grub-install8
Install grub to a device
Usage
grub-install [OPTION ...]
[OPTION]
[INSTALL_DEVICE]
Overview
Install GRUB on your drive.
-
--appended-signature-size=SIZE -
Add a note segment reserving SIZE bytes for an appended signature
-
--compress=no|xz|gz|lzo -
compress GRUB files [optional]
-
--disable-cli -
disabled command line interface access
-
--disable-shim-lock -
disable shim_lock verifier
-
--dtb=FILE -
embed a specific DTB
-
-d, --directory=DIR -
use images and modules under DIR [default=/usr/lib/grub/<platform>]
-
--fonts=FONTS -
install FONTS [default=unicode]
-
--install-modules=MODULES -
install only MODULES and their dependencies [default=all]
-
-k, --pubkey=FILE -
embed FILE as public key for signature checking
--locale-directory=DIR use translations under DIR-
[default=/usr/share/locale]
-
--locales=LOCALES -
install only LOCALES [default=all]
-
--modules=MODULES -
pre-load specified modules MODULES
-
--sbat=FILE -
SBAT metadata
-
--themes=THEMES -
install THEMES [default=starfield]
-
-v, --verbose -
print verbose messages.
-
-x, --x509key=FILE -
embed FILE as an x509 certificate for appended signature checking
-
--allow-floppy -
make the drive also bootable as floppy (default for fdX devices). May break on some BIOSes.
-
--boot-directory=DIR -
install GRUB images under the directory DIR/grub instead of the boot/grub directory
-
--bootloader-id=ID -
the ID of bootloader. This option is only available on EFI and Macs.
-
--core-compress=xz|none|auto -
choose the compression to use for core image
-
--disk-module=MODULE -
disk module to use (biosdisk or native). This option is only available on BIOS target.
-
--efi-directory=DIR -
use DIR as the EFI System Partition root.
-
--force -
install even if problems are detected
-
--force-file-id -
use identifier file even if UUID is available
-
--label-bgcolor=COLOR -
use COLOR for label background
-
--label-color=COLOR -
use COLOR for label
-
--label-font=FILE -
use FILE as font for label
--macppc-directory=DIR use DIR for PPC MAC install.
-
--no-bootsector -
do not install bootsector
-
--no-nvram -
don't update the `boot-device'/`Boot*' NVRAM variables. This option is only available on EFI and IEEE1275 targets.
-
--no-rs-codes -
Do not apply any reed-solomon codes when embedding core.img. This option is only available on x86 BIOS targets.
-
--product-version=STRING -
use STRING as product version
-
--recheck -
delete device map if it already exists
-
--removable -
the installation device is removable. This option is only available on EFI.
-
-s, --skip-fs-probe -
do not probe for filesystems in DEVICE
-
--target=TARGET -
install GRUB for TARGET platform [default=x86_64-efi]; available targets: arm-coreboot, arm-efi, arm-uboot, arm64-efi, i386-coreboot, i386-efi, i386-ieee1275, i386-multiboot, i386-pc, i386-qemu, i386-xen, i386-xen_pvh, ia64-efi, loongarch64-efi, mips-arc, mips-qemu_mips, mipsel-arc, mipsel-loongson, mipsel-qemu_mips, powerpc-ieee1275, riscv32-efi, riscv64-efi, sparc64-ieee1275, x86_64-efi, x86_64-xen
-
-?, --help -
give this help list
-
--usage -
give a short usage message
-
-V, --version -
print program version
Mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional for any corresponding short options.
INSTALL_DEVICE must be system device filename. grub-install copies GRUB images into boot/grub. On some platforms, it may also install GRUB into the boot sector.
Releases
13 releases since Debian 3.0 (Woody); the text changed 12 times.
--allow-floppy since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--appended-signature-size since Arch Linux 2026-11-01;
--boot-directory since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--bootloader-id since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--compress since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--core-compress since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--directory since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--disable-cli since Arch Linux 2026-11-01;
--disable-shim-lock since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--disk-module since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--dtb since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--efi-directory since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--fonts since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--force since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--force-file-id since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--install-modules since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--label-bgcolor since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--label-color since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--label-font since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--locales since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--modules since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--no-bootsector since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--no-nvram since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--no-rs-codes since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--product-version since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--pubkey since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--removable since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--sbat since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--skip-fs-probe since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--target since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--themes since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--usage since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--verbose since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
--x509key since Arch Linux 2026-11-01;
-? since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
-V since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
-d since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
-k since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
-s since Debian 12 (Bookworm);
-x since Arch Linux 2026-11-01.
--force-extra-removable until Debian 13 (Trixie);
--force-lba until Debian 11 (Bullseye);
--grub-mkimage until Debian 7 (Wheezy);
--grub-mkrelpath until Debian 7 (Wheezy);
--grub-probe until Debian 7 (Wheezy);
--grub-setup until Debian 7 (Wheezy);
--grub-shell until Debian 11 (Bullseye);
--no-floppy until Debian 11 (Bullseye);
--no-uefi-secure-boot until Debian 13 (Trixie);
--root-directory until Debian 11 (Bullseye);
--uefi-secure-boot until Debian 13 (Trixie);
-h until Debian 11 (Bullseye).