How to change Boot Menu Timeout in Windows 11/10

In this tutorial, we will show you how to change Boot Menu Timeout in Windows 11/10. If the default boot menu timeout (which is 30 seconds) or wait time to display operating systems installed on your computer is not satisfactory, then you can increase or decrease this time delay to select an operating system with the built-in options of Windows 11/10. This post covers all the options with step-by-step instructions.

What is Boot Menu Timeout?

If you have installed multiple operating systems, say Windows 11 on one hard drive and Windows 10 on another hard drive, then when you turn on the computer, it doesn’t load any of those operating systems immediately. Instead, it displays the available operating systems for 30 seconds by default. This wait time is known as boot menu timeout. It determines how long the boot menu is displayed so that you can select an operating system to load and continue.

If you don’t select any OS and the boot menu timeout is over, then the default operating system is selected automatically to load on your computer. If you need to change this default boot menu timeout value, built-in ways come in handy. You can set the boot menu timeout value between 0 and 999 seconds.

How to change Boot Menu Timeout in Windows 11/10

You can change Boot Menu Timeout in Windows 11/10 via the following native options:

1. Using Boot Options
2. Using the System Configuration window (or MSConfig)
3. System Properties window
4. Using the Command Prompt window.

Let’s check all these ways one by one.

1] Change Boot Menu Timeout using Boot Options in Windows 11/10

The steps to change the boot menu time-out using the boot options in Windows 11/10 are as follows:

1. Turn on your Windows 11/10 system
2. When the boot menu appears, click on the Change defaults or choose other options. The boot menu options will be visible that help to change the default operating system, access repair tools, etc.
3. Select Change the timer option from there
4. Select any of the available timeout values which include 5 seconds, 5 minutes, and 30 seconds
5. Press the back arrow button and select an operating system to load.

The next time you turn on your PC/laptop, the system will wait till the timeout value defined by you before selecting the default operating system to load.

2] Set Boot Menu Timeout using the System Configuration window (or MSConfig)

The above option is pretty easy to use but it comes with only 3 pre-defined timeout values to choose from. System Configuration utility (also known as MSConfig) on the other hand is a better option as it lets you select a boot menu timeout value from 3 to 999. Here are the steps:

1. Type msconfig in the Windows 11/10 Search box
2. Hit Enter key to open the System Configuration window
3. Switch to the Boot tab
4. In the Timeout field on the right section, enter a value between 3 and 999
5. Tick mark the Make all boot settings permanent option
6. Press the Apply button
7. A System Configuration confirmation box will open. Select the Yes button in that box
8. Press the OK button
9. Another box will pop up prompting you to restart your system. You can restart it now or press the Exit without restart button in that box.

After restarting your computer later, the changes will be applied.

Read: Add Boot to Advanced Startup Options to Context Menu

3] Select Boot Menu Timeout using the System Properties window

The System Properties window lets you rename your computer, access and use Performance Options, create system restore points via System Protection, and more. The feature to select boot menu timeout using the System Properties window is also there. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app (Win+I) of Windows 11/10
2. In the System category, access the About section
3. Click on the Advanced system settings to open the System Properties window
4. Switch to the Advanced tab in that window
5. Press the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery section
6. In the Startup and Recovery window, select a default operating system using the drop-down menu
7. Select the Time to display list of operating systems option
8. Now you can enter the timeout value from 0 to 999. If you will select 0, then the default operating system will load immediately. So, you should choose a timeout value that will give you sufficient time to select the operating system in the boot menu OS selection
9. Press the OK button.

4] Change Boot Menu Timeout using the Command Prompt window

The steps are as follows:

• Type cmd in the Search box
• For the Command Prompt option in the search result, select the Run as administrator option
• An elevated CMD window will open. Now, to change the boot menu timeout, execute a command with BCDEdit (command-line) tool, timeout parameter, and the timeout value. So, let’s say you want to set the boot menu timeout to 70 seconds, then the command would be:

Bcdedit /timeout 70

You can enter any timeout value from 0 to 999 and execute the command.

That’s it!

Why does Windows 11 take long to boot?

If the Startup Items list contains a lot of apps and programs, then it could result in a slow startup of Windows 11. Pre-installed crapware or bloatware, a corrupted user profile, issues with the system files, etc., can also be reasons for it. To solve this problem and speed up your Windows PC, disable unnecessary Startup apps and programs. You should also enable Fast Startup mode, delay loading of Windows Services, and troubleshoot in Clean Boot State.

Read next: How to change Boot order in Windows PC.