If you’re running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and you’d like to have more control over your system’s boot menu, Grub Customizer is probably one of the best tools to use. It makes it easy to reorder OSes, specify default entries, set a default boot target, customize themes, and modify boot menus and other advanced GRUB settings from a friendly graphical environment.
In this tutorial, we will explain step by step how to install Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04 and how it can be used securely.
Table of Contents
- How to Install Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04?
- How to Use Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04?
- How to Uninstall Grub Customizer from Ubuntu 24.04?
- Conclusion
How to Install Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04?
GRUB (GNU GRUB bootloader) is the boot manager widely used in the most servers with linux distributions. It controls which operating system (or kernel version) to boot when the computer is restarted.
Grub Customizer is a GUI based application that allows you to configure GRUB2 settings without editing system files.
Step 1: Update Your System
We always recommend to update your system prior to installing any new package, because it will allow you to work with the latest repositories and security updates. This will update the packages list and upgrade out of date software.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade |
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This will refresh the package list and upgrade any outdated software.
Step 2: Enable the PPA Repository
Grub Customizer exists in PPA repository but sometimes it may not already enabled by default. You can enable it with:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer Repository: ‘Types: deb |
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Then update the list of packages again:
sudo apt update |
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Step 3: Install Grub Customizer
With an updated system and repositories available, installing Grub Customizer using the APT package manager:
sudo apt install grub-customizer |
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This will install the app and dependencies.
Step 4: Launch Grub Customizer
Once installed, you can launch Grub Customizer from the application menu (search for “Grub Customizer”) or with the following command in the terminal:
grub-customizer |
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If it does, at launch it will probably prompt you for your administrator password (it needs root to make changes to the GRUB settings).
Step 5: Apply and Test Changes
Upon saving, Grub Customizer also makes a new grub configuration file. You can check that your bootloader configuration works after you reboot your OS:
sudo reboot |
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Once your computer reboots, you’ll notice that the boot menu reflects your customizations.
How to Use Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04
When the application is launched the GUI will be presented with multiple tabs:
- List Configuration: Lists boot menu entry’s. Here you can re-order, hide, or change the name of them.
- General Settings: Change the default operating system, the boot timeout, and the appearance of the grub menu.
- Appearance Settings: Design your boot menu according to your personal preferences; change the theme, resolution, and background display.
- Advanced Settings: Kernel tweak and more, recovery etc.
Make your changes and click Save to save them.
How to Uninstall Grub Customizer from Ubuntu 24.04?
If you have installed Grub Customizer via PPA and want to remove it, you can simply follow the two simple steps. Here’s how to remove the tool as well as its PPA from Ubuntu 24.04.
Step 1: Uninstall Grub Customizer Package
If you simply delete it, it’ll leave the configuration file and that could be a problem. To remove the program just issue the following command:
sudo apt remove –purge grub-customizer |
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This will uninstall the app and the associated files.
Step 2: Delete the PPA and Update Cache
You will have to remove the PPA (example: ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer) if you have added it with:
sudo add-apt-repository –remove ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer |
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This also removes the PPA and updates the package list for your system. You have completely uninstalled Grub Customizer and its PPA.
Safety Tips
- Always Make a GRUB Backup Before Making Changes: GRUB is essential to booting your system.
- Make a full backup of all important files before any big changes.
- Don’t delete important entries: Don’t delete your main Ubuntu kernels or the recovery options unless you know what you are doing.
- Be Careful With Advanced Settings: Do not modify kernel parameters unless you know what they do.
Conclusion
There you go, you’ve installed Grub Customizer on Ubuntu 24.04 and also figured out how to hack your boot menu with a GUI tool. Whether you’re looking for a completely new boot screen, or just a cleaner boot sequence, it gives you full control, you can even write a more fluent custom entry I couldn’t write.
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