Pick your USB drive from the one-time boot menu (often F12, F9, or F11) so you can start the installer without changing long-term settings.
You plug in a bootable USB, restart, and Windows loads like the USB isn’t there. That usually means the PC kept starting from the internal drive. A one-time boot menu lets you choose the USB for this start only.
If you typed “what f key to boot from usb?” into a search bar, you were looking for one clear button to press. The catch is that the right F-row button depends on the brand and model. Start tapping right after you press power.
What F Key To Boot From USB? Quick Brand Chart
This chart lists the most common one-time boot menu button and the setup screen button for popular brands. Your exact model can differ, so use this as a fast starting point, then follow any on-screen hint your PC shows during startup.
| Brand Or Maker | One-Time Boot Menu Button | Setup Screen Button |
|---|---|---|
| Dell | F12 | F2 |
| HP | Esc, then F9 | Esc, then F10 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad | F12 (or Fn+F12) | F1 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad | F12 (or Novo button) | F2 |
| Acer | F12 | F2 |
| ASUS | Esc (or F8) | F2 |
| MSI | F11 | Del |
| Gigabyte | F12 | Del |
| ASRock | F11 | Del (or F2) |
| Samsung | Esc (or F12) | F2 |
| Toshiba | F12 | F2 |
If the boot menu does not open, try holding Fn while you tap the F-row button. Some laptops treat the F-row as brightness and volume buttons until you hold Fn. On desktops, a wired keyboard can help.
Also watch the first logo screen. Many machines show a hint like “Boot Menu: F12” or “Startup Menu: Esc.” When you see that hint, trust it over any chart.
How To Use The One-Time Boot Menu
The goal is to open a short list of boot devices and select the USB entry for this one start. The flow is simple, yet a couple of small details decide whether it works on the first try.
Step 1 Plug In The USB Before Power On
Insert the USB drive while the PC is fully off. If you plug it in after the logo shows up, some firmware won’t scan it until the next restart.
Step 2 Tap The Boot Menu Button Right Away
Press the power button, then tap the boot menu button repeatedly. Don’t hold it down. Rapid taps work better than a long press on many systems.
Step 3 Pick The USB Entry That Matches Your Mode
Many boot menus show two entries for the same stick, one labeled with “UEFI” and one without. Pick the “UEFI” entry for a modern Windows 10/11 installer and most current Linux installers. Pick the non-UEFI entry only when your installer was built for legacy mode.
Step 4 Confirm And Let It Load
Press Enter on the USB entry. The PC should load the installer screen or a repair menu. If it still loads Windows, keep reading and apply the fixes in the sections below.
F Row Button Traps That Waste Time
Boot menus fail for predictable reasons. Fix these, then try the same menu button again with the same USB.
Function Lock On Laptops
Some laptops treat the F-row as media buttons by default. Hold Fn while tapping F12, F11, or F9. If your keyboard has an Fn Lock light, toggle it so the F-row acts like standard F buttons during boot.
Fast Boot Screens
On some machines, the logo screen appears for a blink. Shut down fully, wait a few seconds, then try again.
USB Port Choice
Try a rear USB port on a desktop or a plain USB-A port on a laptop. Hubs, front-panel ports, and some USB-C adapters can behave oddly during early boot.
Keyboard Timing On Desktops
If you’re using a wireless keyboard, its receiver may not be ready when the firmware checks for input. A wired keyboard is a quick test that removes that variable.
F Button For USB Boot By Brand
The table gives you the common buttons. This section adds brand-specific notes that can spare you a few restarts when the first attempt fails.
Dell
On many Dell laptops and desktops, tap F12 at the Dell logo for the one-time boot menu. If the USB is missing, recreate the installer in UEFI mode and try again.
HP
HP machines often start with the Esc startup menu, then use F9 for boot device options. Tap Esc right after power on, then select the boot option line. If you see F9 in the startup menu, you are in the right place.
If your USB was built for legacy mode, it may not appear until legacy boot is allowed. For Windows 11, use UEFI mode and a GPT-style installer.
