How to Change Names and Order of Entries in the Operating System Boot Menu

If you have a multi-boot setup on your computer, you might want to change the names of operating systems in the boot menu or rearrange their order to simplify navigation. This guide covers how to make these adjustments in both Windows and Linux environments, as each uses different bootloaders.

Modifying the Boot Menu in Windows

In Windows, the boot menu is typically managed with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) utility. To change the names or order of operating systems in the menu, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).

Step 2: View the Current Boot Configuration

Enter the command bcdedit and press Enter. This will display all operating systems installed in the bootloader along with their current names.

Step 3: Change the Operating System Name

To rename one of the operating systems, use the following command:

bcdedit /set {OS_ID} description "New OS Name"

Replace {OS_ID} with the identifier of the operating system, and New OS Name with the desired name.

Step 4: Change the Order of Menu Items

To reorder the menu entries, it’s easiest to use third-party tools such as EasyBCD or BootIce. These programs provide a visual way to rearrange the boot sequence and simplify working with BCD settings.

Modifying the Boot Menu in Linux (GRUB)

In Linux, the most commonly used bootloader is GRUB. To change the names or order of items in the GRUB menu, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the GRUB Configuration File

Open a terminal and edit the /etc/default/grub file with administrative privileges:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Step 2: Set the Default Operating System

To set a default OS, find the line GRUB_DEFAULT and specify either the index of the desired entry or its name:

GRUB_DEFAULT=0

Replace 0 with the index number or name of the desired OS.

Step 3: Customize Entry Order and Names

To rearrange entries and customize names, you may need to edit scripts in /etc/grub.d/ or manually adjust settings in /boot/grub/grub.cfg. A common approach is to modify the 40_custom file in the /etc/grub.d/ folder to add custom entries for your OS choices.

Step 4: Update GRUB Configuration

After making changes, update the GRUB configuration:

sudo update-grub