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On occasion, you may find yourself in a situation where you need your computer to start up in a different way than it usually does. Whether you’re troubleshooting to find the source of an issue with your computer or upgrading your computer’s operating system to the latest version, you’ll sometimes need to load data directly from a CD, a flash drive, secondary hard drive or even a second operating system installed on your computer. Luckily, you don’t have to be a tech professional to do this: you can easily accomplish this task by using the Windows Boot Manager, accessed through your computer’s startup sequence or through a menu option inside your Windows operating system’s settings.
What Is Windows Boot
Manager?
The Windows Boot Manager is a small piece of utility software installed to your boot volume – the small amount of space reserved on your hard drive that controls the way your computer starts up. Usually, Boot Manager works in the background when you turn on your computer, automatically loading your Windows installation. However, you can access the Windows Boot Manager menu manually, allowing you to temporarily modify your computer’s startup sequence. On most computers, this can be accomplished by pressing the «F8» key as soon as your computer turns on. When the Windows Boot Manager menu opens, you can use the arrow keys to select an operating system or external boot source and then press «ENTER» to load it.
Accessing Windows 10 Boot Manager
If you have trouble accessing the Boot Manager during your computer’s startup process, you can access the Windows 10 Boot Manager through your Settings menu after your computer loads your default Windows installation. To do this, click the gear for «Settings» inside your Start menu, then click «Update & Security» in the window that appears. In the menu on the left side of the window, click «Recovery,» then under the «Advanced Startup» heading click «Restart Now.» Your computer will restart and give you access to the Boot Manager.
Boot Manager on
Windows 8.1
You can also access Windows Boot Manager directly through your Windows 8.1 install by following roughly the same procedure. From your Start menu, open «Settings,» then click «Change PC Settings.» Open the «General» settings menu, then click «Restart Now» under the «Advanced Startup» heading. In the menu that appears after your computer restarts, select «Use a Device» to open the Boot Manager.
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A quick guide to find the Boot menu on Windows to recover or repair
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- Using a Keyboard
- Using Windows 11, 10, and 8
- Using Windows 7 and Vista
- Using Windows XP
- Video
- Q&A
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Are you trying to get to the Windows Boot menu through the menu or with a key? If you need to access the Boot menu, you can press the F8 key before the Windows starts. You can also open the Boot menu from the Start menu if you’re already logged into your device. Knowing how to access the Boot menu can help troubleshoot your computer if it’s experiencing issues. This wikiHow will show you how to get into the Boot menu on Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7.
Things You Should Know
- Turn on your computer and press the function key for your PC model.
- To reach the menu from Windows, click «Start» → Power button → hold «Shift» and click «Restart». Click «Troubleshoot» → «Advanced options».
- Use the Boot menu to find actions you can use to repair or troubleshoot issues with Windows.
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To access the Boot menu, you’ll need to press a key before the operating system fully loads.[1]
- If your computer is on, shut it down first. You can also restart it.
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This will vary depending on your device. Here’s a list of common BIOS keys by manufacturer:[2]
- Acer: Del or F2
- Asus: F9
- Dell: F12
- HP: Esc or F10
- Lenovo: F1 or F2
- Samsung: F2
- You must press this key before the Windows logo appears. When done correctly, your computer will start in Safe mode.
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It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- On Windows 11, this will be in the bottom center of the screen.
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This will be underneath the cog icon.
- A pop-up menu will open.
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You must hold Shift, otherwise your computer will perform a regular restart.[3]
- The computer will power off and back on. Instead of booting to the desktop, you’ll see a blue menu titled “Choose an option.”
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This will be underneath Continue.[4]
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You can find this at the very bottom.[5]
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This will open the Shut Down Windows menu.
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The options will expand.
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This will be next to Shut down.[6]
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The computer will now shut down and restart. As soon as the computer restarts, you will need to act quickly—be ready.
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You’ll need to press it before the Windows logo appears. Continue holding this key until you see the Advanced Boot Options menu.
- If Windows boots to the desktop, repeat this process to try again.
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This will open the Windows Security menu.
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You can find this next to Log Off….
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This will expand the options.
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This will be next to Shut down.
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The computer will now restart. As soon as the computer restarts, you will need to act quickly—be ready.
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Continue tapping this key until you see the Advanced Boot Options menu—this is the Windows XP boot menu.
- If Windows boots to the desktop, repeat this process to try again.
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Add New Question
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Question
My Lenovo turbo boost laptop hangs by showing boot menu when switching on, what to do?
Amin Moghoomi
Community Answer
Try finding your hard drive in the list. And you can try a Windows installation disk to check your hard drive.
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Question
I want to boot up using my old Windows XP Pro Disk and use it to format my hard drive, which doesn’t have windows XP on it. Can this be done?
Yes, it can. Insert Your disk. Press the bios key. This depends on your computer. Change the boot order. Save the changes. Reboot your computer. When you see «Press Any Key To Boot From CD», press a key. When you get to «Where Would You Like To Install Windows?», select the drive, press Enter, click «Format As Ntfs» Or «Format As Fat».
