How to Change the Boot Order (Boot Sequence) in BIOS or UEFI on Windows 10 and 11

Updated: 8 October 2026 · Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 on PCs with UEFI or legacy BIOS firmware (steps from Microsoft documentation)

The boot order (boot sequence) is stored in your PC's firmware, the UEFI or BIOS settings, not in Windows. To change it, restart into the firmware settings, move the drive you want to start from to the top of the boot list, then save and exit. On a normal Windows PC, Windows Boot Manager on your Windows drive should be boot option 1. Changing the order does not make Windows itself faster; it only decides which device the PC starts from.

Windows 10 status: Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Only PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU) still get security fixes, and Microsoft offers ESU to home users until 12 October 2027. The steps below are the same on Windows 11 unless a Windows 11 path is shown.

Step 1: Open the UEFI or BIOS settings

From Windows (easiest on UEFI PCs):

1. Windows 11: open Settings > System > Recovery. Windows 10: open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
2. Next to Advanced startup, select Restart now.
3. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings, then Restart.

You can also hold Shift while you select Power > Restart on the Start menu or the sign-in screen. If you do not see UEFI Firmware Settings, use the key method below.

From a command prompt: open Command Prompt or Terminal as administrator and run:

shutdown /r /fw /t 0

According to Microsoft, /fw makes the next restart go to the firmware user interface. /t 0 restarts at once (the default delay is 30 seconds). shutdown /r /o restarts into the Advanced boot options menu instead.

With a key at power-on: switch the PC on and press the manufacturer's key straight away. Microsoft lists Esc, Delete, F1, F2, F10, F11 and F12 as the common keys, and Volume up or Volume down on tablets. The start-up screen often shows the key; if it goes by too fast, check the manufacturer's website.

Step 2: Change the boot order

1. Find the boot list. Its name and place depend on the manufacturer: look for a Boot or Startup page with a priority list. Microsoft's own Surface firmware calls it Boot configuration.
2. Move the device you want to the top with the keys shown in the on-screen help (or drag it, on firmware with a mouse).
3. Save the changes and exit with the key shown in the on-screen help. The PC restarts and tries the devices in the new order.

Firmware often also has a boot device menu that starts a device once without changing the saved order (on Surface, swipe left on USB Storage). If it shows the same drive twice, for example UEFI: USB Drive and BIOS: USB Drive, each entry starts the same drive in a different firmware mode. Pick the UEFI one for a normal Windows 10 or 11 installation.

What should boot option 1 be?

• Normal use: Windows Boot Manager on the drive where Windows is installed. Microsoft's own deployment guidance is to make Windows Boot Manager the first item in the firmware's boot order.
• Installing or repairing Windows from a USB stick: the USB drive, either at the top of the list for that one job or picked from the boot device menu. Move Windows Boot Manager back to the top afterwards.
• Legacy BIOS PCs: the hard disk or SSD that holds Windows.

On many UEFI PCs you can also boot a USB stick from Windows: in Advanced startup, select Use a device > USB Storage if your PC shows that option.

Edit Windows boot options (bcdedit and msconfig)

Windows keeps its own boot menu (the list of Windows installations, the default entry and the menu timeout) in the Boot Configuration Data store. Change it with bcdedit in an administrator Command Prompt. Microsoft warns that wrong BCDEdit settings can leave a PC unable to start and that you might need to suspend BitLocker first, so make a backup:

bcdedit /export C:\bcd-backup
bcdedit /enum
bcdedit /default {GUID}
bcdedit /timeout 5
bcdedit /set {fwbootmgr} displayorder {bootmgr} /addfirst

• /enum lists the entries and their identifiers; use the identifier from that list in place of {GUID}.
• /default picks the entry that starts when the timeout runs out; /timeout sets that wait in seconds.
• The last line puts Windows Boot Manager first in the UEFI firmware's own boot order, which answers the boot option 1 question without opening the firmware.
• In PowerShell, put identifiers in quotes, for example "{current}".
• bcdedit /import C:\bcd-backup restores the backup.

For simpler changes Microsoft recommends System Configuration: press Windows + R, type msconfig and open the Boot tab. Under Boot options, Safe boot makes every restart go to Safe Mode until you clear it again. If a PC is stuck in Safe Mode, this command removes the setting: bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot.

Windows 10 boot mode: UEFI, legacy BIOS and Safe Mode

• UEFI or legacy BIOS: Windows always starts in the mode it was installed in. Microsoft pairs GPT disks with UEFI mode and MBR disks with legacy BIOS mode. To see your system disk's style, run Get-Disk | ft -Auto in PowerShell and read the Partition Style column.
• Switching to UEFI: Microsoft's MBR2GPT tool (mbr2gpt /validate /disk:0 /allowFullOS, then /convert) converts the system disk without deleting data. Afterwards you must switch the firmware to UEFI mode, or Windows will not start. Back up first and suspend BitLocker. Windows 11 needs a UEFI, Secure Boot capable PC.
• Safe Mode and other startup modes: in Advanced startup, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 for Safe Mode, 5 for Safe Mode with Networking or 6 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Windows still slow after an update?

The boot order only matters when the PC starts from the wrong device or tries other devices first. For a slow Windows 10 start, also check startup programs in Task Manager, system files with SFC and your graphics driver.

Official documentation: Windows Recovery Environment, Boot to UEFI mode or legacy BIOS mode, BCD settings for UEFI and Windows 10 end of support.