How to Access the Boot Menu in Windows 11

Open the Start Menu, type “Settings” into the search bar, and then click “Open” or hit Enter.

How to Enter UEFI / BIOS on Windows 11 and Windows 10

We show you how to access BIOS in Windows 11 and Windows 10 without needing to remember its dedicated hotkey.

March 14, 2022 6:32 pm CET

• 1 How to Enter UEFI (BIOS) on Windows 11 via Settings
• 2 How to Boot into BIOS on Windows 10 via Settings
• 3 Extra: How to Boot to Safe Mode in Windows
• 4 Extra: How to Disable Windows 11 or Windows 10 Fast Startup

Being able to access UEFI / BIOS on your Windows machine is essential if you want to change certain firmware and hardware settings. Unfortunately, however, as BIOS/UEFI are pre-boot environments, you can’t access them from your regular OS interface. Not to worry, though – today we’re going to show you how to enter UEFI / BIOS on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

UEFI vs BIOS: What’s the difference?

You may have noticed that we’re using the terms UEFI and BIOS almost interchangeably in this guide. So, is there any real difference between the two? The answer is yes.

UEFI and BIOS are two of the most popular motherboard firmware interfaces. They act as translators between an operating system and its hardware, initializing components and allowing users to change certain settings.

The main difference between BIOS and UEFI is their age. UEFI is a more modern solution, supporting faster boot times, better security, and larger hard drives. Unlike UEFI, BIOS can only support hard drives of up to 2.1 TB and must run in a 16-bit processor mode. Additionally, it does not support cursors and a modern graphical interface.

There are also differences between how each functions. BIOS, for example, stores its bootloader data in the MBR format on the first sector of the HDD. This can be more easily corrupted than UEFI, which uses the GUID Partition Table (GPT) and built-in redundancy checks.

As a result of all of these advantages, basically any PC or laptop you buy today will be using UEFI instead of BIOS. However, it is still referred to as “BIOS” by some manufacturers to avoid confusion, and many people use “BIOS” to refer to any pre-boot interface. As a result, we’ll be using both in this guide.

With that important distinction out of the way, here’s how to enter BIOS / UEFI in Windows 11 and Windows 10:

How to Enter UEFI (BIOS) on Windows 11 via Settings

While there may be a key you can press to access BIOS, this varies between OEMs. It could be Del, F1, F2, F10, F12, or even Esc. On top of this, modern PCs boot so quickly that it can be difficult to find and press the key in time.

As a result, we’ll be showing you how to get to BIOS on Windows 11 using the Settings interface instead. To do this we’ll make use of Windows’ Advanced Startup Options:

1. Open Settings and click the “Recovery” heading
2. In the “Advanced startup” section, press “Restart now”
3. Click “Restart now” As prompted, you should save any open documents before you do so.
4. Wait for your PC to start
5. Press “Troubleshoot” on the “Choose an option” screen
6. Click “Advanced options”
7. Press “UEFI Firmware Settings”
8. Click “Restart”
9. Make your BIOS / UEFI changes as necessary Upon restart, your PC will exit Advanced Startup Options and boot as it normally does.

How to Boot into BIOS on Windows 10 via Settings

Similarly to Windows 11, you can try one of the many BIOS keys as your computer boots, but it’s easier to just skip all that and get there via your Settings interface. This is how to get to BIOS in Windows 10:

1. Open Settings and click on “Update & Security”
2. Select “Recovery” in the sidebar and click “Advanced options”
3. Look for the “Advanced startup” heading and click “Restart now”
4. Wait for your PC to restart
5. Press “Troubleshoot” on the “Choose an option” screen
6. Click on “Advanced options”
7. Select UEFI Firmware Settings Your PC will automatically reboot into UEFI / BIOS.
8. Make any modifications to your UEFI / BIOS and save them Upon restart, your PC will exit Advanced Startup Options and boot as it normally does.

