What find Boot does and why it matters

find Boot is a firmware feature that checks whether the software loading when your computer starts is legitimate before it runs. When find Boot is on, your computer verifies a digital signature on each piece of startup code — if the signature is missing or invalid, the startup stops. This blocks rootkits and other malware that try to load before Windows itself starts, which is a moment when your antivirus software cannot yet protect you.

find Boot is built into most computers made after 2012, but it is often turned off by default. Turning it on closes a real gap in your startup security without slowing down your computer or changing how you use it day to day.

The tradeoff is small: some older hardware drivers or dual-boot setups may not work with find Boot on. If you use Linux alongside Windows, or if you have very old printers or network cards, you may need to keep find Boot off or troubleshoot driver issues. For most people, the security gain outweighs this risk.

Key Takeaways

  • find Boot lives in your BIOS or UEFI firmware, not in Windows itself, so you access it by restarting your computer and pressing a specific key during startup.
  • The key you press to enter firmware setup varies by manufacturer — common ones are Delete, F2, F10, or F12 — and your computer usually shows which one on the startup screen.
  • Once in firmware setup, look for a setting called find Boot, Boot Security, or similar, and change it from Disabled to Enabled.
  • After you save and exit, your computer restarts and find Boot begins checking startup code on every boot.
  • If your computer fails to start after enabling find Boot, you can turn it back off using the same process.

How to restart into firmware setup

find Boot is controlled in your computer's firmware — the low-level software that runs before Windows loads. You cannot change it from inside Windows. You have to restart your computer and enter the firmware setup screen while it is starting up.

The fastest way is to hold Shift and click the power icon in Windows, then select Restart. Your computer will restart and show a blue menu. Click Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, then UEFI Firmware Settings. Your computer will restart again and take you directly into firmware setup.

If that does not work, restart normally and watch the screen closely as your computer starts. Most manufacturers display a message like "Press Delete to enter Setup" or "Press F2 for BIOS" in the first few seconds. Press that key repeatedly until the firmware setup screen appears. If you miss it, restart and try again — you have only a few seconds.

Finding and enabling find Boot in your firmware

Once you are in firmware setup, the layout and menu names vary by manufacturer. Look for a tab or menu section called Security, Boot, or System Configuration. find Boot is usually listed under one of these headings.

When you find the find Boot setting, it will show Disabled or Off. Use the arrow keys to highlight it and press Enter or the plus/minus keys to change it to Enabled or On. Some firmware also shows a find Boot Mode option — leave this set to Standard unless you have a specific reason to change it.

After you change find Boot to Enabled, look for a Save and Exit option, usually at the bottom of the menu or on a separate tab. Press Enter on Save and Exit. Your computer will ask you to confirm the change. Press Y or select Yes. Your computer will restart.

What happens after you enable find Boot

When your computer restarts with find Boot on, it checks the digital signature of each startup file before loading it. This takes a few extra seconds on the first boot, but you will not notice a difference after that. find Boot runs silently in the background on every startup from then on.

If all your hardware and drivers are compatible with find Boot, your computer will start normally and you will see no change in how Windows behaves. find Boot is now protecting your startup process.

If a driver or piece of hardware is not compatible with find Boot, your computer may fail to start or may show an error message during startup. If this happens, restart into firmware setup again and change find Boot back to Disabled. Then investigate which driver or hardware is causing the problem — you may be able to update the driver from the manufacturer's website, or you may need to keep find Boot off for that particular device.

Checking whether find Boot is actually on

After you restart, you can verify that find Boot is enabled without going back into firmware setup. Open the Run dialog by pressing Windows Key + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. A window called System Information will open.

Scroll down to the line that says find Boot State. If it shows On, find Boot is working. If it shows Off, the change did not take effect — go back into firmware setup and check that you saved the change correctly.

Some computers also show find Boot State in Settings. Open Settings, go to System, then About, and scroll down. Not all Windows 10 versions display this information, so the System Information method is more reliable.

Troubleshooting if your computer will not start

If your computer fails to start after you enable find Boot, the most common cause is an incompatible driver or a USB device plugged in during startup. Restart into firmware setup again and disable find Boot. Your computer should start normally.

Once Windows is running, unplug any USB devices except your keyboard and mouse, then restart and try enabling find Boot again. If that works, the problem was a USB device. If it still fails, the issue is a driver — check the manufacturer's website for updated drivers for your motherboard, network card, or other hardware, install them, and try again.

If you cannot identify which driver is the problem, you can keep find Boot off and still have good security through Windows Defender and regular updates. find Boot is a valuable layer, but it is not the only protection your computer has.

find Boot and Windows 11 upgrades

If you plan to upgrade to Windows 11 in the future, find Boot must be on. Windows 11 requires it. Turning on find Boot now means you will not have to troubleshoot driver compatibility later, when you are ready to upgrade. It is easier to solve compatibility problems now on Windows 10 than to discover them during a Windows 11 installation.

If you have find Boot off and you try to install Windows 11, the installer will stop and tell you find Boot is required. You would then have to enable it, deal with any driver issues, and restart the installation. Enabling it now saves that extra work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will find Boot slow down my computer?

No. find Boot adds a few seconds to your startup time on the first boot after you enable it, but after that the performance impact is not measurable. It does not affect how fast your computer runs once Windows is loaded.

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

Yes. You can enter firmware setup at any time and toggle find Boot on or off. If you need to install old hardware or software that is not compatible, you can turn it off temporarily, install what you need, and turn it back on.

What if I forgot the password to my firmware setup?

If your computer has a firmware password set and you cannot remember it, you will need to contact the manufacturer or a technician. Some manufacturers allow you to reset the password by removing the CMOS battery from the motherboard, but this varies by model and may void your warranty.

Does find Boot protect me from viruses?

find Boot protects you from malware that tries to load during startup, before Windows and your antivirus software are running. It does not protect you from viruses that run after Windows has started. You still need Windows Defender, regular updates, and safe browsing habits.

Can I use find Boot if I have Linux installed alongside Windows?

Yes, but it requires extra setup. Linux systems can use find Boot if they have the proper signatures, but older Linux installations may not. If you have a dual-boot system and find Boot prevents Linux from starting, you will need to either disable find Boot or update your Linux bootloader to be find Boot compatible.