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Set the F8 key for Quick Access to Advanced Startup Options in Windows 11

Ralph Adolphs
Ralph Adolphs

Updated:

Windows 11 no longer supports accessing the Advanced Startup Options by pressing the F8 key, as it has been replaced by the Recovery Mode for faster and safer booting. Some users, however, may prefer the previous method for its convenience and speed. This article will guide you through the detailed steps of setting up the F8 key for quick access to the Advanced Startup Options in Windows 11.

set-the-f8-key-for-quick-access-to-advanced-startup-options-in-windows-11


Part 1: Create a recovery drive

Step 1: Insert a USB flash drive into the computer.

usb-flash-drive

Step 2: Click the Search icon on the taskbar and input Create a recovery drive, then select the result.

type-create-recovery-drive

Step 3: Choose Yes when a prompt box appears.

click-yes

Step 4: Uncheck "Back up system files to the recovery drive" in the window, then click Next button to continue.

uncheck-the-option-of-backup

Step 5: Select your USB drive and select Next.

select-usb-driver

Step 6: Click on Create button.

click-create

Step 7: The recovery drive is being created, showing a progress bar.

process-of-creating

Step 8: Click Finish after the operation is complete.

complete-creating

NOTE: You can check the copies in F drive.

files-created

Part 2: Assign a drive letter for EFI partition

Step 1: Restart your computer and press the F8/F12 key immediately and constantly until you access the BIOS/UEFI interface. Then select USB flash drive with Down key and press OK to enter the WinRE system.

Type command line.select-uefi-partition

Step 2: Launch CMD by choosing US » Troubleshoot » Command Prompt in sequence.

target-cmd

Step 3: Type "diskpart" and hit Enter Key.

diskpart

Step 4: After entering "list volume" and pressing the Enter key, information for all volumes will be displayed, including Volume 3, which is an EFI partition formatted with the FAT32 file system.

list-volume

Step 5: Type "select volume 3" command, then hit Enter.

select-volume-3

Step 6: Input "assign letter=S" and press Enter to assign the drive letter "S".

assign-letter-as-s

Step 7: Check volumes by typing "list volume" again, and the letter of Volume 3 has already been changed.

list-volume-again

Step 8: Terminate DiskPart program with "exit" command.

exit-diskpart

Part 3: Modify Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

NOTE: In this section, the path of BCD depends on your boot mode:

  • BIOS - S:\boot\bcd
  • UEFI - S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot

Step 1: Type "bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD" and hit Enter for the configuration information. In "{default}" list, the value of "bootmenupolicy" is "Standard".

bcdedit

Step 2: Using "bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {default} bootmenupolicy Legacy" command to modify it to Lagacy.

legacy

Step 3: Type "wpeutil reboot" and hit Enter, which computer will be restarted.

wpeutil-reboot

Step 4: Now you can quickly access Advanced Startup Options by entering the F8 key during the reboot.

advanced-startup-options-menu