Design your own boot menu with Grub Customizer
Paint by Numbers
Is the simple black and white GRUB menu causing confusion and obscuring important choices? Why not customize with GRUB themes and the Grub Customizer?
Many Linux distributions keep the boot menu so simple that it hardly differs from the BIOS messages. If you settle for the default boot menu, you might be missing the chance to provide some visual enhancement to the user experience. The need for visual clarity is often more than cosmetic. The boot menu sometimes contains real choices, including alternative boot options and operating system versions, and some attention to design can make those choices much easier to see and understand.
With just a few settings, you can spice up a drab and confusing boot menu. But be aware that incorrect GRUB settings can quickly cause the boot process to fail. A tool with a graphical user interface can help ensure that editing the GRUB files is a safe experience. On the other hand, editing the files manually is a time-honored practice if you know what you are doing, and it might be your only option: Some Linux distributions don't provide a graphical tool.
First Step: Backup
But before you get started, you will want to back up the boot partition or boot directory: A faulty GRUB configuration can quickly lead to entries disappearing from the boot menu or a system unable to boot. Use the commands in Listing 1 to create the necessary backup copies.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Related content
-
In-Depth Security
More than just a boot manager, GRUB 2 can help you add another line of protection to your security defenses.
-
Customized GRUB and KDE Boot
Power users can adjust the look of their desktops in openSUSE with just a few clicks. We'll show you how to customize the GRUB boot menu, the boot splash screen, and the KDE start screen.
-
Configuring Dual Boot
When two systems share a single computer, a boot manager handles the prompts that determine which system to boot. We’ll show you several multiple boot scenarios and describe how to set up your system for dual booting Linux with Windows.
-
GRUB 2 Editor
-
Ask Klaus!
Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.