Some users prefer running a dual operating system PC, Windows, along with Linux. However, installing a Linux distro like Arch Linux often breaks your ability to boot into Windows. Instead of seeing a Windows Boot Manager, you are stuck with GRUB showing Arch. If you are stuck and can’t boot into Windows after installing Arch, here’s what you can do.
Can’t boot into Windows after installing Arch
If you are stuck and can’t boot into Windows after installing Arch, and instead of seeing the Windows Boot Manager, you see GRUB showing Arch, here’s what you can do.
- Verify your setup
- Boot into Arch and check GRUB configuration
- Fix EFI bootloader issues (UEFI systems)
1] Verify your setup
First, you will need to check if your system uses UEFI or not. Most modern systems use UEFI, and you must use it for both your Linux and Windows installations. So, in case Arch is using UEFI and Windows is using Legacy boot, then you won’t be able to make the dual-boot setup work.
- First, press Ctrl + Alt + T to open Terminal.
- Run the following command in the terminal:
ls /sys/firmware/efi
- If this directory exists, you’re on UEFI. If not, you’re running Legacy BIOS.
- Next, check your partition layout by typing:
lsblk fdisk -l
- Look for your EFI partition (usually FAT32, 100–500MB) and your Windows partition (NTFS).
2] Boot into Arch and check GRUB configuration
To make sure GRUB recognizes your Windows installation, you need to verify that it is set up to detect other operating systems and rebuild the configuration. To do so, here’s what you need:
- Open Terminal and run the following command to install os-prober, which will scan your drives for other installed operating systems:
sudo pacman -S os-prober
- Next, you need to edit the configuration file to enable OS detection in GRUB:
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
- Use your arrow keys to navigate and find the line for the OS prober. Change it or add:
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
- Save the file by pressing Ctrl + O, hit Enter, then exit with Ctrl + X.
- Next, run the following command to rebuild the GRUB configuration so the changes take effect:
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
- Once done, reboot your computer and see if Windows appears in the GRUB menu during startup.
Read: Can’t boot into Windows after installing Fedora
3] Fix EFI bootloader issues (UEFI systems)
If Windows is still missing, here’s what you need to do:
- First, mount the EFI partition by running the following command:
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /boot/efi
- Here, make sure to replace sdX1 with your EFI partition.
- Next, reinstall GRUB for UEFI by running the following commands:
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
- Now, check EFI boot entries:
sudo efibootmgr
- If Windows Boot Manager is missing, add it manually:
sudo efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sdX -p Y -L "Windows Boot Manager" -l '\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi'
- Replace sdX with the disk and Y with the partition number for the EFI partition.
Failing to boot into Windows after an Arch Linux installation can be frustrating. However, to resolve the issue, ensure you install both operating systems using a UEFI setup.
Read: Can’t boot into Windows after installing Linux
Why doesn’t Windows appear in GRUB even after enabling os-prober?
Sometimes Windows won’t show up in GRUB even after installing and enabling os-prober. This often happens if Secure Boot is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI or if the Windows EFI entry is corrupted. In such cases, first disable Secure Boot in your firmware settings and try regenerating the GRUB configuration again.
If that doesn’t work, verify that the EFI partition contains the Windows boot files (/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi). If they’re missing or damaged, you’ll need to repair the Windows bootloader using a Windows installation USB before GRUB can detect and include it.
What should I do if Windows updates overwrite the GRUB bootloader?
It’s not uncommon for major Windows updates to reset the EFI boot order or even overwrite GRUB with the Windows Boot Manager, leaving you unable to boot into Arch. If this happens, you can easily restore GRUB by booting into an Arch live USB, mounting your root and EFI partitions, and reinstalling GRUB as you did during the initial setup. After reinstalling, regenerate the GRUB configuration and check the EFI boot order with efibootmgr to make sure GRUB is set as the first entry.
