[Guide] Dual Booting Windows 11 + Omarchy using Limine (Dual Drive, Secure, Clean Setup) #1604
Replies: 12 comments 19 replies
-
|
Whats the difference in using just sudo limine-entry-tool --scan so that limine will find the windowsboot loader and mount it? Is the method you used more safe or there is hardly any difference? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I know very little about boot menu related issues. I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I installed using manual configuration here. After installation, the UEFI only has |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I used |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I am gonna try installing omarchy with using only 1 ssd drive. I created partition and will use the new partition for omarchy. Will this work for dual boot using limine? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Thanks for this guide. Worked great. One small note: this also works with secure boot. I was able to get it working based on something that was recommended in the discord from CachyOS which also uses Limine. Original post is here: https://discuss.cachyos.org/t/is-there-a-solution-for-making-secure-boot-work-with-limine-snapshots/8148/24 (can skip step where it removes cachyos stuff from /boot/*) I followed the steps here to add Windows to Limine + followed the steps in that link to get secure boot working. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
if windows is in gbr then? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I followed the steps above exactly. Same two drive setup. Secure boot is disabled. I see Windows 11 in my Limine menu, but when selecting I get a windows blue screen error saying "A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed". I am able to enter the bios to boot windows from there. Have I missed something here? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Great guide. Saved my butt. Thank you. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Curious to know if limine is better than grub. I got my grub setup working perfectly, but what's the difference with using limine? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
if i follow this guide meaning it wont have full disk encryption? or its still possible with two disk, without partition |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I followed this guide and worked like a charm, but I updated omarchy using the integrated update menu and now my pc will always boot into omarchy without giving me a choice |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
For anyone who wants to attempt Secure Boot as well, there are a couple threads as well as this link. I was able to get it to work fine, though I was affected by issue #3315 and was able to fix it with this #3236 |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.


Uh oh!
There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.
-
🪟 + 🐧 Dual Boot: Windows 11 & Omarchy with Limine Bootloader
It builds upon this discussion on Omarchy’s GitHub, but adjusts the process for a clean EFI chainload to Windows using Limine, with both OSes installed on separate drives.
🧰 System Setup Overview
nvme1n1 - Drive 1nvme0n1 - Drive 2/boot/EFI)🔐 Requirements
limine-install)🧭 Step-by-Step Guide
1. Identify the Windows EFI System Partition
Boot into your Omarchy system and run:
Look for a small (100–500MB)
vfatpartition on your Windows drive, typically labeledSYSTEMorEFI.Example output:
2. Mount the Windows EFI Partition
Confirm:
You should see
bootmgfw.efi.3. Copy Windows Bootloader to Limine’s ESP
This makes the Windows bootloader available on the same EFI partition Limine uses.
4. Edit
limine.cfgInsert this at the top:
/Windows 11 protocol: efi path: boot():/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi comment: Boot into Windows 11✅
boot():tells Limine to load from its own ESP.5. Make Windows the Default (Optional)
Move the block above other entries and set:
default_entry=0Now Limine will boot into Windows by default unless you interrupt.
6. Disable Windows Fast Startup (Important)
In Windows:
✅ Prevents hibernation and filesystem corruption on NTFS.
7. Reboot and Test
You should now see:
✅ Boot Menu Screenshot
Here’s how the final bootloader menu looks:
🛡️ Security Notes
📦 Backup Before Updates
Before running a major Windows update:
sudo cp -r /boot/EFI /boot/EFI_backup_$(date +%F) sudo cp /boot/limine.cfg /boot/limine.cfg.bakAlso shut down Windows cleanly:
🧾
limine.cfgSnippet🗣️ Feedback
Fork, comment, or improve this method.
🧾 My limine.cfg (Redacted for Publishing)
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
All reactions