Boot from a USB Pen Drive Boot Menu Keys for Popular Laptop Brands
The pen drive is ready, you restart - and Windows opens as if nothing happened. The drive is fine; the PC simply was never told to look at it. The one-time boot menu is that instruction, and every brand hides it behind a different key.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 11⏱️ About 3 minutes once you know the key
🎥 Watch the full video - booting from the pen drive and the install that follows, step by step
There are two ways to make a PC boot from USB: change the permanent boot order inside BIOS/UEFI settings, or use the one-time boot menu - a single boot from the pen drive that changes nothing permanently. For an install, the one-time menu is the right tool: one key, pressed at the right moment, and a list appears. This guide lists the keys by brand, the timing that actually works, and the brand-independent route through Windows Settings for when the key refuses to cooperate.
One Time Boot Menu Keys by Brand
HPF9 (or Esc, then F9)
DellF12
LenovoF12
AcerF12
ASUSEsc or F8
MSIF11
The common boot menu keys at a glance. A few models differ - if your key does nothing, the Windows Settings route in step 4 works on every brand.
1
The Timing Matters More Than the Key
Insert the pen drive before switching the PC on
Press the power button and immediately start tapping your brand's boot menu key - about twice a second - until the menu appears. One polite press is usually too late; modern PCs pass the moment in a second or two
On laptops, the key often needs the Fn key held as well, depending on how the function keys are configured - if F12 alone does nothing, try Fn + F12
In the menu, pick the entry beginning with UEFI: and your pen drive's name, then press Enter. If Setup asks you to press any key to boot from USB, do it quickly
2
Boot Menu Keys by Brand
HP: F9 - or tap Esc at startup to open the startup menu, then F9 for boot options
Dell: F12
Lenovo: F12 on most models; some IdeaPads have a tiny Novo button beside the power port - press it while the laptop is off and choose Boot Menu
Acer: F12 - note that on some Acer models the F12 menu is disabled by default and must first be switched on in the BIOS (F2 at startup)
Microsoft Surface: hold Volume Down, press and release Power, keep holding Volume Down until the Surface logo appears - it boots from USB directly
3
The Route That Works on Every Brand
If the old Windows still starts, you can order a USB boot from inside it - no key timing involved:
Open Settings → System → Recovery
Next to Advanced startup, click Restart now
On the blue screen choose Use a device, then pick your pen drive (the UEFI entry)
The PC restarts straight into Windows Setup
The same blue screen appears if you hold Shift while clicking Restart from the Start menu or login screen - handy when you cannot even sign in.
4
When the Pen Drive Is Not in the Menu at All
An absent entry means the firmware never saw a bootable device, which is a different problem from a wrong key: try another USB port (on old desktops, a rear USB 2.0 port is the most reliable), confirm the drive actually finished being created, and check that the PC is in UEFI mode rather than Legacy/CSM. The dedicated pen drive will not boot guide works through those causes in the order they actually occur.
🔴 Honest note: the boot menu key opens a menu for this one boot only - it changes no setting and cannot break your PC. The permanent boot order inside BIOS is a different screen; you do not need it for an install, and leaving the hard disk first in that order is exactly what you want afterwards.
🎥 Watch the Full Install in the Video
Watch the boot menu moment and everything after it in the full install video.
I pressed the key but Windows started normally. Why?
Almost always timing - the press came after the firmware had already handed over to Windows. Restart and start tapping the key the instant you press power, before anything appears on screen. On laptops also try holding Fn with the key.
The menu shows my pen drive twice, with and without UEFI. Which one?
Choose the UEFI entry. Modern Windows 11 installs expect UEFI with a GPT disk; the non-UEFI (legacy) entry can start an install that later fails with a partition style error.
Is there a way without any function keys?
Yes - the Advanced startup route in this guide: Settings, System, Recovery, Restart now, then Use a device. It works from inside Windows on every brand and needs no startup timing at all.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu Windows 11 bootable pen drive install video • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments - you will get an answer there 🙏