How to get to the BIOS menu on a laptop. How to enter the Boot menu - boot menu
This menu allows you to select from what type of media and even from which specific one the download will be made this time. This can be useful when installing a system, installing BIOS updates, or if necessary, launching a LiveCD.
Standard methods
In order to get to the boot menu there is a set standard keys , exactly the same as for entering the BIOS. Usually these are buttons f11,f12,Esc. In this menu you can see all devices from which you can download to this moment and select the one you need.
As a rule, information about which button should be pressed appears immediately when the computer starts; if this does not happen and the above options did not help, then other actions will be required.
Features of the boot menu in Windows 8 and 10
If the PC was shipped with one of these systems, pressing the keys may not work. This happens because these systems usually do not turn off, in the usual sense of the word, but rather, go into hibernation. To get into boot menu, you need to completely turn off the computer. To do this, you can hold down the key shift when selecting " Shutdown" or reboot the device using the button on the front panel.
There is also an option with disabling fast startup, but it’s not worth using it just to get into the Boot Menu.
Boot menu on Asus motherboards and laptops
For computers, login is carried out at pressedf8 immediately after launch. There can be some confusion with laptops. Most of them can also launch the necessary option when you press this key, and some enable it only when pressedEsс(usually this applies to models whose names begin with x or k). 
Lenovo laptops
Here everything is much simpler, the launch is carried out when pressedf12. There may also be a special key with an arrow that will allow you to perform the same action. 
Boot Menu on Acer
Here you can also enter by pressingf12. Only here lies little trick: For proper operation and download the boot menu using this button, you must first enable the appropriate option in the BIOS. You can get into it by pressing f2. The name of the setting itself is shown in the image, all you need to do is set “ Enabled"at the right point. 
Other models of laptops and motherboards
Manufacturers do not seem to have come to a consensus on which button is best to use for the Boot Menu and therefore, each of them left the most convenient option for themselves. As a result, it is practically impossible to “guess” it on the first try. the desired button, without knowing what model the motherboard is. Below is a list for the most common of them. 
If necessary, use a flash drive or external HDD. So as not to change several times BIOS settings’a, you can simply boot into the Boot Menu one time, without changing any settings, select the disk to boot, perform all the necessary operations, and then simply reboot the PC and work on it as usual. In today's article we will discuss in detail, how to enter the Boot Menu on laptops and desktop PCs from all kinds of manufacturers and a huge variety of brands.
What is the boot menu? In fact, this is one of the built-in features of UEFI or BIOS, which makes it possible to quickly make a choice from which external device data storage to boot the PC this time. The presented feature can come in handy if you have to boot from a bootable flash drive or LiveCD. On a number of laptop models, the same menu provides access to the device reconstruction category.
How to enter the Boot Menu on a laptop or desktop computer? Similar to calling the BIOS, this is done using one of the hot keys (most likely F12, F11 or Esc, but there may be other options). It may happen that information about the corresponding hot key for calling the Boot Menu appears on the screen immediately when you turn on the PC, but this does not always happen.
When is it worth using the Boot Menu, and when is it better to change it? BIOS settings? If you need to boot from a flash drive once (for example, check your computer for viruses using a special disk, or install new version OS), it would be more logical to use the Boot Menu, but if you need to change the boot priority of devices (for example, set boot from DVD first), and not just once, but permanently, then, of course, it would be more advisable to change BIOS settings.
In the boot menu you can see a list of all devices connected to the PC from which currently you can boot the computer (these can be laser drives, external HDDs, flash drives), and also, potentially, the option network boot PC from the backup partition.
What to do if you can’t enter the Boot Menu?
For laptops or PCs that originally shipped with Win 8.1/8/10, it may not be possible to activate the boot menu using the mentioned hot buttons. The thing is that workstations based on this OS actually do not even turn off, but only enter hibernation status. Therefore, the Boot Menu may not be activated after pressing F12, F11, Esc and other keys.
Under these circumstances, you have the right to resort to one of the following methods:
1. While selecting the “Shutdown” menu item in Win 8/8.1, hold down the Shift button. IN in this case There will be a complete shutdown of the PC and during next switch on buttons to activate the boot menu will be active.
2. Instead of turning off and on the PC again, use a reboot by pressing the appropriate button.
3. Deactivate Express Start. To do this, open the control panel, select the option “System and Security” -> “Power Options” -> “Actions of the Power Buttons”.
