Windows 10: Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options in Windows 10

How to: Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options in Windows 10

How to Enable or Disable Legacy F8 Advanced Boot Options in Windows 10


By default, you can boot to Advanced Startup Options in Windows 10.

The Advanced Boot Options screen is the old black screen at boot like in Windows 7 and previous Windows. Advanced Boot Options lets you start Windows in advanced troubleshooting modes like Advanced Startup Options. However, you access the Advanced Boot Options screen by turning on your computer and keep tapping the F8 key before Windows starts.

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the legacy F8 Advanced Boot Options screen at boot in Windows 10.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to enable or disable the F8 Advanced Boot Options screen.

*note If you have Fast Boot enabled in your UEFI firmware settings, then you will not be able to boot the Advanced Boot Options screen since you will not have time to press F8 before Windows starts.

*note If you dual boot Windows 10 with another Windows and have enabled Advanced Boot Options, then you will always see the Windows Boot Manager screen below first at boot.





CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options using displaybootmenu Command
• Option Two: To Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options using bootmenupolicy Command

EXAMPLE: Advanced Startup Options (default)




EXAMPLE: F8 "Advanced Boot Options" or "Startup Settings" screen










OPTION ONE [/i] To Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options using displaybootmenu Command
1. Open an command prompt at boot.

2. Do step 3 (enable) or step 4 (disable) for what you want to do.


3. To Enable F8 Advanced Boot Options screen in Windows 10
A) Type the command below in the command prompt, press Enter, and go to step 5. (see screenshot below)

*Arrow bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes





4. To Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options screen in Windows 10
*note This is the default setting.
A) Type the command below in the command prompt, press Enter, and go to step 5. (see screenshot below)

*Arrow bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no




5. When finished, you can close the command prompt if you like.





OPTION TWO [/i] To Enable or Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options using bootmenupolicy Command

*note If you multi boot operating systems, then this option is handy to be able to specify which OS you want to enable or disable F8 Advanced Boot Options for.
1. Open an command prompt at boot.

2. Type bcdedit in the command prompt, and press Enter.

3. Under the top Windows Boot Manager section, look to the right of default, and make note of what it has as the identifier (ex: "{current}"). This is for your default OS. (see screenshot below)




4. Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) for what you want to do.


5. To Enable F8 Advanced Boot Options screen in Windows 10
A) Type the command below in the command prompt, press Enter, and go to step 7. (see screenshot below)

*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} bootmenupolicy Legacy

*note Substitute identifier in the command above with the actual identifier (ex: {current}) from step 3 for your default OS.

For example: bcdedit /set {current} bootmenupolicy Legacy





6. To Disable F8 Advanced Boot Options screen in Windows 10
*note This is the default setting.
A) Type the command below in the command prompt, press Enter, and go to step 7. (see screenshot below)

*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} bootmenupolicy Standard

*note Substitute identifier in the command above with the actual identifier (ex: {current}) from step 3 for your default OS.

For example: bcdedit /set {current} bootmenupolicy Standard




7. When finished, you can close the command prompt if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Boot to Advanced Startup Options in Windows 10
• How to Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10
• How to Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode
• How to Run Startup Repair in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Always Boot to Advanced Startup Settings in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Automatic Repair in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) in Windows 10

:)

 

Stuck in Safe Mode

I gave you commands in my first post to unhide the legacy Advanced Boot Options menu which includes the choice to Start Windows Normally. There are additional Commands here

F8 Advanced Boot Options - Enable or Disable in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums.

 

How can I get out of the windows 10 Recovery?

Please read this < internet document >to resolve the issue you are experiencing.

Hope it helps.

 

I'm glad it could help nissmezra. *Smile

 

Thank you Shawn, Your Tutorials are always spot on *Cool

 

You're most welcome Stephanie. I'm glad it could help. *Smile

 

It's my first post here so hello to everyone *Wink Thank you for this tutorial. Default timeout is set to 30 seconds so it's always good to change it to less than that.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2...dows-10-a.html

*Wink
Operating System to Run at Startup - Choose Default in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

-edit-
Please, forgive me. I'm reading all threads in Tutorial section and I haven't seen this topic before I wrote my post

Operating Systems Time to Display at Startup - Change in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

I don't want to double posts/threads so you can delete my post or just point to that topic I've mentioned above *Wink

 

Thanks, but something doesn't seem right here.
Under Option 2, step 3, you state, "Under the top Windows Boot Manager section, look to the right of default, and make note of what it has as the identifier (ex: "{current}"). This is for your default OS. (see screenshot below)"

However, it is not under the Windows Boot Manager category where {current} is found; it's under the Windows Boot Loader category. Am I correct here?

Thanks,

 

Hello Starkman, *Smile

"Default" under "Windows Boot Manager" is what shows the current default OS identifier that would be listed under a "Windows Boot Loader" section.

 

Okay, I'm still confused here, but I do see now "default" under the Windows Boot Manager section (missed that one, didn't I!) and it has {current} to its right.

At step 3, however, I'm not sure what the right-side image (with "at boot" in red) is for. If that is "at boot," when (and what) is the image to the left of it? I can see that the image on the left is dealing with partition C: and the image to the right ("at boot") is dealing with partition D: .

Finally, if the default OS shows {current}, what would the other OS show there?

Thanks

 

The screenshots under step 3 are for what you will see in Windows 10 (left screenshot) or at boot (right screenshot) while doing this. They're there to help compare the two since it will show differently at boot than in Windows.

I'm not sure what you mean by "other OS" though. Look at "identifier" under one of your "Windows Boot Loader" sections to see which one is "{Current}". The "description" under that same "Windows Boot Loader" section for will let you know which OS it's for.

If you like, post your bcdedit here, and I'll be happy to go over it with you. *Smile

 

Well, I'm not dual booted yet, but I will be putting Linux Mint on soon, so I'll come back. Thanks very much!

 

Thanks Shawn for this useful tutorial *Smile After following it - and importantly, also enabling Windows 10's "Fast Start-Up" via Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\System Settings ("Choose what the power buttons do") - I am now able to boot straight into Windows 10 without having to make a menu selection - as long as I'm doing so after a Shut Down, rather than a Restart.

I found that even after following the instructions here, if I have Fast Start-Up disabled, I still get the menu each time. Is this normal?

But - whenever I choose Restart instead of Shut Down, I'm still presented with the full Advanced Boot Options menu, as per the third image in this tutorial, the 'DOS'-looking one. Is this normal behaviour after a Restart? It doesn't worry me, but I'm wondering if it's supposed to happen.

It's slightly annoying that the default option is "Repair Your Computer" rather than "Start Windows Normally", since to continue the boot process I then need to press Up Arrow and then Enter, rather than just Enter.

 

Hello @Piminy, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

For me in Windows 10 build 16257, I always see the "Windows Boot Manager" screen (1st image) no matter if "Fast Startup" is turned on or off.

When I press F8, I see the "Startup Settings" screen.

What Windows 10 build do you currently have installed?

 

Thanks, I'm running version 1607, build 14393.1480
Some extended info if helpful, Build 14393.rs1_release.170706-2004
It's 64-bit Home edition.

A bit of extra info too, though it may not be relevant - With Fast Start-Up disabled, I do see the blue/white Startup Settings screen (fourth image in the tute) once only, after having followed the instructions in this tute. On subsequent boots it's replaced by the black/white Advanced Boot Options version (third image). Then, if I re-apply the changes per the tute, I get the Startup Settings screen, but again, only the first time.