How to Boot from Windows 10/11 Installation Media

Complete Guide · 2026

How to Boot from USB & Enable Secure Boot — Windows 10 / 11

Learning how to enable Secure Boot Windows 11 and Windows 10 is essential before installing or reinstalling Windows. This guide covers how to enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in BIOS, how to boot from USB installation media, how to change the BIOS boot order, and how to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

10 min read Updated 2026 Windows 10 & 11

📋 What You Need Before Starting

💾 A USB flash drive (at least 8 GB) or a DVD with Windows 10/11 installation media

💻 A computer compatible with Windows 10 or Windows 11

📂 The Windows ISO file downloaded from Microsoft’s official website

🔧 Rufus or the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB drive

How to Enable Secure Boot Windows 11 and Windows 10

To boot from USB in Windows 10 or Windows 11, you first need to create bootable installation media, then tell your PC to start from it instead of the internal hard drive. Use Rufus or the Media Creation Tool to write the Windows ISO file onto your USB drive.

Need help creating a bootable USB?

Follow our full step-by-step guide:
How to Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive for Windows →

Insert the bootable USB drive into your PC, then follow the BIOS steps in Section 2 to set it as the boot device.

Bootable USB drive inserted into PC for Windows 10/11 installation

Important

Your USB drive must have at least 8 GB of free space. All existing data on the drive will be erased when creating the bootable media.

How to Change BIOS Boot Order — Windows 10 & 11

To boot into BIOS on Windows 10 or Windows 11, restart your PC and press the correct key at startup before the Windows logo appears. This opens your BIOS/UEFI firmware where you can change the boot order to prioritise your USB drive or DVD.

BIOS access keys by manufacturer

PC Brand	BIOS Key	Boot Menu Key
Dell	F2	F12
HP	F10 or Esc	F9
Lenovo	F1 or F2	F12
ASUS	Del or F2	F8
Acer	F2 or Del	F12
MSI	Del	F11
Gigabyte	Del	F12
Samsung	F2	F10

BIOS setup screen showing boot order configuration options

Pro Tip

Press the BIOS key repeatedly right after pressing the power button — don’t wait for the Windows logo to appear or you’ll miss the window.

Steps to change the boot order

Go to the Boot Tab

Use the arrow keys to navigate to the Boot tab. On some PCs this may be labelled Boot Options or Boot Order.

BIOS Boot tab showing boot order options for Windows 10/11

Select a boot device

Choose the device to boot from:
• USB Flash Drive → select Removable Devices
• DVD / Disc → select CD-ROM Drive or Optical Drive

BIOS boot device selection showing Removable Devices and CD-ROM Drive options

Move your boot device to the top of the list

Press + or F5 / F6 (check the on-screen legend) to move Removable Devices or CD-ROM Drive to position 1.

BIOS boot order with USB Removable Devices moved to first boot position

Save settings and exit

Press F10 and confirm. Your PC will restart and boot from your USB drive or DVD.

BIOS Save and Exit screen — press F10 to save boot order changes

How to Enable Secure Boot — Windows 10 & 11

Secure Boot is a UEFI firmware security feature that prevents unauthorised software from loading during startup. It is required for Windows 11 and strongly recommended for Windows 10. If Secure Boot is disabled, Windows 11 installation will fail or activation may be blocked.

Windows 11 Requirement

Windows 11 requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled. If either is disabled, you will see the error “This PC can’t run Windows 11” during installation. Follow the steps below to enable both.

How to enable Secure Boot in BIOS

Enter BIOS / UEFI settings

Restart your PC and press your BIOS key (F2, Del, or F10 depending on your brand — see table in Section 2).

Navigate to the Security or Boot tab

Look for a tab labelled Security, Boot, or Authentication. The exact location varies by manufacturer.

Find the Secure Boot option

Look for Secure Boot or Secure Boot Control. It may be under a Security submenu or Boot → Secure Boot.

Set Secure Boot to Enabled

Change the value from Disabled to Enabled. If the option is greyed out, you may need to set a BIOS administrator password first.

Also enable TPM 2.0 (required for Windows 11)

Find TPM, PTT (Intel), or fTPM (AMD) in your BIOS and set it to Enabled. This is required alongside Secure Boot for Windows 11.

Save and exit

Press F10 to save your changes. Your PC will restart with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 now active.

Setting	Required For	Where to Find It
Secure Boot	Windows 11 (mandatory), Windows 10 (recommended)	BIOS → Security or Boot tab
TPM 2.0 / PTT / fTPM	Windows 11 (mandatory)	BIOS → Security or Advanced tab
UEFI Boot Mode	Required to enable Secure Boot	BIOS → Boot → Boot Mode

Check Secure Boot status in Windows

Press Win + R, type msinfo32 and press Enter. Look for Secure Boot State — it should say On.

How to Boot into Safe Mode — Windows 10 & 11

Safe Mode starts Windows with only the minimum drivers and services needed to run. It is useful for troubleshooting crashes, removing stubborn software, or fixing driver issues. Here are the three most reliable ways to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Method 1 — From Windows Settings (easiest)

Open Settings → System → Recovery

On Windows 11: Start → Settings → System → Recovery
On Windows 10: Start → Settings → Update & Security → Recovery

Click "Restart now" under Advanced startup

Your PC will restart into the Windows Boot Manager advanced recovery environment.

Navigate to Safe Mode

Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. Then press 4 for Safe Mode or 5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

Method 2 — Using the F8 / Shift+F8 key at startup

Restart your PC and press F8 repeatedly

Press F8 or Shift + F8 immediately after the PC restarts, before Windows loads. This opens the Advanced Boot Options menu.

Select "Safe Mode" from the menu

Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode and press Enter. Note: this method may not work on fast-boot SSDs where Windows loads too quickly.

Method 3 — Using msconfig (System Configuration)

Open Run and type msconfig

Press Win + R, type msconfig and press Enter.

Go to the Boot tab and check "Safe boot"

Under the Boot tab, tick Safe boot and select Minimal. Click OK and restart. Windows will boot into Safe Mode every time until you uncheck this option.

Remember to disable Safe Mode after troubleshooting

If you used msconfig to enable Safe Mode, remember to go back and uncheck Safe boot after you’re done — otherwise Windows will keep booting into Safe Mode on every restart.

Boot from Installation Media and Start Windows Setup

Wait for your computer to restart

After saving your BIOS settings, your PC restarts and begins booting from your USB drive or DVD.

Press any key to boot from the media

When you see “Press any key to boot from CD or USB…”, press any key on your keyboard immediately.

Windows Setup screen appears

The Windows Setup window will display your geographical and language data. You are now ready to begin installing Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Windows 10/11 setup screen showing language selection after booting from USB

You’re all set!

You have successfully booted from Windows 10/11 installation media. You now have full control over your Windows installation. Follow our full installation guide to complete the setup and activate your genuine license.

Booting from Windows 10/11 installation media is a straightforward process that gives you full control over your Windows installation or repair. Create your bootable USB, adjust your BIOS boot order, enable Secure Boot, and you’re ready to go.

Next Step

Ready to install? Follow our complete guide: How to Install Windows 11 Pro — Download, Install & Activate →