-
Question
How can I restart my laptop?
Nolan JP
Community Answer
Open the start menu, then push the power button (it looks like an «O» but with an «I» stuck in the top). Then push the button that says «Restart.» The computer will turn off, then back on.
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Last Updated :
14 Oct, 2024
Knowing how to access the boot options menu in Windows 10 can be incredibly helpful, whether you’re troubleshooting your system or looking to modify startup settings. The Windows 10 boot options allow you to enter safe mode, change boot order, or access recovery tools. In this article, we’ll show you how to easily open the boot menu in Windows 10 using different methods, including the advanced startup option and the boot menu key.
Table of Content
- What is Safe Mode in Windows 10?
- How to Access Boot Menu Options in Windows 10?
- Method 1: Access Boot Menu Options Using Keyboard Shortcut
- Method 2: Access Boot Menu Options Using Settings
- Method 3: Access Boot Menu Options Using Command Prompt
What is Safe Mode in Windows 10?
The safe mode feature in Windows 10 helps us to identify issues. In safe mode, the PC boots up using only the drivers and data that are essential for boot up. Any application that is installed manually will not show up in safe mode. Hence, if an issue is not occurring in this mode that was occurring in normal boots up, then the issue is in the manually installed applications.
Also check: How to Boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode?
One thing to note here is that there is no way to go into safe mode when Windows 10 is booted up normally. To enter safe mode, you need to first access the advanced options menu. So, let’s discuss how to access boot menu options in Windows 10.
Step 1: Click on Start, located at the bottom left corner of your screen.
Step 2: Click on Power.
Step 3: Hold down the Shift key.
Step 4: Click on Restart.
Windows will automatically shut down and restart to the Advanced options menu.
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Click on Update & Security.
Step 3: Navigate to the Recovery Tab.
Step 4: You will see a section named Advanced Startup and a button named Restart now under it. Click on it to restart Windows to the boot menu.
Method 3: Access Boot Menu Options Using Command Prompt
Step 1: Type cmd in the search bar. The Command Prompt utility will pop up. Click on Run as administrator to launch this tool with administrative privileges.
Step 2: In the window that appears, type shutdown.exe /r /o. Then, hit Enter to restart Windows to the boot menu.
shutdown.exe /r /o
Conclusion
Accessing the boot options menu in Windows 10 is essential for performing tasks like entering safe mode, accessing recovery options, or making changes in the BIOS. By using the Windows 10 advanced startup feature or pressing the correct boot menu key, you can easily manage your system’s boot settings and resolve potential issues. Having a good understanding of the Windows 10 startup options can help you maintain control over your PC’s performance and troubleshooting process.
Also Read
- How to Upgrade From Windows 10 to Windows 11 For Free?
- How to Install Windows 10 From a USB Flash Drive?
- How to Boost Performance in Windows 10?
Boot Options Menu offers users ways to troubleshoot many problems with Windows 10. You can reset your PC, do a system restore, fix startup issues, and so on to troubleshoot problems in the boot options menu.
Therefore, it’s essential to know how to access the Boot Options Menu in Windows 10.
Case 1.
If you can access your desktop, follow the three easy ways below to access the Boot Options Menu.
Way 1. Hold Shift key and click Restart (Easiest)
Click Start > Power Button.
Then hold Shift key meantime click Restart.
Wait for seconds then you will access to Boot Options Menu.
Way 2. Access to Boot Options Menu via Run dialog menu
1) Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R(Windows logo key and R key) at the same time.
Then Type shutdown /r /o into the box and hit Enter.
2) Click Close when You’re about to be signed out prompt shows up.
Wait for seconds then you will access to Boot Options Menu.
Way 3. Using Windows Settings
1) Click Start > Settings menu.
2) Scroll down to click Update & Security.
3) Click Recovery on the right pane.
Then on the right pane, scroll down and click Restart now under Advanced startup.
Wait for seconds then you will access to Boot Options Menu.
Case 2.
If you can’t access your desktop, you can access the Boot Options Menu via the Windows 10 Installation USB drive.
1) Plug the USB drive with the Windows 10 Installation file in your PC.
Note: For how to create a Windows 10 Installation USB drive, follow Option Two offered in How to Download Windows 10.
2) Boot your PC from the Windows 10 Installation USB drive.
While booting (before Windows starts loading), continuously press F12 to enter your PC’s BIOS. Then select USB Drive as the boot device and Press the Enter key.
Note: The keys to press, such as F12, F2, Delete, or Esc, differ on computers from different manufacturers.
3) Select your language, time, and keyboard preferences. Then select Next.
4) Click Repair your computer at the bottom left.
Then you would access to Boot Options Menu.
Note: In this way, you can’t use the Startup Settings option.
Have a try to access your Windows 10 Boot Options Menu now!
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