How to Get to the Boot Menu on Windows

This wikiHow teaches you how to reboot your Windows PC to the boot menu. In Windows 8 and 10, the boot menu is called Startup Settings.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Windows 10 and 8

  1. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 1
    1
    Click the
    Image titled Windowsstart.png
    button.     It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 2
    2
    Click
    Image titled Windowspower.png
    .
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  3. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 3
    3
    Press ⇧ Shift as you click Restart. The computer will power off and back on. Instead of booting to the desktop, you’ll see a blue menu titled “Choose an option.”
  4. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 4
    4
    Click Troubleshoot.
  5. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 5
    5
    Click Advanced Options.
  6. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 6
    6
    Click Startup Settings. You are now at the Windows boot (Startup Settings) menu.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Windows 7 and Vista

  1. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 7
    1
    Press Alt+F4.
  2. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 8
    2
    Click the drop-down menu.
  3. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 9
    3
    Select Restart.
  4. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 10
    4
    Click OK. The computer will now shut down and restart. As soon as the computer restarts, you will need to act quickly—be ready.
  5. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 11
    5
    Press and hold F8 as soon as the computer restarts. 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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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Windows XP

  1. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 12
    1
    Press Ctrl+Alt+Del.[1]
  2. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 13
    2
    Click Shut Down….
  3. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 14
    3
    Click the drop-down menu.
  4. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 15
    4
    Click Restart.
  5. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 16
    5
    Click OK. The computer will now restart. As soon as the computer restarts, you will need to act quickly—be ready.
  6. Image titled Get to the Boot Menu on Windows Step 17
    6
    Press F8 repeatedly as soon as the computer powers on. 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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Community Q&A

  • Question
    My Lenovo turbo boost laptop hangs by showing boot menu when switching on, what to do?
    Amin Moghoomi
    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.
  • 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?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    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".
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000825.htm

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 119,152 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: July 28, 2022
Views: 119,152
Categories: Windows
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