Install GRUB Customizer on Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 to reorder boot entries, choose a default system, change the timeout, and customize the GRUB theme.
Check your Ubuntu version and architecture
Launchpad lists GRUB Customizer 5.2.8 for AMD64 installations of Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, with no ARM64 build in either package index.
I checked both current package indexes before updating these commands, which is why the architecture check comes before the repository change.
lsb_release -ds
dpkg --print-architecture
Continue when the second command prints amd64. If it prints arm64, stop here because apt cannot install the PPA package for your architecture.
GRUB controls the path into every installed operating system, so prepare recovery media, keep one known working entry visible, and avoid unfamiliar kernel parameters.
Install GRUB Customizer on Ubuntu
Ubuntu’s current default repositories do not supply GRUB Customizer for these releases, so add the maintainer’s PPA, refresh apt’s package index, and install the package after reviewing how package management on Linux handles third-party sources.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt update
sudo apt install grub-customizer
The first command asks you to confirm the repository, and the final command should select a package whose version begins with 5.2.8 on Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04.
A PPA is a third-party software source, even when its owner maintains the application. If you prefer packages reviewed inside Ubuntu’s default archives, do not install this tool and edit the GRUB defaults with a Linux text editor instead.
Open GRUB Customizer
Open the application menu, search for GRUB Customizer, and authenticate when Ubuntu asks for your password. You can also start it from a terminal after learning the Linux command-line basics.
sudo grub-customizer
The loading log reads the partition table, boot scripts, saved settings, and generated configuration. Wait for it to finish before editing an entry.
Change the GRUB boot order
The List configuration tab shows operating systems, installed kernels, recovery entries, and firmware options. Select an entry, then use the up or down arrow to move it without renaming the operating system itself.
Moving Windows Boot Manager to the top makes it the first menu item, but the General settings tab still controls which entry starts when the timer expires. Use that tab when you need an explicit default rather than relying on list position.
Set the default entry and timeout
General settings can start one predefined entry every time or remember the operating system you chose during the preceding boot.
Keep Show menu enabled on a dual-boot computer so you can select another system during startup. Set Boot default entry after to a few seconds rather than zero until you have verified the new default across a restart.
Leave kernel parameters unchanged unless you are solving a documented boot or hardware issue because a wrong value can prevent the selected kernel from starting even when the menu still appears.
Change the GRUB theme and background
Appearance settings can load a theme, background image, font, and text colors. Choose high-contrast text and use the preview to confirm that both normal and selected entries remain readable.
The preview confirms the selected assets, not the firmware display mode, so restart once and check the menu on the computer’s own screen before deleting previous theme files.
Save and verify the new boot menu
Click Save only after reviewing the selected default, timeout, visible entries, and theme. GRUB Customizer regenerates the boot configuration from those choices.
- Restart the computer from Linux and confirm that the GRUB menu appears.
- Let the timer expire and check that the intended operating system starts.
- Restart again, select a different known working entry, and confirm that it still starts.
- Keep the configuration backups until both checks succeed.
Fix common GRUB Customizer problems
Match the symptom to the smallest corrective action. Do not reinstall GRUB when the failure is limited to repository access or an unsaved menu change.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| apt reports that the package has no installation candidate | The PPA is missing, the package index is stale, or the computer is not AMD64 | Check dpkg –print-architecture, confirm the PPA, then run sudo apt update |
| The application does not open from the menu | The authentication request or startup error is hidden | Run sudo grub-customizer in a terminal and read the reported error |
| Saved changes do not appear after restart | The generated configuration was not updated successfully | Run sudo update-grub, inspect its output, and restart only after it exits cleanly |
| The computer starts the wrong operating system | List order and the explicit default entry disagree | Open General settings and select the intended predefined entry |
If startup stops at a minimal Bash prompt instead of showing the menu, use the dedicated steps for the minimal Bash-like GRUB error. That failure needs boot recovery rather than another theme or timeout edit.
Remove GRUB Customizer
Removing the application does not automatically undo every boot-menu choice it saved. Confirm that the current menu starts correctly, then remove the package and its PPA.
sudo apt remove grub-customizer
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt update
sudo update-grub
Restart once more and keep your recovery media available until the intended default and fallback entry both work. A bootloader customization is complete only after the restart proves that you can enter each operating system you still depend on.