Enable Legacy Boot Menu in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to bring back the classic full-screen boot menu (the one with a blue background and a list of operating systems) in Windows 10. By default, Windows 10 uses a simplified boot screen that hides the menu unless you press a key. Enabling the legacy boot menu gives you a clear, always-visible list of installed OSes and recovery tools, which is handy for dual-boot setups or when you need to access Safe Mode quickly.

What You’ll Need

• A PC running Windows 10 (any edition)
• Administrator account access
• Command Prompt or PowerShell (both are built-in)

Step-by-Step

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Click the Start button, type cmd, right-click “Command Prompt” in the results, and select “Run as administrator.” If prompted by User Account Control, click “Yes.”
2. Check current boot configuration (optional but helpful): Type bcdedit /enum and press Enter. You’ll see a list of boot entries. Note the identifier of the entry you want to show in the menu (usually {current} for the main Windows installation).
3. Enable the legacy boot menu: Type the following command and press Enter:
   bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes
   This tells the boot manager to show the menu every time you start your PC.
4. Set a timeout (how long the menu stays visible): Type this command and press Enter:
   bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 30
   The number is in seconds. You can use any value from 0 to 999. 30 seconds is a good balance – long enough to read the list, short enough to not delay startup too much.
5. Reboot to see the change: Restart your PC. You should now see the classic blue boot menu with a list of operating systems and a countdown timer.
6. To revert: If you ever want to go back to the default Windows 10 boot screen, run the same two commands with no and 0 instead:
   bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} timeout 0

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to run as administrator: If you open a normal Command Prompt, you’ll get an “Access denied” error. Always right-click and choose “Run as administrator.”
• Using the wrong identifier: If you try to set the timeout on {current} instead of {bootmgr}, it won’t affect the menu. The {bootmgr} entry is the boot manager itself, which controls the menu.
• Setting timeout to 0: If you set the timeout to 0, the menu will not appear at all – it will boot straight into the default OS. That defeats the purpose. Use a positive number like 5 or 30.
• Typos in the command: The command is displaybootmenu (all lowercase, no spaces). A typo will result in an error like “The parameter is incorrect.”

Tips

• Use a shorter timeout for faster boot: If you only need the menu occasionally, set it to 5 seconds. You can still press a key to stop the countdown and make a choice.
• Add a custom label: To give your OS a friendlier name in the menu (e.g., “Windows 10 Pro”), use:
  bcdedit /set {identifier} description "Windows 10 Pro"
  Replace {identifier} with the actual identifier from step 2.
• Access Safe Mode easily: With the legacy menu visible, you can press F8 during boot to get the Advanced Boot Options, which includes Safe Mode.
• Test without rebooting: You can check your changes by running bcdedit /enum again – the displaybootmenu and timeout values will show under the {bootmgr} section.

Troubleshooting

• Menu doesn’t appear after reboot: Double-check that you ran both commands successfully (no error messages). If you only set the timeout but forgot displaybootmenu yes, the menu won’t show. Run the commands again and reboot.
• “Access denied” error: This means you didn’t run Command Prompt as administrator. Close the window, right-click Command Prompt again, and choose “Run as administrator.”
• “The boot configuration data store could not be opened” error: This can happen if the BCD store is corrupted or if you’re not on the system drive. Try running bcdedit /export C:\bcdbackup first to back up, then bcdedit /rebuildstore (this may require a Windows repair environment). If that fails, you may need to use the Windows installation media to repair startup.
• Menu shows but the countdown doesn’t work: This is rare, but if the timer freezes, try setting the timeout to a different value (e.g., 10) and reboot again. If it still freezes, check for third-party boot managers (like GRUB) that might interfere.
• Can’t see the menu because the screen is black: Some graphics drivers may not display the legacy menu correctly. Try connecting a different monitor, or use the Windows Boot Manager’s built-in text mode by adding bcdedit /set {bootmgr} bootmenupolicy legacy (this is actually the same as the steps above, but if you’re on a UEFI system, you may need to disable Fast Startup in Windows Power Options).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will this affect my ability to boot into Windows normally?
A: No. The legacy menu just adds a list of options. If you don’t select anything, it will boot the default OS after the timeout.

Q: Can I set a different timeout for each OS?
A: No, the timeout is global for the boot manager. However, you can set a separate timeout for the “Windows Boot Manager” entry itself, but that’s not recommended.

Q: Does this work on UEFI systems?
A: Yes, the commands work on both BIOS and UEFI systems. The legacy menu is a Windows feature, not tied to the firmware type.

Q: How do I remove the menu later?
A: Run the two commands with no and 0 as shown in step 6. That will restore the default behavior.

Q: Can I use this to boot into a Linux installation?
A: Yes, if Linux is installed alongside Windows, it will appear in the list. If it doesn’t, you may need to add an entry manually with bcdedit /create (advanced).

Q: Is there a GUI way to do this?
A: Yes, you can use the System Configuration tool (msconfig). Go to the Boot tab, check “Timeout” and set seconds, but that only shows the menu if you have multiple OSes. The command-line method is more reliable and works even with a single OS.

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