How To Share Files Between Windows and Ubuntu on Dual Boot

In a dual boot setup where both Windows and Ubuntu are installed on your machine, you might often find the need to share files between the two operating systems. This guide will walk you through a method of sharing files between Windows and Ubuntu by using a separate hard disk drive (HDD) for storing user files accessible from both operating systems.

Prerequisites

Before we start, you need to have the following:

• A dual boot setup with Windows and Ubuntu.
• A separate HDD for storing user files.

Step 1: Partition the Second Drive

The first step is to partition your second drive (500GB HDD) into two partitions. One should be formatted as NTFS (compatible with Windows) and the other as a compatible file system for Ubuntu (such as ext4).

You can use the Disk Management tool in Windows or the GParted tool in Ubuntu to partition your drive.

Step 2: Install Operating Systems

Install Windows on the SSD as the primary OS and Ubuntu on the same SSD as the secondary OS.

Step 3: Mount the NTFS Partition in Ubuntu

After installing both operating systems, boot into Ubuntu and open the terminal.

We will mount the NTFS partition on the second drive to a desired location, such as /media/storage.

To do this, run the following command:

sudo mkdir /media/storage
sudo mount /dev/sdXY /media/storage

Replace /dev/sdXY with the appropriate partition identifier for the NTFS partition.

Step 4: Automount the NTFS Partition at Startup

To make the NTFS partition automatically mount at startup, you need to add an entry to the /etc/fstab file.

Open the file in a text editor using the command:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line at the end of the file:

UUID=<NTFS_PARTITION_UUID> /media/storage ntfs-3g defaults,windows_names,locale=en_US.utf8 0 0

Replace <NTFS_PARTITION_UUID> with the UUID of the NTFS partition. You can find the UUID by running the blkid command.

The ntfs-3g option is the driver that allows Linux to read and write NTFS partitions. The defaults option sets the default mount options, windows_names prevents the creation of files with names that are not allowed by windows, and locale=en_US.utf8 sets the locale to English (United States) with UTF-8 encoding.

Save the file and exit the text editor.

Step 5: Create Symbolic Links in Ubuntu

Next, create symbolic links in your Ubuntu home directory (/home/[user]) to the corresponding folders on the NTFS partition.

For example, to link the “Documents” folder, run the following command:

ln -s /media/storage/Documents /home/[user]/Documents

Repeat this step for other folders like “Music,” “Pictures,” “Videos,” etc.

Step 6: Relocate User Folders in Windows

Now, boot into Windows and open the File Explorer. Right-click on the “Documents” folder (or any other folder you want to relocate) and select “Properties.”

In the Properties window, go to the “Location” tab and click on the “Move” button. Choose the corresponding folder on the NTFS partition (e.g., D:\Documents) and click “Apply” to relocate the folder.

Repeat this step for other user folders you want to move to the NTFS partition.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you will have both Windows and Ubuntu using the HDD partition for storing user files. The NTFS partition will be accessible from both operating systems, allowing you to seamlessly share files between them.

This approach not only makes file sharing between Windows and Ubuntu easier but also keeps your files separate from the operating systems, reducing the risk of data loss in case of a system crash.

Happy dual booting and file sharing!