How do I stop Windows 11 from taking over the boot with GRUB on Ubuntu?

[KennethXS]

I’ve been trying to set up a dual-boot with Windows 11 and Ubuntu on my new laptop, but the Windows bootloader keeps taking over every time. I followed a guide to use GRUB as the main boot manager, but after a restart it just defaults straight to Windows again. I’m not sure if I’m missing a step in the UEFI settings or if Secure Boot is interfering with the process.

[OliviaUH]

I ran into the same thing last month. Windows kept taking over the EFI, and GRUB would only show up if I forced the boot order. I went into the UEFI setup and put the Ubuntu/GRUB entry first, saved, and rebooted. After that, I got GRUB again and could pick Windows from there. If yours still jumps straight to Windows, try changing the boot order so that the Ubuntu entry is first and see if GRUB shows up.

[Sofia_G]

Could Windows updates be silently rewriting the boot entries on the EFI partition? I thought I had it fixed until a big Windows update froze the machine on Windows again.

[Joseph7]

One time I started chasing a weird display issue and ended up booting from a live USB and running Boot-Repair. It suggested a repair that would rewrite the ESP, and for a moment GRUB offered a menu, but after the next restart Windows was back in charge. I wandered away from it for a few days and came back with mixed memory of what actually happened.

[Paisley.T]

Honestly I can't promise this will fix it, but I would try disabling Secure Boot briefly and re-installing GRUB to the ESP from a live Ubuntu session, then test with a reboot.