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Ferrans's avatar
Ferrans
Copper Contributor
Feb 24, 2025

MBR or GPT for Windows 11 (NVMe)?

Which one? If i have NVMe GPT i can't have Linux on external SSD because Ubuntu create "Ubuntu boot" on my EFI Partition.

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  • ElliotRobinson's avatar
    ElliotRobinson
    Iron Contributor
    Mar 12, 2025

    For Windows 11 on NVMe, GPT is required because it needs UEFI boot mode. If you install Linux on an external SSD, Ubuntu will place its bootloader in the EFI partition of your NVMe drive, which can interfere with Windows booting.

    To avoid this, you can:

    Manually select the external SSD as the bootloader location during Ubuntu installation.
    Use a separate EFI partition on the external SSD for Linux.
    Disconnect the NVMe drive while installing Ubuntu to force it to use the external SSD for boot.

    If you prefer MBR, Windows 11 won't work properly as it requires UEFI + GPT.

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