How to Get to Windows 10's Advanced Startup Options Menu

Whether you need to repair Windows 10, reset the OS, access the BIOS, restore from a backup file or boot into safe mode, you have to navigate to the Advanced Startup Options menu. There are several different ways to navigate to Advanced Startup Options, depending on whether you can boot up or not.

Method 1: Hit F11

On many computers, if you hit F11 as soon as the computer powers on, you can get to the Advanced Startup Options menu.

Method 2: Boot off of an Install Disk

If you have an install disk on USB or DVD, you can boot off of it and get into the Advanced Startup Options menu that way.

1. Create a bootable Windows 10 install disk if you don't have one already. We have instructions for creating a bootable install drive.

2. Boot off of the disk. You may need to hit a button on your laptop to tell it to boot off of removable media.

3. Click Next.

4. Click Repair Your Computer.

5. Click Troubleshoot.

Method 3: Wait for Your Computer to Take You There

If Windows 10 encounters a startup error, it may eventually take you to the Advanced Startup Options menu on boot.

Method 4: Hit Restart with Shift Key Down

If you can make it to the Windows 10 login screen, you can get to the Advanced System Options menu.

1. Click the power button icon in the lower right corner.

2. Hold down shift and click Restart.

3. Click Troubleshoot on the screen which appears.

4. Click Advanced Options

If you are already at the Windows 10 desktop, getting to the Advanced Startup Options menu is easy.

1. Navigate to settings. You can get there by hitting the gear icon on the Start menu.

2. Click Update & security.

3. Select Recovery from the menu.

4. Click Restart Now.

The computer will boot to an options menu.

5. Click Troubleshoot.

6. Click Advanced Options

Windows 10 Annoyances and Problems

The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU.