3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

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The boot options that used to be fired up by pressing F8 during the boot has been revamped in Windows 8 to address an issue that’s never been a problem to Windows. Windows 8 boots so quick that there is no longer enough time for anything to interrupt, not even a quick F8 key press. So where is the boot options now? and how to boot into it?

First, it’s now called Advanced boot options, and you can boot into it via these 3 ways below.

#1 – from PC Settings

Best way for a tablet because you don’t need a keyboard to do so.

Bring up Charm Bar (either swipe across the right screen board, or press Win+I key), and click or tap Change PC Settingsat the boot of the bar.

Windows 8 PC Settings from Charm Bar thumb - 3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

Select General from the left panel, and scroll down to the bottom at the right panel, and click Restart now under Advanced start up.

Note that in Windows 8.1, the Advanced startup has moved to Update and recovery section under Recovery.

PC settings 2014 04 10 11 04 44 600x298 - 3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

#2 – Shift + Restart

Again, bring up the Charm Bar, click Power once, and press & hold Shift key before clicking on Restart icon.

Windows 8 boot options from Start menu thumb - 3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

#3 – from Command Line

The new switch /o in the shutdown command lets you restart your computer going straight to the advanced boot options.

Press Win + R and type the following command, and press Enter.

shutdown /o /r

Windows 8 shutdown to advanced boot options thumb - 3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

What’s next?

After you’ve done one of the above, the Windows 8 machine starts to reboot and goes into Advanced options window like below right after.

Windows 8 advanced boot options thumb - 3 Ways to Fire Up Windows 8 Advanced Boot Options

[Updated on Nov. 3, 2012]

The easiest but not always work way is to Shift + F8 during the boot. The advanced boot options will show up if you are quick and lucky enough.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Is there anyway to boot safe mode without configuring inside Windows 8. What’s the point to boot into safe mode while you can work in Windows 8 normally.

  2. Useless. The main use of safe mode is to get in to a broken OS, and if the only way to enable safe mode is through the broken OS, how are you supposed to use it?

  3. BootUITuner no longer works on W8.1 as it did on W8 I have sent email to developer but so far I see no updated version.

    This was the best way to get to the safe mode settings when windows wouldn’t boot as it booted right to that screen where you could select what you wanted.

    Although it also made you hit enter to let it continue past and boot into windows as usual, which might be ab annoying step to some as it would stop at that screen and not continue to windows.

      • ? you either miss read what I said or you don’t read English well. I said its the “best way” to get to safe mode and yeah its a “good app.

        I just said that on my “WINDOWS 8.1” it no longer would work, Yes I said on WINDOWS 8 it works just fine.

      • OK I got it to work on W8.1

        Re D/L it, set it to W8 compatible mode, checked the first box on the list of items ( enable advanced boot options).

  4. I don”t know who you are, but I love you. Thank you. Shift+Restart worked for me when nothing else was. I thought I was completely screwed, but thanks to this I did it. Thank you. So very much. ^_^

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