How to Install Grub Customizer on Ubuntu Linux

Grub Customizer provides a graphical interface for managing the GRUB bootloader on Ubuntu. Whether you need to reorder Linux and Windows boot entries in dual-boot systems, reduce the 10-second boot menu timeout to 3 seconds, set a specific operating system as the default boot option, or apply custom GRUB themes to personalize your boot screen, this tool eliminates manual configuration file editing. By the end of this guide, you will have Grub Customizer installed and configured to manage boot order, adjust timeout delays, and detect dual-boot operating systems without editing configuration files directly.

This guide supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS installations. The Daniel Richter PPA provides packages for both supported LTS releases. Commands shown work identically on both versions.

Update Ubuntu Packages

Before installing new software, ensure your Ubuntu system has the latest package information and security updates. Furthermore, running these commands first prevents potential dependency conflicts during installation.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Add the Grub Customizer PPA

Since Grub Customizer is not available in Ubuntu’s default repositories, you need to add the Personal Package Archive (PPA) maintained by Daniel Richter. This repository contains the latest stable version of Grub Customizer.

First, add the PPA to your system:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer -y

The -y flag automatically confirms adding the repository, which is useful for scripted installations. If you prefer to review the PPA details before confirming, omit this flag.

Next, update the APT cache to make the new packages available:

sudo apt update

Subsequently, verify the PPA was added correctly by checking the package source:

apt-cache policy grub-customizer

Expected output:

grub-customizer:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 5.2.5-0ubuntu1~ppaXX
  Version table:
     5.2.5-0ubuntu1~ppaXX 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/danielrichter2007/grub-customizer/ubuntu [your-release]/main amd64 Packages

The version suffix (ppa1n, ppa1j, etc.) and release codename (noble, jammy) vary by Ubuntu version. Both 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS receive the same core version (5.2.5) with different build identifiers.

Install Grub Customizer

With the PPA configured, proceed to install Grub Customizer using APT:

sudo apt install grub-customizer

After installation completes, confirm the installation by checking the version:

grub-customizer -v

Expected output:

Grub Customizer, version 5.x.x

Launch Grub Customizer

Launch from Terminal

If you prefer working from the command line, launch Grub Customizer directly from the terminal. The application requires root privileges to modify GRUB settings, so it will prompt for your password:

sudo grub-customizer

Launch from Applications Menu

Alternatively, launch Grub Customizer through the graphical interface:

1. Click the Activities button at the top left corner of your screen.
2. Type “Grub Customizer” in the search bar.
3. Click the Grub Customizer icon to launch the application.

Configure Grub Customizer

Once Grub Customizer opens, you can perform common bootloader configuration tasks through the graphical interface. The main window displays your current boot entries, while the top menu provides access to additional settings. All changes require saving and typically prompt GRUB configuration regeneration.

Reorder Boot Menu Entries

To change the order of operating systems in your boot menu, select an entry from the list and use the up/down arrow buttons in the toolbar. The entry at the top becomes the default boot option unless you configure a different default. After reordering entries, click Save in the toolbar to apply changes.

Adjust Boot Timeout

To reduce or increase the boot menu display time, navigate to General Settings from the menu bar. Locate the Default Entry section and adjust the timeout value. Ubuntu defaults to 10 seconds, which you can reduce to 3-5 seconds for faster boots or increase to 30 seconds if you frequently select non-default entries. Click Save to apply the new timeout.

Enable Dual-Boot Detection

If you run a dual-boot system with Windows or another Linux distribution, ensure Grub Customizer detects all operating systems. Ubuntu 22.04 and later disable automatic OS detection by default. Navigate to General Settings, locate the OS-prober option, and enable it. Alternatively, follow the manual os-prober configuration steps in the Troubleshooting section below. After enabling, click Save and regenerate GRUB to detect additional operating systems.

Apply Custom Themes

To personalize your boot screen appearance, navigate to Appearance Settings from the menu bar. Here you can modify background images, text colors, font sizes, and menu positioning. Select a custom background image or choose from installed GRUB themes. Changes preview in the settings window before you save them. Click Save to apply your theme customizations.

Always click Save in the toolbar after making changes. Grub Customizer typically prompts you to regenerate the GRUB configuration automatically. If prompted, allow the regeneration to complete before rebooting. Otherwise, your changes will not take effect.

Manage Grub Customizer

Update Grub Customizer

Since Grub Customizer was installed from a PPA, updates are delivered through the standard APT upgrade process. For more details on Ubuntu package management, see our guide on updating packages via Ubuntu command line. Run these commands periodically to receive the latest version:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade grub-customizer

After updating, verify the new version installed successfully:

grub-customizer -v

Remove Grub Customizer

If you no longer need Grub Customizer, remove it along with any orphaned dependencies:

sudo apt remove grub-customizer
sudo apt autoremove

Removing Grub Customizer does not revert your GRUB bootloader customizations. Boot order changes, timeout adjustments, and theme modifications persist after uninstalling the application. If you want to restore default GRUB settings, manually regenerate the configuration with sudo update-grub after removing your customizations from /etc/default/grub. To also remove application configuration files stored in your home directory, use purge instead of remove.

Remove the Grub Customizer PPA

Additionally, after removing Grub Customizer, you should also remove the PPA to prevent APT from checking for updates from an unused repository. For more detailed information about managing PPAs, see our guide on removing PPAs from Ubuntu.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer -y
sudo apt update

The apt update command refreshes your package cache to reflect the PPA removal. Now verify the package is no longer available from the removed repository:

apt-cache policy grub-customizer

Expected output after removal:

N: Unable to locate package grub-customizer

Troubleshooting Common Issues

PPA Fails to Add

If the add-apt-repository command fails with a connection error, you will see an error similar to this:

Cannot add PPA: 'ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer'.
ERROR: Failed to connect to launchpad.net

Verify your internet connection and try again. If the command reports that add-apt-repository is not found, install the software-properties-common package:

sudo apt install software-properties-common

Changes Not Applied After Saving

If your GRUB changes do not take effect after saving in Grub Customizer, manually regenerate the GRUB configuration:

sudo update-grub

Expected output:

Sourcing file `/etc/default/grub'
Generating grub configuration file ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-6.8.0-xx-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-6.8.0-xx-generic
done

Reboot your system for the changes to take effect.

GRUB Not Detecting Other Operating Systems

If Grub Customizer does not show all installed operating systems, ensure os-prober is installed and enabled. Ubuntu 22.04 and later disable this feature by default for security reasons.

First, install the package:

sudo apt install os-prober

Next, enable it in the GRUB configuration:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Scroll to the bottom of the file and add this line:

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

Save the file (CTRL+O), exit (CTRL+X), and regenerate the configuration:

sudo update-grub

Finally, restart Grub Customizer to see the detected operating systems.

Conclusion

You now have Grub Customizer configured with the Daniel Richter PPA for automatic updates. Use the main interface to reorder boot entries for faster access to your preferred operating system, or adjust the timeout in General Settings to reduce boot delays from 10 seconds to 3. For dual-boot systems, enable os-prober detection to ensure all installed operating systems appear in your boot menu. To keep your Ubuntu system current, consider setting up unattended upgrades or review our guide on upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS if you are still running 22.04.