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Visor Boot Manager

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Visor Boot Manager's own site

What Visor Boot Manager is

Visor Boot Manager is a graphical UEFI boot manager for Linux and Windows EFI programs. It can start Linux EFI-stub kernels and Unified Kernel Images, or chainload other EFI executables such as Windows. Without configuration, it detects Windows, UKIs, kernels, and BLS/OSTree deployments, and can derive a root command line automatically. Its menu supports themes, icons, animations, wallpaper accent colors, mouse, and touch input, with live USB hotplug. For alternate boot states, it supports Btrfs, Snapper, Timeshift, and plain snapshots, as well as OSTree deployment browsing with automatic rollback. It also supports encrypted boot artifacts and a single-password LUKS handoff. Secure Boot verification works through shim, and the installer supports sbctl signing. The bootloader is a single approximately 340 KB EFI binary without external dependencies or a scripting language. It builds for x86_64 and AArch64, and can be built from source or installed from the Arch User Repository. Visor is free under the BSD 2-Clause license, but requires UEFI hardware and does not support legacy BIOS.

Who it suits

Visor suits users who want a graphical UEFI boot menu for Linux and Windows EFI programs, with support for snapshots, encryption, or OSTree deployments. It requires UEFI hardware and is not suitable for legacy BIOS systems.

What it does well

  • Automatically detects several boot entry types
  • Supports Btrfs, Snapper, Timeshift, and plain snapshots
  • Offers OSTree browsing with automatic rollback
  • Supports mouse, touch, themes, and live USB hotplug
  • Free under the BSD 2-Clause license

What to know first

  • Requires UEFI hardware
  • Does not support legacy BIOS

Limits

Visor requires UEFI hardware and does not support legacy BIOS.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
BSD-2-Clause open-sourceself-built from source · UEFI x86_64 or AArch64Free

As github.com lists them, read 1 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Open the Visor Boot Manager project website.
  2. Choose a source build or installation from the Arch User Repository.
  3. For a source build, use gnu-efi, GCC, binutils, make and git.
  4. Build for x86_64 or AArch64 UEFI hardware.
  5. Consult the project wiki for configuration and feature guidance.

Verdict

Visor combines automatic boot-entry detection with snapshot, OSTree, and encryption support in a small EFI binary. Its UEFI-only requirement rules it out for systems using legacy BIOS.

Questions

How much does Visor Boot Manager cost?

The BSD-2-Clause open-source plan is free.

Is there a free plan or trial?

It is free. There is no free trial.

Which platforms and architectures does it support?

It supports Linux and Windows on UEFI systems and builds for x86_64 and AArch64.

Is Visor open source?

Yes. It is released under the BSD 2-Clause license.

How can I install it?

You can build it with gnu-efi, GCC, binutils, make and git, or install it from the Arch User Repository.

Does it support legacy BIOS?

No. Visor requires UEFI hardware and does not support legacy BIOS.

Facts from Visor Boot Manager's own pages

Architectures
The project builds for x86_64 and AArch64 from one source tree. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Automatic detection
With no configuration, Visor detects Windows, UKIs, kernels, and BLS/OSTree deployments and derives a root command line automatically. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Boot support
It boots Linux EFI-stub kernels and Unified Kernel Images and chainloads other EFI executables, including Windows. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Documentation
Configuration, themes, encryption, LUKS, Secure Boot, snapshots, OSTree, filesystem drivers, CLI usage, architecture, and troubleshooting are documented in the project wiki. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Encryption
Visor supports encrypted boot artifacts and a single-password LUKS handoff. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Footprint
The bootloader is a single approximately 340 KB EFI binary with no external dependencies or scripting language. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Hotplug
The boot menu supports live USB hotplug with animated entry insertion and removal. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Installation
Visor can be built with gnu-efi, GCC, binutils, make, and git, or installed from the Arch User Repository. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Interface
The menu supports icons, animations, wallpaper accent colors, themes, mouse input, and touch input. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
License
Visor is released under the BSD 2-Clause license. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Limitation
Visor requires UEFI hardware and does not support legacy BIOS. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
OSTree
Visor provides OSTree deployment browsing with automatic rollback. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Purpose
Visor is a minimal, fast graphical UEFI boot manager written in C. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Secure Boot
Secure Boot verification works through shim, and the installer supports sbctl signing. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026
Snapshots
Visor supports Btrfs, Snapper, Timeshift, and plain snapshot booting. · github.com, 1 Oct 2026

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