Boot menu and BIOS keys by brand: ASUS, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, MSI and more
There are two ways to start a computer from an installation USB drive:
- Boot menu: opened with a key at startup; you pick the USB drive for this one start only. This is the easiest way.
- BIOS/UEFI settings: you change the boot order permanently.
Every key below comes from the manufacturers' own support pages and manuals (sources at the end of the page). Keys can differ between series of the same brand; a hint such as "Press F2 to enter Setup" at the bottom or corner of the startup screen is always the most reliable information.
Laptops and branded PCs
| Brand | Boot menu | BIOS | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS (laptop) | Esc | F2 | Hold the key while the PC is off, then press the power button; some older desktops use Del for BIOS |
| Lenovo IdeaPad | F12 | F2 or Fn+F2 | The Novo button also opens the menu while the PC is off |
| Lenovo ThinkPad | F12 | F1 | Press at the logo screen (ThinkPad Z13/Z16 user guide) |
| HP | Esc, then F9 (Boot Device Options) | Esc, then F10 | According to HP, the boot menu is F12 on some models |
| Dell | F12 (One Time Boot Menu) | F2 | Tap once per second when the logo appears, do not hold; Fn+F2 on some laptops |
| Acer | F12 | F2 | First set F12 Boot Menu: Enabled on the BIOS Main tab; not available on every model |
| MSI (laptop) | F11 | Delete | Press repeatedly right after pressing the power button |
| HUAWEI | F12 | F2 | On 2-in-1 models such as MateBook E, BIOS: Power + Volume Up while off |
| Samsung (Galaxy Book) | F10 | F2 | Shut down fully and start again; the boot menu does not appear when waking from sleep |
Desktop motherboards (self-built PCs)
Detailed page: motherboard boot menu and BIOS keys.
| Motherboard | Boot menu | BIOS |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS | F8 | Del or F2 |
| MSI | F11 | Delete |
| GIGABYTE | F12 | Delete |
| ASRock | F11 | F2 or Del |
Pressing the key does nothing
- Timing: press the key repeatedly at the very start, as soon as the logo appears (Dell recommends tapping once per second rather than holding it). If the Windows logo appears, you were too late; restart.
- Fn key and Fn Lock: see the section below.
- Shut down fully: the menu may not appear when the PC resumes from sleep or fast startup (Samsung says so explicitly). Turn the computer off and on again.
- If Windows is installed: you can also reach the BIOS from Windows: hold Shift and choose Start > Power > Restart, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings (menu names may differ slightly between Windows versions). A new computer sold without an operating system does not have this option; use the keys instead.
Fn key and Fn Lock
On many laptops the F1–F12 keys also carry second functions such as brightness, volume or airplane mode. Depending on the keyboard setting, pressing an F key runs either the F key itself or the function printed on it. In the second case, pressing F2 changes the screen brightness instead of opening the BIOS, and the key seems "broken".
- Press it together with Fn: if the key alone does nothing, try Fn + F2, Fn + F12 and so on. Dell and Lenovo say so on their official pages (Dell: on some laptops F2 changes brightness, use Fn + F2; Lenovo IdeaPad: F2 or Fn + F2).
- Toggle Fn Lock:
- Lenovo: according to the user guide, the FnLock switch is on the Esc key and is toggled with Fn + Esc; the light on Esc shows its state.
- HP: HP's official method is the Action Keys Mode setting in the BIOS (F10 > System Configuration). The setting may have a different name on some older models.
- Dell: the manuals describe an Fn lock for F1–F12; the key combination depends on the model, so check your model's manual.
- Other brands usually have a key with a padlock symbol and "Fn" on it; check your model's manual.
Practical tip: if the key does not respond at startup, press the same key together with Fn on the next try.
The USB drive is not in the list
- Prepare the USB drive again with the Media Creation Tool, Rufus or Ventoy.
- For Windows 11, prepare the USB drive with the GPT / UEFI scheme; new computers start in UEFI mode.
- Try another USB port.
Next step: Windows 11 clean install.