The F12 key serves as the doorway to the boot menu in Windows, but for some reason, many users may not be able to access it. In this article, we will tell you what to do if the F12 boot menu is not working in Windows 11/10.
Fix F12 Boot Menu not working in Windows 11
In this section, we will look at three fixes that can help you if the F12 boot menu is not working in Windows 11/10:
- Keep pressing F12
- Check F keys are set to enabled or Multimedia in BIOS
- Press Fn+F12
Let’s dive in!
1] Keep pressing F12
Some systems go through the boot process too quickly and cannot register the F12 key press. For this, you need to follow these steps:
- Shut down your Windows PC from the start menu.
- Now, reboot your PC using the power key,
- Keep pressing the F12 key as soon as you press the power button.
Again, you must keep pressing the F12 key as soon as you press the power button.
Read: Cannot boot into Windows Recovery Environment
2] Check that F keys are set to enabled or Multimedia in BIOS
The F keys can be set to be used for multimedia controls or the functions in the BIOS. If the F keys are set to multimedia, then this will cause the issue.
- Hold the Shift key while restarting your PC from the Windows Start menu.
- This will take you to the Windows recovery.
- Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings in the Windows recovery.
- Now, click Restart.
- In the BIOS, go to the Main tab from the top bar.
- Now, enable the F12 boot menu, and change the Function key behavior to: Function key.
Read: How to change Boot Menu Timeout in Windows
3] Press Fn+F12
The Fn keys trigger additional functions from the F12 key. If the Functions keys are set to perform media functions by default, pressing the Fn+F12 key will trigger an alternate action, i.e., entering the boot menu. So, while rebooting your PC, try pressing the Fn+F12 key to enter the boot menu.
TIP: You can make the boot menu always appear without pressing F12 by running the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes
We hope you found this article helpful and were able to fix the issue for yourself.
Read: Windows computer unable to boot to BIOS
How do I get to the Boot Menu without F12?
You can access the boot menu without F12 using Windows recovery. Boot the PC into recovery by going to System > Recovery. Once in recovery, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings. Now click Restart. This will take you to the BIOS, and then you can access the boot menu.
How do I fix the no USB boot option?
You must first enter the BIOS to fix the no-USB boot option issue. Then, enter the boot options from the top bar. There, enable the USB boot support and disable the secure boot. This will give you the option to boot through a USB drive. Make sure that the drive is bootable and configured correctly.
