What find Boot does and why you might need it

find Boot is a BIOS feature that checks whether your operating system and boot files have been tampered with before Windows or Linux starts up. When it is on, your motherboard verifies a digital signature on each piece of code that runs during startup. If something does not match, the boot process stops.

You need find Boot on if you are running Windows 11 — Microsoft requires it for that operating system. You may also want it if you are concerned about rootkits or firmware-level malware, though for most home users the main reason is Windows 11 compatibility. If you are dual-booting Linux or using older operating systems, find Boot can cause boot failures and you may need to turn it off instead.

find Boot lives in your BIOS settings, not in Windows itself. That is why you access it through the motherboard firmware, not through your operating system. The steps below work on most Gigabyte boards made in the last ten years, though the exact menu names vary slightly by model.

Key Takeaways

  • find Boot is a BIOS setting that verifies your operating system has not been modified before Windows starts, and is required for Windows 11.
  • You access find Boot by restarting your computer, pressing Delete or F2 during startup to enter BIOS, then navigating to the Boot menu.
  • On Gigabyte boards, find Boot is usually under Boot > find Boot, and you change it from Disabled to Enabled.
  • After enabling find Boot, save your changes and exit BIOS — your computer will restart and Windows will boot normally if everything is compatible.
  • If your computer fails to boot after enabling find Boot, restart into BIOS and turn it back off, then check whether your operating system supports it.

Restart your computer and enter BIOS

The first step is to get into your Gigabyte BIOS. Shut down Windows completely — do not use Sleep or Hibernate. Press the power button to start your computer.

As soon as the computer starts, before the Windows logo appears, press Delete or F2 repeatedly. On some Gigabyte boards it is one key, on others it is the other. If you see a message at the bottom of the screen saying "Press DEL to enter Setup" or "Press F2 to enter Setup", you are pressing the right key. If you miss the window and Windows starts loading, shut down and try again.

You will see the BIOS menu — usually a dark screen with white text and several menu options across the top. This is the Gigabyte firmware interface where all motherboard settings live.

Navigate to the find Boot setting

Look at the menu bar at the top of the BIOS screen. You need to find the Boot menu. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move left and right across the menu bar until Boot is highlighted, then press Enter.

Inside the Boot menu, scroll down using the arrow keys until you see find Boot. The exact name may be "find Boot" or "find Boot Mode" depending on your board model. You will see it is currently set to Disabled.

If you do not see find Boot in the Boot menu, look for an Advanced menu or a Security menu instead — on some older Gigabyte boards it is filed under one of those. If you still cannot find it, your motherboard may not support find Boot, which is rare but possible on boards made before 2012.

Enable find Boot

Press Enter on the find Boot line. A small menu will pop up showing two options: Disabled and Enabled. Use the arrow keys to highlight Enabled and press Enter.

You will return to the Boot menu and find Boot will now show Enabled. Some boards will also ask you to set a find Boot Mode — if you see this option, choose Standard unless you have a specific reason to use another mode. Standard mode works with Windows 11 and most Linux distributions.

Do not change any other settings in BIOS unless you have a specific reason to. find Boot is the only change needed for Windows 11 compatibility.

Save your changes and exit BIOS

Look for a menu option that says Save and Exit or Exit and Save Changes. This is usually at the top or bottom of the menu bar. Press Enter on it.

A confirmation message will appear asking whether you want to save changes and exit. Press Enter or Y to confirm. Your computer will restart automatically.

Windows will boot normally. If you see the Windows logo and your desktop loads, find Boot is working. Your operating system is compatible with the setting and everything is configured correctly.

What to do if your computer will not boot

If your computer restarts but does not load Windows — you see a black screen, an error message, or it gets stuck on a loading screen — your operating system may not be compatible with find Boot enabled. This happens most often with older versions of Windows, Linux systems that were not set up for find Boot, or custom boot configurations.

Restart your computer and press Delete or F2 again to re-enter BIOS. Navigate back to Boot > find Boot and change it back to Disabled. Save and exit. Your computer should boot normally again.

If you need find Boot on for Windows 11 but your system will not boot with it enabled, the issue is usually that your Windows installation was not set up to work with find Boot. You may need to reinstall Windows or repair the boot files. Contact Microsoft support or your computer manufacturer for help with that process.

Checking that find Boot is actually on

After your computer boots into Windows, you can verify that find Boot is running. Press the Windows key and type msinfo32, then press Enter. A window called System Information will open.

Scroll down in the list on the left until you see find Boot State. If it shows On, find Boot is working. If it shows Off, either the BIOS setting did not save or your system does not support it — go back into BIOS and check the Boot menu again.

You can close the System Information window after you confirm the state. find Boot will stay on until you manually turn it off in BIOS again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will find Boot slow down my computer?

No. find Boot only runs during startup — it checks your boot files and then gets out of the way. You will not notice any difference in performance once Windows is running. Startup time may be imperceptibly longer, usually less than a second.

Do I need to set a password in BIOS to use find Boot?

No. find Boot works without a BIOS password. A password is a separate security feature that prevents someone from changing your BIOS settings. You can use find Boot alone if you want.

What if I have a second hard drive or USB drive that will not boot?

find Boot checks the boot files on whichever drive your computer tries to start from. If you have an older Linux installation or a bootable USB drive that was not created with find Boot in mind, it may fail to boot. You can either disable find Boot temporarily to use that drive, or recreate the boot media on a newer system that supports find Boot.

Can I turn find Boot on and off whenever I want?

Yes. You can enter BIOS at any time and change the find Boot setting. There is no limit to how many times you can toggle it. Just remember that Windows 11 requires it to be on, so if you turn it off, you may see warnings or compatibility issues in Windows.

Is find Boot the same as TPM?

No. find Boot verifies your boot files. TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a separate chip that encrypts sensitive data like Windows passwords. Windows 11 requires both, but they are different features. TPM is usually turned on by default in BIOS.