One of the above methods should certainly help in solving the problem of activating the boot menu, if you carried out all the other iterations correctly.
How to enter the Boot Menu on an Asus device (for motherboards and laptops from the represented brand)
Essentially, if you own a desktop PC based on an Asus motherboard, you can enter the Boot Menu on it by pressing the F8 button after the computer is turned on.
But in the situation with a laptop, some nuances may arise. To activate the boot menu on an ASUS laptop of a certain modification, when turning on the device, press:
Esc – relevant for most current and not very current models;
F8 – for those types of ASUS devices, capital letter whose name contains the letters x or k (for example, k601 or x502c).
Be that as it may, the variability here is not that great, so if necessary, you can use any of the proposed options.
How to enter the Boot Menu on a Lenovo laptop?
For almost all Lenovo brand laptops and desktop computers, you can use the F12 button when turning on the power to activate the boot menu.
Moreover, auxiliary download methods for Lenovo devices can be found by using a miniature button with an arrow on it located near the power button.
How to enable Boot Menu on an Acer device
Another very popular type of desktop PCs and laptops is Acer. To enter the boot menu on this device trademark, requires pressing F12 during startup.
However, with regard to laptops, such a trick is not always effective, and to this method became possible, you must first enter the BIOS by pressing F2, and then in the parameters set the “F12 Boot Menu” setting to Enabled, and only after that save all the changes made and leave the BIOS mode.
Other devices based on components from other brands
For other brands, the situation is using Boot The menu varies slightly. Below I will provide a detailed list of devices and their corresponding buttons for activating the menu:
- ASRock - F11
— MSI motherboards – F11
— ASUS motherboards – F8
— Intel motherboards – Esc
— Gigabyte motherboards – F12
— Toshiba laptops – F12
— Samsung laptops – Esc
— Dell laptops – F12
— HP laptops and desktop PCs – F9 or Esc.
Here are all the common devices and descriptions with which you can find out how to log into Boot menu. We hope this article will serve you well and you will be able to quickly, easily and painlessly perform all the necessary operations on your PC that the boot menu requires. With that, let me take my leave.
Now we will figure out how to enter the Boot Menu; usually, this is necessary to select a boot device: a bootable flash drive or CD/DVD disk from which you want to boot on the computer. Boot Menu BIOS responsible for choice boot disk and for choosing the boot priority from computer disks.
Immediately after turning on the computer, in the BIOS - “ basic system input/output" the computer hardware is initialized, determined and configured, and the boot is prepared operating system. Used on computers modern versions UEFI BIOS and outdated versions BIOS (Legacy BIOS).
To select a boot device, you must enter the boot BIOS menu. This will be needed in the following cases: during installation or reinstalling Windows, or installing another operating system on your PC to boot from antivirus LiveCD(LiveDVD) or LiveUSB disk to cure your computer from infection, to launch another operating system that can run on a computer with external drive, for example, run one of the Linux distributions- , in other situations.
Boot disks are usually located on removable media: bootable flash drive on USB drive, and the system image or “live” disc is recorded on an optical CD/DVD disc. To be able to boot from an external drive, you must select this drive in the BIOS boot menu on your computer.
For boot launch Menu uses one “hot” key on the keyboard, which must be pressed immediately after the loading screen appears, at which time the logo of the laptop or motherboard manufacturer is displayed on the screen. To successfully enter the boot menu, quickly press the corresponding key several times. If you can't log in right away, try again the next time you start the system.
In the article you will find instructions and tables for entering the Boot Menu on a desktop computer and on laptops of different models.
Selecting boot devices in the BIOS or in the Boot Menu: differences between the two methods
Immediately after turning on the computer, select boot device can be done in two ways:
- directly from BIOS;
In the first case, you will need to enter the BIOS, and then in the corresponding tab change the priority of loading performed from computer devices. By default, the system boots from hard drive computer.
In the list of devices, depending on the configuration of the PC, there is equipment from which it is possible to boot: HDD, CD/DVD drive connected USB devices etc. The user, using the arrow keys on the keyboard, selects required device, moves it to the first place in the list, and then saves the changes in the BIOS settings.
