How to Dual Boot Windows 11 (With BitLocker) and Fedora 42 Workstation — The Right Way

In this post (and the video), we’re going to walk you through dual-booting Windows 11 with BitLocker enabled alongside Fedora 42 Workstation.
We are not turning BitLocker off — we are doing it properly while keeping your data protected.

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Why BitLocker Matters for Dual Booting

BitLocker is Microsoft’s full-disk encryption.

• Windows 11 Home has a “lite” version
• Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise have full BitLocker capabilities

When you change the boot environment (like installing Linux and adding a GRUB bootloader), BitLocker notices — and it expects you to prove you’re still you.

If you don’t prepare, you’ll hit a BitLocker recovery screen and need your Recovery Key.

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Preparation: Backup and Recovery Key

1. Always backup your important data first.
   Never trust major partition changes without a safety net.
2. Save your BitLocker Recovery Key:
   • Click on the Start/Search box and type bitlocker.
   • Click Back up your recovery key.
   • Save it to a file (PDF, Documents folder, or external device).
   • Bonus: It’s automatically saved in your Microsoft account. You can access it at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.

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Resizing Windows for Fedora

Next, we shrink the Windows C: drive to make space for Fedora:

• Open Disk Management (Start -> Search "create and format disk partitions").
• Right-click your C: drive → Shrink Volume.
• Use a calculator if needed. Shrink it by half (or however much you want for Fedora).
• Apply the shrink, leaving the new space unallocated — do not format it.

Important:
✅ Leave EFI and Recovery partitions alone.
✅ Only shrink C: drive.

After shrinking, reboot at least once into Windows to let BitLocker adjust itself.

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Installing Fedora 42 Workstation

1. Insert your Fedora 42 USB installer.
2. Reboot and open the Boot Menu (usually F12, F8, or Del depending on your hardware).
3. Boot from the USB stick.
4. In the Fedora Live environment, click Install Fedora.

At the partition screen:

• Leave “Share disk with other operating system” selected.
• Do NOT select “Use entire disk” — that would erase Windows.
• Click Next and proceed.

Fedora will install onto the free unallocated space you made earlier.

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First Reboots — What to Expect

Upon first reboot after installation:

• You should see a GRUB menu with both Fedora and Windows Boot Manager listed.
• Fedora will boot by default unless you select Windows.

Important:
When you boot into Windows the first time, BitLocker will likely trigger Recovery Mode.

• This is expected.
• Enter your Recovery Key when prompted.
• Boot into Windows normally.

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Fixing BitLocker to Prevent Future Prompts

After entering your Recovery Key and getting back into Windows:

1. Open Manage BitLocker.
2. Click Suspend Protection (this tells Windows you trust the new boot setup).
3. Reboot into Windows one more time.
4. After that reboot, Windows will automatically Resume Protection — or you can manually click Resume Protection if needed.

This step seals the new boot environment into the TPM,
meaning you won’t have to enter the Recovery Key at every boot anymore.

✅ Fedora boots.
✅ Windows boots.
✅ BitLocker is still protecting your drive.

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Summary

By following this guide, you can dual-boot Fedora 42 and Windows 11 with BitLocker active — without disabling your security.

• We didn’t turn BitLocker off.
• We didn’t wipe Windows.
• We didn’t compromise security for convenience.

You now have a professional, resilient dual-boot setup, the way it should be done.

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Proper Dual Booting the Right Way — With Two Drives!