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Customizing the GRUB Boot Menu in Ubuntu for Better Accessibility

Customizing the GRUB Boot Menu in Ubuntu for Better Accessibility

January 18, 2025 Digital

Accessing the GRUB Boot Menu on Ubuntu

The GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) boot menu is a crucial component of any Ubuntu installation. It allows for multiple operating systems to be installed and booted from a single hard drive or partition. If you are missing the GRUB boot menu, here's how you can access it and customize its behavior.

Accessing the GRUB Boot Menu with a Live USB/DVD

If your system won't display the GRUB menu when booting, you can use a Linux Live CD/USB to access it. Here are the steps to follow:

Download and create a bootable Live USB or CD using a tool like UNetbootin or Rufus on Windows. Insert the USB or CD into your computer and restart it. Enter the BIOS/UEFI setup by pressing a key like Del, F2, F10, or F12, depending on your motherboard. Set the USB/CD as the first boot option. Boot from the USB/CD and open a terminal. Navigate to the GRUB configuration directory: 
cd /mnt/sysimage/etc/default
Open the GRUB configuration file for editing: 
nano /mnt/sysimage/etc/default/grub
Change the settings in the GRUB configuration file as discussed below. Save and exit the editor (in nano, press Ctrl X, then Y, then Enter). Update GRUB to apply the changes: 
sudo update-grub
Reboot your system. The GRUB menu should now appear.

Controlling the GRUB Boot Menu Display in Ubuntu

In Ubuntu, the GRUB boot menu is often hidden by default. Here’s how to configure it to display every time:

Access the /etc/default/grub file using the Live USB/CD method or a working terminal on your Ubuntu installation: 
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Uncomment the following lines by removing the # symbol: 
GRUB_TIMEOUT10
# GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIETtrue
Uncomment the hiddenmenu setting: 
hiddenmenu
Save and exit the editor (in nano, press Ctrl X, then Y, then Enter). Apply the changes by running: 
sudo update-grub
Reboot your system. The GRUB menu should now appear automatically.

Additional Customizations

Here are some additional customizations you can make to the /etc/default/grub file:

To display the menu every time, set: 
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT0
GRUB_TIMEOUT10
To display the menu for exactly 5 seconds, set: 
GRUB_TIMEOUT5
To hide the menu and only show it for pressing ESC, comment out GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET and keep the GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT setting as 0: 
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIETfalse

Remember to run sudo update-grub after making any changes to the /etc/default/grub file.

Conclusion

By customizing the GRUB boot menu in Ubuntu, you can ensure you have better control over the boot process and have more options available when starting your system. Using the Live CD/USB method is a powerful tool to regain access to the GRUB menu if it’s hidden or missing.

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