After applying the changes, the computer will start booting from the very first device installed in BIOS Boot Menu. If the first device does not have a boot disk, the boot will start from next device etc. For example, the PC has been set to boot priority from a CD/DVD disk, and the hard disk is located as a second boot device, if there is no bootable CD/DVD disk in the drive, the computer will boot from the hard disk. Accordingly, if a disc with Windows is inserted into the drive, the PC will boot from the DVD disc.
Selecting boot priority in the BIOS is a permanent setting that can be changed if the need arises again.
Loading the Boot Menu, on the contrary, is a temporary setting. IN separate window the user goes to the boot menu, selects a boot device to run on the computer. This action is one-time only. this moment time. This method convenient in that the user does not have to call the BIOS to change the system boot order settings.
If you need to boot your computer again from the boot disk ( USB flash drives or CD/DVD), the user will have to enter the Boot Menu to select a boot device.
Disabling Fast Startup in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8
On many modern computers, working under the control of operating Windows systems 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, the boot screen is not displayed during system startup, or the screen is displayed for a very short period of time. This is done to increase speed Windows startup, because the PC has Fast Startup enabled.
Everything happens so quickly that the user simply does not have time to press the required hot key to enter the Boot Menu. In this case, you will need to disable fast loading Windows operating system.
- In the Control Panel, select the "Power Options" section.
- In the Power Options window, select what the power buttons do.
- In the window " System parameters» Select the option “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
- In the “Shutdown Options” section, uncheck the box next to “Enable Fast Startup (Recommended)”, and then click on the “Save Changes” button.
Some UEFI BIOS have a fast startup feature, so you need to disable it in the BIOS settings.
How to open the Boot Menu on a desktop computer: table
On desktop PCs, entering the boot menu depends on the motherboard manufacturer and the BIOS version used on the hardware. Basically, motherboards are produced by well-known Taiwanese companies.
The most common keys to enter the boot menu are the “F12”, “F11”, “Esc” keys; other keyboard keys are not used so often.
| Motherboard manufacturer | BIOS version | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS | AMI | F8 |
| ASRock | AMI | F11 |
| Gigabyte | AMI | F12 |
| Gigabyte | Award | F12 |
| MSI | AMI | F11 |
| Intel | Visual BIOS | F10 |
| Intel | Phoenix Award | Esc |
| Biostar | Phoenix Award | F9 |
| ECS (Elitegroup) | AMI | F11 |
| Foxconn | Phoenix Award | Esc |
On Asus laptops, most products use the “Esc” key. On K-series and X-series devices, use the “F8” key to launch the boot menu.
Boot Menu Lenovo
The user can enter the boot menu on Lenovo laptops using the “F12” key. By using special key On some Lenovo laptop models, you can log into extra menu and there select launch Boot Menu.
Immediately after turning on the computer, on the HP laptop you should press the “Esc” key, and then select the “F9” key in the menu that opens.
On Acer laptops, the “F12” key is used to enter the Boot Menu. On some laptop models from this company, the ability to enter the boot menu when starting the computer is disabled.
To correct the situation, you need to enter the BIOS settings, and there enable the “F12” key as “ hotkey» to enter the boot menu. Don't forget to save changes in BIOS settings.
Boot Menu Samsung
A special feature of entering the Boot Menu on Samsung laptops is to press the “Esc” key once when opening the boot screen. Pressing the key again will exit the boot menu.
To enter the boot menu on Sony laptops, use the “F11” key. It happens that on laptops Sony VAIO The function of entering the boot menu is disabled in the BIOS. To change the settings, you will need to go to the BIOS settings, and then enable the “External Device Boot” option.
How to enter the boot menu on a laptop: table
The table contains hotkeys for entering the Boot Menu of a laptop from the most well-known and widespread manufacturers. On some laptop models, in the boot menu, among other devices, there is a recovery partition created by the computer manufacturer.
| Laptop manufacturer | BIOS version | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| Acer | InsydeH2O | F12 |
| Acer | Phoenix | F12 |
| ASUS | AMI | Esc |
| ASUS | Phoenix Award | F8 |
| Dell | Phoenix | F12 |
| Dell | Aptio (AMI) | F12 |
| eMachines (Acer) | Phoenix | F12 |
| Fujitsu Siemens | AMI | F12 |
| HP | InsydeH2O | Esc → F9 |
| Lenovo | Phoenix Secure Core | F12 |
| Lenovo | AMI | F12 |
| MSI | AMI | F11 |
| Packard Bell(Acer) | Phoenix Secure Core | F12 |
| Samsung | Phoenix Secure Core | Esc (press once) |
| Sony VAIO | InsydeH2O | F11 |
| Toshiba | Phoenix | F12 |
| Toshiba | InsydeH2O | F12 |
Conclusions of the article
To enter the Boot Menu, immediately after turning on the computer, use various keys keyboards. “Hot keys” depend on the BIOS version and the device manufacturer: motherboard or laptop. The article contains instructions and tables with a list of keys used on different devices, separately for desktop computers and separately for laptops.
