How to Change Default OS When Dual Booting Windows

If you have two Windows operating systems installed on your computer, such as Windows 10 and Windows 11, you may want to change the default operating system that your computer boots into.

This can be especially helpful if you use one operating system more often than the other. For example, you might want to try out all the new features and aesthetic changes in Windows 11 but use Windows 10 as your main workhorse operating system. In that case, you may want to set Windows 10 as the default operating system so that you don’t have to manually select it each time you start your computer.

In this guide, let me show you how to change the default operating system when dual-booting Windows.

Table of contents:

1. How to change the default OS when dual-booting Windows
   1. Using the System Configuration (msconfig) tool
   2. Using the System Properties tool
   3. From the Advanced Boot settings
   4. Command to change the default OS when dual-booting
2. Conclusion

How to change the default OS when dual-booting Windows

There are several built-in methods to change the default operating system when dual-booting Windows. In this guide, I show four easy ways. You can follow whichever method you think is easy or like.

1. Using the System Configuration (MSConfig) tool

The System Configuration tool (msconfig) makes it easily set a default boot OS on Windows. Here’s how.

1. Press the ‘Windows key + R‘ shortcut to open Run.
2. Type ‘msconfig‘ in the blank field.
3. Press the Ok button at the bottom.
4. Go to the Boot tab.
5. Select the operating system you want to set as the default from the available list.
6. Press the ‘Set as default‘ button.
7. Click the Ok button to save changes.
8. Close the msconfig tool.
9. Reboot the computer.
10. With that, you’ve changed the default operating system on Windows.

2. Using the System Properties tool

The System Properties tool provides a simple dropdown menu to let you choose the default operating system when dual-booting. Here’s how to find and set the default OS.

1. Press the Start key on your keyboard.
2. Search and open ‘View advanced system settings.’
3. Click ‘Settings‘ under Startup and Recovery.
4. Select the default OS from the default operating system dropdown menu.
5. (Optional) change the time to display of OSes setting.
6. Click the ‘Ok‘ button to save settings.
7. Close all Windows and reboot the computer.
8. With that, you’ve changed the default operating system on Windows.

3. From the Advanced Boot settings

You can change the default operating system on Windows directly from the advanced boot options. This method is particularly useful if you cannot boot into the OS.

1. First, reboot the computer.
2. When you see the operating system options, click on the “Change defaults or choose other options” link at the bottom.
3. Click on the “Choose a default operating system” option.
4. Select the OS you want to set as default.
5. Click the back arrow button until you see the operating system selection screen.
6. With that, you’ve changed the default operating system on Windows.

4. Command to change the default OS when dual-booting

If you are willing to get your hand dirty, you can also use Command Prompt to change the default operating system when dual-booting. Here’s how.

1. Search for Command Prompt in the Start menu.
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt result.
3. Select the ‘Run as administrator‘ option.
4. Run the ‘bcdedit‘ command.
5. From the list, take a look at the ‘Windows Boot Loader‘ sections.
6. Identify the operating system you want to set as the default.
7. Take note of the ‘identifier‘ of the OS you want to set as default.
8. Run the ‘bcdedit /default {identifier}‘ command while replacing ‘{identifier}’ with the actual identifier.
9. Close the Command Prompt window and reboot the computer.
10. With that, you’ve changed the default operating system on Windows.

Note: If the identifier has curly brackets, you must include them.

Changing default OS when dual-booting — Conclusion

As you can see, though the option is obscure and hard to find, it is rather easy to change the default OS when dual-booting Windows. Whether you use the advanced boot options, msconfig too, the system properties tool, or the command-line approach, all it takes is a few clicks, and the default OS you boot into is changed instantly.

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That is all. It is that simple to change the default operating system in Windows while dual-booting.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.