How to Uninstall Dual Boot Ubuntu and Delete UEFI Boot Entry

If you have a dual-boot system with Windows and Ubuntu and want to remove Ubuntu, this guide will walk you through the steps to safely uninstall dual boot Ubuntu. This process will also show you how to delete the UEFI boot entry for Ubuntu, ensuring your system boots directly into Windows.

Step 1. Reboot into Windows

Start by rebooting your computer into Windows. When you power up, you may see the GRUB bootloader menu, allowing you to choose between Ubuntu and Windows. Select Windows to proceed with the process to uninstall dual boot Ubuntu.

Step 2. Access Disk Management in Windows

Once you log in to the Windows OS, right-click “My PC” on your desktop screen or in the file manager.
Then click on “Manage” from the options that appear from the right click and then click on “Disk Management” on the next screen.

Step 3. Identify Ubuntu Partitions

In the Disk Management window, you’ll see a list of all the partitions on your system. Look for the partitions associated with Ubuntu. These are usually formatted as ext4 or another Linux file system and will not have a drive letter (like C: or D:).

Be Cautious with Windows Partitions: Ensure you do not modify or delete any partitions labeled for Windows or Recovery. These are critical for the operation of Windows.

Step 4. Delete Ubuntu Partitions

After identifying the partition used by Ubuntu, which is often the size you allocated during installation (e.g., 20 GB or more), delete it.
To do that, right-click on the Ubuntu partition and select “Delete Volume”. Windows will prompt you with a warning that deleting this partition will erase all data. If you have backed up your data and are sure, confirm the deletion. This process will successfully uninstall the partition of Ubuntu from the system.

After deleting the Ubuntu partition, the space it occupied will become unallocated. This space can be added back to an existing Windows partition by right-clicking on the other file partitions of Windows and using the “Extend Volume” option.

Step 5. Remove the UEFI Boot Entry for Ubuntu

Removing the UEFI boot entry is essential to prevent the GRUB bootloader from appearing after you uninstall dual boot Ubuntu.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
Click on the Start menu, type “cmd”, right-click on “Command Prompt”, and choose “Run as administrator”.

2. List UEFI Boot Entries:
In the command prompt, type the following command to display all UEFI boot entries:

bcdedit /enum firmware

This command shows all boot entries, including those for Windows and Ubuntu.
Look for an entry mentioning Ubuntu. This entry is usually associated with GRUB, the Linux bootloader.
Note the identifier in curly braces {} for the Ubuntu boot entry.

3. Delete the Ubuntu Boot Entry:
To delete the Ubuntu boot entry, use the following command, replacing {identifier} with the actual identifier:

bcdedit /delete {identifier}

Press Enter to execute the command. You should see a message confirming the operation was completed successfully.

Step 6. Extend the Windows Partition

After you uninstall dual boot Ubuntu, you will have some unallocated space on your disk. You can extend an existing Windows partition to use this space.

To extend volume, right-click on the Windows partition (typically the C: drive) in Disk Management.
Select “Extend Volume” and follow the prompts to extend the partition into the unallocated space.

Confirm the changes. The unallocated space will be added to the selected partition, increasing the available space for Windows.

Step 7. Reboot and Verify Changes

Restart your computer. If you have successfully uninstalled dual boot Ubuntu and removed the UEFI boot entry, the system should boot directly into Windows without showing the GRUB menu.

After logging into Windows, open Disk Management to verify that the unallocated space has been added to your Windows partition. Check “This PC” to ensure the free space reflects the changes.

Step 8. (Optional) Re-enable Secure Boot

If you disabled Secure Boot or Fast Boot in your BIOS to install Ubuntu, you might want to re-enable them after uninstalling dual boot Ubuntu for added security:

1. Enter BIOS/UEFI Settings:
   • Reboot your system and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing a key like F2, F10, F12, DEL, etc., during startup).
2. Enable Secure Boot and Fast Boot:
   • Locate the Secure Boot and Fast Boot options in the BIOS settings, and enable them.
3. Save Changes and Exit:
   • Save your changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings.

You have successfully learned how to uninstall dual boot Ubuntu and delete the UEFI boot entry. You can now use the freed-up space for Windows or install another operating system on a separate disk.