Extra: How to Boot to Safe Mode in Windows

While you’re fiddling around with your Advanced Startup Options, you may want to learn how to enter Safe Mode in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This useful mode can help solve issues if your PC won’t boot normally. Once you’re done, be sure to follow our guide on how to get out of Safe Mode.

Extra: How to Disable Windows 11 or Windows 10 Fast Startup

If you’d really rather just hit a button on startup to enter BIOS / UEFI in Windows, you should consider following our guide on how to disable fast startup in your Control Panel. This will give you a bit more time without seriously slowing down the boot process.

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How to Access the Boot Menu in Windows 11

Nick Lewis is a staff writer for How-To Geek. He has been using computers for 20 years — tinkering with everything from the UI to the Windows registry to device firmware. Before How-To Geek, he used Python and C++ as a freelance programmer. In college, Nick made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree. Read more.

Jun 27, 2022, 2:00 pm EDT | 2 min read

The Advanced Options Menu, sometimes called the Boot Menu, contains tools and configuration options you can use to troubleshoot or repair your PC. Here’s how to use it on Windows 11.

Table of Contents

What Does the Advanced Options Menu Do?

• Startup Repair: Startup Repair will attempt to automatically fix issues that prevent Windows 11 from booting correctly.
• Startup Settings: Startup Settings allows you to change how Windows 11 Boots. You can do things like enable Safe Mode, debugging, or boot logging, to name a few.
• Command Prompt: The Command Prompt option brings up a Command Prompt window that can be used to run diagnostic or repair commands.
• Uninstall Updates: The Uninstall Updates option will roll back the latest updates installed, including major Windows versions or updates.
• UEFI Firmware Settings: This option restarts your computer and opens the BIOS/UEFI.
• System Restore:System Restore allows you to use a previously created restore point to roll back Windows to a point where it was working correctly.
• System Image Recovery: System Image Recovery is similar to System Restore, but uses a complete system image instead of a restore point. System images are much larger and more complete than restore points and include all of your files, programs, and settings.

How to Access the Advanced Options Menu

Windows 11, unlike Windows 10, does not support systems that are running a BIOS — they must be using UEFI. The UEFI requirement means that the advanced startup menu is always accessible from within Windows.

Within the Settings App

Open the Start Menu, type “Settings” into the search bar, and then click “Open” or hit Enter.

Ensure that you are on the System window. If you aren’t, click “System” in the top left-hand corner of the Settings window. Then scroll down and click “Recovery.”

There will be a section titled “Recovery Options.” Look for a section titled “Advanced Startup,” make sure to save anything you’re working on, and then click “Restart Now.” You may get a prompt warning you about unsaved work— if you have already saved everything, don’t worry about it.

Your computer will restart after a few seconds.

By Clicking Restart

If you don’t want to go into the Settings app and navigate through some sub-menus, there is a more efficient way: Shift-clicking the Restart option. Click the Start button or hit the Windows key, click the power icon, then hold Shift and click “Restart.”

The most obvious place to use this trick is with the Restart option in the Start menu, but it isn’t the only place. Just about anywhere that you see a “Restart” button will work, including the lock or login screen.

After Restarting Your Computer

Your computer will display a blue screen with a few options on it after you click “Restart Now” in the recovery menu, or Shift-click “Restart.” Choose “Troubleshoot” from the listed options.

Note: It is possible there will be more options available to you than are displayed here. For example, the “Choose an option” screen might also feature a “Use a Device” option.

Click “Advanced Options” on the next screen, and you’ll be taken to the Advanced Options menu.

That’s it — you’re at the Advanced Options window.

The Advanced Options menu has a number of different utilities available. Some of them are fully automated, like Startup Repair, whereas others require extensive user interaction, like the Command Prompt. Which you use depends a lot on what is wrong with your PC.

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Nick Lewis
Nick Lewis is a staff writer for How-To Geek. He has been using computers for 20 years — tinkering with everything from the UI to the Windows registry to device firmware. Before How-To Geek, he used Python and C++ as a freelance programmer. In college, Nick made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree.
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