What is boot menu
Probably everyone knows that in order to boot from a disk drive or flash drive you need to set the order of devices to boot in the BIOS. For example, to install Windows XP from a disk onto a computer, you first need to boot from this very disk. To do this, you need to set the disk drive as the first boot device in the BIOS.
However, you don’t have to go into the BIOS and change nothing there. All you need to do is immediately after turning on the computer, press the boot menu key and in the list of devices that appears, select the one from which to boot. Selecting a boot device in the boot menu has no effect on BIOS settings. That is, this menu affects specifically a specific boot, and if you do not call it afterwards, the computer or laptop will boot as configured in the BIOS.
How to call the boot menu - keys for calling the BIOS boot menu
So, we figured out what the boot menu is in BIOS. Now I’ll tell you what hotkeys you use to call it. There is no standard here. It all depends on the manufacturer of the PC or laptop motherboard and on the version of the BIOS installed there. For example, calling the boot menu asus is different from calling the boot menu on an acer or sony vaio laptop.
In most cases, the key to call up the boot device selection menu is F12 , but some manufacturers use their own key combinations. Special attention You can focus on the boot menu of Samsung and HP. To get to the boot menu of a Samsung laptop you need to press Esc (just one time!). If you click on Esc at least twice, the boot menu will close before it can open. Therefore, you need to calculate and accurately hit the time by pressing the boot menu hotkey. This can be quite difficult to do without some skill.
Calling the boot menu on HP laptops is also specific. To do this, you first need to click Esc , after which it will appear service menu laptop. In it we already select the desired item (by pressing the hot key). To call the HP boot menu, press F9 .
For some manufacturers, the device to be loaded into the menu is selected using the cursor keys; for others, you need to press a key with a number indicating serial number devices in the list.
Below is a table that is easy to understand. This is a table of correspondence between hotkeys for calling up the menu for selecting the boot device, motherboard manufacturer and BIOS.
Yes, and one last clarification. In some cases, boot menu hotkeys are disabled by default in the BIOS. To be able to use the boot menu, you need to enable it in the BIOS settings. Typically this function is called F12 Boot Menu . To enable this feature, you must set its value to Enabled .
In addition to the keys for calling the boot menu, the table shows keys for entering the BIOS.
| Manufacturer/device | BIOS version | Boot menu key | Key to enter BIOS |
| Mat. MSI boards | AMI | F11 | Del |
| Mat. Gigabyte boards | Award | F12 | Del |
| Mat. Asus boards | AMI | F8 | Del |
| Mat. Intel boards | Phoenix Award | Esc | Del |
| Mat. AsRock boards | AMI | F11 | Del |
| Asus laptops | Esc | F2 | |
| Acer laptops | Inside H2O | F12 | F2 |
| Acer laptops | Phoenix | F12 | F2 |
| Dell laptops | Dell | F12 | F2 |
| HP laptops | Esc -> F9 | Esc -> F10 | |
| Lenovo laptops | AMI | F12 | F2 |
| Packard Bell laptops | Phoenix Secure Core | F12 | F2 |
| Samsung laptops | Phoenix Secure Core | Esc (once, pressing again exits the menu) |
F2 |
| Sony Vaio laptops | Inside H2O | F11 | F2 |
| Toshiba laptops | Phoenix | F12 | F2 |
| Toshiba laptops | Inside H2O | F12 | F2 |
Do you want to boot your computer from a flash drive or disk? To do this, it is not necessary to go into the BIOS settings. Especially if you don’t understand much about it. After all, there is an easier way. In this case, just enter the Boot Menu and change the device boot priority. This is done in about 10 seconds. And most importantly, there is no shamanism in the BIOS.
What do users usually do to reinstall Windows? As a rule, they record a licensed digital copy on, and then execute.