Lenovo
Many ThinkPads use F12 for the boot menu, sometimes with Fn+F12. Some IdeaPads also use F12, while others use a small Novo button near the power button or on the side that opens a boot menu.
Lenovo menus often show two entries for the same USB: “UEFI: USB” and a plain “USB” entry. Pick the one that matches how you built the installer.
Acer
Acer laptops often use F12 for the boot menu, yet some ship with the boot menu disabled. If F12 does nothing, enter setup with F2, turn on “F12 Boot Menu,” save, then restart.
Custom Desktops And Motherboards
On many custom desktops, the motherboard maker sets the boot menu button. MSI often uses F11, Gigabyte often uses F12, and ASRock often uses F11. If you built the PC, the board brand matters more than the case brand.
If you can’t catch the boot menu, enter setup with Del, move “USB” near the top of the boot priority list, save, then restart. That change stays in place until you change it back.
Windows Method When You Miss The Startup Button
If Windows still boots and you can sign in, you can enter firmware settings through the Shift+Restart menu. Microsoft shows that path here: Microsoft UEFI Firmware Menu Steps.
- Save your work, then open the Start menu power icon.
- Hold Shift, then choose Restart.
- On the blue menu, pick Troubleshoot, then UEFI Firmware Settings, then Restart.
- When the firmware menu appears, find the boot menu or boot order page, then select your USB device.
If you don’t see “UEFI Firmware Settings,” your system might be in legacy BIOS mode. In that case, use the one-time boot menu method above.
When The USB Drive Still Won’t Boot
At this point you’ve reached the boot menu, yet the USB still fails. Use this table to match the symptom to a fix. Do one change at a time so you know what solved it.
| What You See | Likely Cause | Try This |
|---|---|---|
| USB not listed in boot menu | USB not bootable or not detected early | Recreate the installer, then try a different USB port |
| USB listed, then returns to Windows | Wrong entry selected | Select the entry labeled “UEFI” for modern installers |
| Black screen, then back to boot menu | Secure Boot blocks the loader | Use a signed installer or adjust Secure Boot settings |
| Message: “No bootable device” | Installer written in the wrong mode | Rebuild using GPT for UEFI, FAT32 when required |
| USB boots on one PC, not this one | Firmware mode mismatch | Match UEFI vs legacy mode to the installer type |
| USB shows only in setup, not in one-time menu | Boot menu disabled | Turn on the vendor’s boot menu setting, then save |
| Button press does nothing at startup | Fn lock or late keyboard init | Hold Fn with the F-row button, or use a wired keyboard |
| Installer starts, then errors mid-load | Bad USB stick or bad write | Try a different stick, then rewrite the installer |
Secure Boot can block a USB when the boot loader is not signed. If you see a blocked or unauthorized boot message, rebuild the USB from an official ISO and keep UEFI mode. Some PCs let you turn Secure Boot off for the install, then turn it back on after setup finishes. If you change that setting, write down the original value so you can restore it.
Make Sure The USB Was Built The Right Way
Boot menus only list devices that look bootable. Copying files onto a USB like a normal folder transfer usually won’t work. The USB needs a proper boot sector or EFI loader, created by an installer writer.
For Windows, the most reliable path is creating the installer with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool. For Linux, use the project’s own ISO writing steps or a well-known USB writer that matches your firmware mode.
If your PC is set to UEFI mode, build the USB for UEFI. If it is set to legacy mode, build the USB for legacy mode. A mismatch can make the USB appear in the menu yet fail to start.
USB Boot Checklist
Use this run-through when you want a clean sequence.
- Shut the PC down fully, then plug the USB in.
- Power on and tap the one-time boot menu button right away.
- If nothing happens, try the vendor startup menu first (often Esc), then the boot option button.
- Select the USB entry that matches your installer mode, usually the UEFI entry.
- If the USB is missing, recreate the installer and try a different USB port or stick.
- If Secure Boot blocks the USB, use a signed installer or adjust the setting in firmware.
Once it works, you’ll see the installer screen on that same reboot. Still stuck? Recheck your phrase: what f key to boot from usb? The right answer is the boot menu button your logo screen shows, plus a USB built in the same mode as your firmware.