• ✅ Rufus (for creating bootable USB): https://rufus.ie/
• ✅ Backup of your important data (recommended)

🔧 Step-by-Step Guide: Dual Boot Fedora 42 and Windows 11

Step 1: Download Fedora 42 ISO

1. Visit the official Fedora website.
2. Choose Fedora Workstation.
3. Download the latest Fedora 42 ISO.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB (on Windows)

1. Plug in your USB drive.
2. Launch Rufus. (Read this guide)
3. Select your Fedora ISO and target USB.
4. Set partition scheme to GPT and file system to FAT32.
5. Click Start and wait for completion.

Step 3: Shrink Windows Partition

With Windows 11 as the primary OS, you need to reserve a partition on which you will install Fedora 42. To achieve this, first, launch the disk management utility by pressing the ‘Windows logo Key + R‘. Next, type ‘diskmgmt.msc‘ and hit ENTER.

This opens the ‘Disk Management‘ console that displays the current disk partitions on the Windows system.

Next, we will create a reserved partition for Fedora 42. To do this, we will need to identify a volume and shrink some space. To demonstrate this, we will shrink some space on Volume E and create a new partition.

Therefore, we right-click on ‘New Volume E‘ and select ‘Shrink space‘.

Next, specify the amount of space to shrink which will be the size of the partition reserved for installing Fedora 42. In our case, we have specified 54678MB which is approximately 54GB.

Next, click ‘Shrink‘.

Below is our reserved partition which now appears as an unallocated partition.

Step 4: Disable Fast Boot and Secure Boot (Optional but Recommended)

1. Open Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.
2. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
3. Uncheck Turn on fast startup.

To disable Secure Boot:

• Reboot into BIOS/UEFI (usually by pressing DEL, F2, or ESC during startup).
• Navigate to Boot > Secure Boot, and disable it.
• Save and exit.

⚠️ Fedora supports Secure Boot, so disabling it is optional, but may help avoid installation issues.

Step 5: Boot from USB and Start Fedora Installer

1. Insert the bootable USB.
2. Restart your PC and enter the boot menu (F12, F10, or similar).
3. Choose the USB drive.
4. Select “Start Fedora-Workstation-Live”.

Step 6: Install Fedora 42

Shortly afterward, the Fedora 38 welcome screen will be displayed. Click the ‘Install Fedora’ button to begin the installation.

Next, select your preferred installation language and click ‘Continue’.

Moving on, the next step is to configure the partition table on your hard drive. So, click ‘Installation Destination’.

Click Finish Installation and then reboot into your new Fedora install!

Be sure to reboot the system, and upon system reboot, you will see the Windows 11 entry on the GRUB menu as shown.

We will select the first option to finish setting up Fedora. Once Fedora starts up, click ‘Start Setup’ to continue setting it up.

Decide whether to turn location services and automatic problem reporting on or off and hit ‘Next’.

Next, click ‘Enable Third-Party Repositories’ if you want to have the benefit of having third-party repositories enabled by default. Then click ‘Next’.

Choose whether to add any of your online accounts. You can skip this step if you wish to connect to them later. In this case, we will click ‘Skip’.

Next, type in your full name and username to create a regular login user. Then click ‘Next’.

Be sure to also provide the user’s password. Then click ‘Next’.

Finally, click ‘Start Using Fedora Linux’ to finish the Setup.

🎯 Conclusion

Dual-booting Fedora 42 with Windows 11 is a great way to experiment with Linux while keeping your existing setup intact. With just a bit of preparation, you can unlock a flexible computing environment that supports development, security testing, and daily use. Enjoy the best of both systems, side by side!