I created my original tutorial in my native language and translated it into Spanish to share a simple way to switch to Windows dual boot from Linux with just a couple of clicks on the taskbar
What this method does: improves dual-boot convenience by pinning a launcher to the Linux taskbar that runs a script with a confirmation dialog before rebooting and booting into Windows
Prerequisites: install zenity on your Linux system to display dialog boxes
On Ubuntu and Debian run in terminal sudo apt install zenity
On Fedora and Arch consult the documentation of each distribution to install zenity
Get the Windows boot identifier: run in terminal sudo efibootmgr and note the BootOrder corresponding to the Windows boot manager for example 0001
Check command locations in case they vary by distribution run which efibootmgr and which reboot and note the paths that appear such as /usr/bin/efibootmgr and /sbin/reboot
Create the script that will make the switch: replace YOURUSERNAME with your username and 0001 with the identifier you noted
Create a folder for the scripts run mkdir -p /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts
Create the file with the nano editor for example nano /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/switch-to-windows.sh and paste the following script on a single line valid for bash #!/bin/bash; zenity --question --title=Switch_to_Windows --text=Deseas_reiniciar_en_Windows; if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then sudo /usr/bin/efibootmgr -n 0001; sudo /sbin/reboot; else exit 0; fi
Save the file and make it executable chmod +x /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/switch-to-windows.sh
Check and correct paths if necessary using which efibootmgr and which reboot and update the paths in the script if they differ
Optionally configure sudo without a password only for this command and for the reboot for security run sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/switch-to-windows and add the line YOURUSERNAME ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/efibootmgr, /sbin/reboot where YOURUSERNAME is your user
Create a desktop launcher to be able to pin it to the taskbar create file nano /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/SwitchToWindows.desktop and use the following content as a reference on separate lines when saving [Desktop Entry]; Version=1.0; Type=Application; Name=Switch to Windows; Exec=/home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/switch-to-windows.sh; Icon=system-reboot; Terminal=false; Categories=Utility;
Make the launcher executable chmod +x /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/SwitchToWindows.desktop and copy it to the user applications directory cp /home/YOURUSERNAME/ShellScripts/SwitchToWindows.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
After copying it will appear in the applications menu as Switch to Windows right-click and pin it to the taskbar
Final behavior: when you press the icon a confirmation dialog will appear via zenity if you choose NO the process is cancelled if you choose YES the script will use efibootmgr to set the next boot to the Windows boot manager and restart the computer
Important precautions: always verify the Windows identifier obtained with sudo efibootmgr before using the script and confirm the paths of efibootmgr and reboot with which to avoid errors; configuring sudoers without a password must be done carefully and limited only to the necessary user
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Thank you for reading this tutorial we hope it makes it easier for you to switch between Linux and Windows quickly and safely