Boot Menu (or boot menu) is extremely useful option BIOS. With its help, you can quickly set the boot priority of devices. Simply put, launching the Boot Menu opens a small window in which you can immediately put the flash drive (or DVD) in first place, and the hard drive in second. In this case, you do not need to enter the BIOS.
In addition, changing settings in the Boot Menu does not affect the BIOS settings. That is, this option works once - for one activation. And when you restart your PC, Windows will boot from the hard drive (as usual). If you need to run again Windows installation from a flash drive - call the Boot Menu again.
If you remember, when changing the settings in the BIOS, you had to go into it again and change the device boot priority back (i.e. put the hard drive in first place). But in the case of the Booth Menu, you don’t need to do this.
How to call Boot Menu
It's very simple - just click booting Windows one key. Which one? It depends on the:
- BIOS version;
- motherboard;
- laptop models.
That is, the situation is exactly the same as with the BIOS. For example, in order to, you need to press the Del or F2 button, and to open the Boot Menu you need to click another one.
Most often this is Esc or F12. Although, as mentioned above, the call button may differ on different PCs.
Therefore, below we will look at how to launch the Boot Menu on popular brands of laptops and personal computers.
How to enable Boot Menu on Lenovo laptops
Owners of Lenovo laptops should not have any difficulties. After all, the Boot Menu on Lenovo is launched very simply - by pressing the F12 key when loading Windows.
Plus on the body of many models there is special button with a curved arrow. You can press it if you want to select additional. download options.
Launch Boot Menu on PC with mat. Asus board couldn't be easier
You need to press the F8 key when it boots (at the same time that you would normally enter the BIOS).
And there is a little confusion with Asus laptops. It seems that the manufacturer is the same, but there are several buttons to launch the Boot Menu. After all, starting the Boot Menu on Asus laptops carried out using one of two keys:
Most often this is the Esc button, although it can also be F8. However, there are only 2 keys.
The boot menu on Acer opens by pressing the F12 button
But there is one small nuance here. The fact is that the Boot Menu is usually disabled on Acer laptops. And when you press F12, nothing will happen. To make it work, you need to do the following:
- Go to the BIOS (when booting the laptop, press the F2 button).
- Go to the “Main” tab.
- Look for the line “F12 Boot Menu” and change the value “Disabled” to “Enabled”.
- Save the changed settings and exit the BIOS.
The system will reboot and you can go to the boot menu on Acer laptop using F12.
How to enable Boot Menu on Samsung laptops
On Samsung you need to press the Esc key. But owners of Samsung laptops need to know one feature. The fact is that to call the Boot Menu you need to click the Esc button once! If you click twice, the window will simply close.
Therefore, you will have to get used to it in order to know exactly when to press the Esc key. Although there is nothing complicated here - just a couple of attempts.
HP also has its own specifics
Launching the Boot Menu on HP also has its own specifics. After all, opening the Boot Menu is done a little differently.
- At turning on Windows Immediately press the Esc key.
- The launch menu will be displayed - press the F9 button.
- Ready.
After this, the boot menu of the HP laptop will open, and you can set the priority for turning on devices (using the arrows).
Boot menu on Windows 10 or 8
If Windows 8 or Windows 10 is installed on your PC or laptop, then you most likely will not be able to enable the Boot Menu.
The fact is that these operating systems have a small feature - by default they have " Quick start", so they don't turn off completely. This is called hibernation (something like sleep mode). Therefore, when you boot your PC or laptop, you will not be able to open this menu on Windows 10.
There are three ways to fix this:
- Hold Shift when turning off your laptop or PC. After this, it will turn off normally (in the usual sense of the word). And then you can launch it on Windows 10 by pressing the desired key.
- Instead of turning off your PC, you can restart it. And at the moment of turning on, just press a specific key corresponding to your laptop brand or motherboard.
- Disable the Quick Start feature. For this:
That’s it – now you can easily access the Boot Menu on Windows 10 or Windows 8.
For your convenience, below is a screenshot showing the keys to launch the Boot Menu for popular laptops and PCs
For example, for computers running on a mat. MSI board– this is the F11 button. And the Boot Menu on Sony VAIO laptops is launched using F12. In general, you can figure it out for yourself - the table is simple and understandable.
Also, for convenience, buttons for entering the BIOS are written. If for some reason you are unable to open the Boot Menu, you can always change the device boot priority in a standard way- via BIOS.