Why Does Fedora Boot Directly Without Showing the GRUB Menu?
Asked by
MellowOrbit42
I've been using Linux for about a year and recently removed Ubuntu from a Fedora/Ubuntu dual-boot setup. I deleted Ubuntu's partitions with GParted from a live USB and gave the freed space to Fedora. Fedora still boots normally, but the GRUB menu no longer appears; the system goes straight into Fedora. The machine uses UEFI. The EFI system partition is still present at /dev/nvme0n1p1 and mounted at /boot/efi, while /boot is /dev/nvme0n1p2. The Fedora EFI files and kernel entries are still present, and efibootmgr lists Fedora first in the boot order. I also tried setting the GRUB root and prefix and regenerating the GRUB configuration. What might be hiding the menu, and how can I restore it?
Answers
Your partition layout suggests the EFI partition was not removed, and Fedora’s boot files are still there. This sounds more like Fedora is configured to hide the menu or use a very short timeout than a missing bootloader. Check /etc/default/grub for GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden and a small GRUB_TIMEOUT value. Set the style to menu and use a timeout such as 5, then regenerate the configuration with Fedora’s usual grub2-mkconfig command for your installation. Reboot afterward and check whether the menu appears.
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The efibootmgr output shows a valid Fedora UEFI entry pointing to the Fedora shim, and /boot/efi/EFI contains the fallback boot files. So deleting Ubuntu did not necessarily break the EFI bootloader. Also make sure the firmware is actually booting the Fedora entry first, rather than a generic hard-drive entry. In the firmware boot menu, move Fedora to the top and disable fast boot temporarily if the firmware skips the menu too quickly.
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If changing the GRUB settings does not help, boot Fedora and verify that /boot/efi is mounted before rebuilding the boot files. Back up the existing EFI directory first, then reinstall Fedora’s EFI bootloader packages or use Fedora’s documented UEFI repair procedure. Avoid formatting the EFI partition or deleting its BOOT directory; the files shown there are useful fallback boot files, not evidence that the partition is empty.
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MellowOrbit42: That makes sense because Fedora boots successfully every time. I’ll check the timeout and menu-style settings before reinstalling anything.