How to Safely Uninstall Any Linux Distro from a Windows Dual Boot

11-08-2024 235 words 2 minutes

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Contents

The steps for uninstalling Linux Mint from a Windows dual boot setup are the same for any other Linux distro, be it Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, etc.

1. Boot into Windows.

2. Open Disk Management:

Press Windows + X to open the Power User Menu.
Click on Disk Management.

3. Identify the Linux partition:

Look for a partition that is formatted with Healthy (Primary Partition) because it is not showing as ext4 (Linux filesystem).

Disk Management window in Windows — Disk Management

4. Delete the Linux partition:

Right-click on the Linux partition and select Delete Volume.

5. Remove the Linux boot entry:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run the following command to show the boot configuration details:
```
bcdedit /enum firmware
```

Firmware enumeration command output — Firmware Enumeration

Identify the Linux boot entry using its identifier.
Delete the Linux boot entry by running:
```
bcdedit /delete {identifier}
```

6. Open Diskpart:

Run the following command to open Diskpart:
```
diskpart
```

Diskpart window showing volume selection — Diskpart

Select the volume formatted in FAT32 with the info system. In my system, it is Volume 1. Replace 1 with your volume number:
```
sel vol 1
```
Assign a drive letter (e.g., M) to the selected volume:
```
assign letter=M
```
Exit Diskpart:
```
exit
```

7. Navigate to the assigned volume:

Run the following commands to navigate EFI folder:
```
M:
dir
cd EFI
dir
```

8. Delete the Ubuntu Folder:

rd ubuntu /s
ubuntu, Are you sure (Y/N)? Y

Command to delete Ubuntu folder — Delete Ubuntu

Reboot your system and enjoy Windows or try another Linux distro.