How to Fix Uefi Boot Windows 10

To fix UEFI boot on Windows 10, check that firmware is set to UEFI first; if the EFI System Partition exists, repair the boot path with BCDBoot, and if it does not, boot from Windows 10 installation media or a recovery USB that can open recovery tools. Microsoft documents that UEFI boot on supported Windows 10 editions relies on firmware that can start Windows Boot Manager, and Microsoft’s BCDBoot guidance is the correct recovery path for rebuilding boot files on UEFI/GPT systems. Ignoring the wrong path can leave you stuck in reboot loops, missing drives, or Legacy mode. This guide shows the decision tree before you run recovery commands.

What the boot error means

A UEFI boot failure usually means the firmware cannot hand off to Windows Boot Manager, or Windows Boot Manager cannot read the EFI boot files on the system disk. On a native Windows 10 UEFI install, that handoff typically depends on a GPT disk, a hidden EFI System Partition, and a valid BCD store, as described in Microsoft’s BCDBoot documentation and Microsoft’s UEFI/Secure Boot guidance.

The fastest first check is firmware: open UEFI setup or the one-time boot menu and confirm that Windows Boot Manager appears as a boot target. Microsoft’s boot configuration guidance makes this distinction important because choosing the raw disk entry instead of the boot manager can bypass the UEFI path entirely. If it does not appear, do not jump straight into commands until you know whether the PC is trying Legacy/CSM mode, the EFI partition is missing, or the boot files are damaged.

📊 The guide applies to Windows 10, version 1607 and newer supported editions. Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle and servicing pages note that supported Windows 10 editions remain in scope only while they are still within servicing support; for boot repair, use current Microsoft recovery and BCDBoot documentation for the installed release. Source: Microsoft.

Likely causes

Most often, the problem is one of three things: the PC is set to the wrong boot mode, the EFI boot files or BCD are damaged, or the EFI System Partition is missing or unreadable. Less commonly, Secure Boot blocks a changed boot path after a firmware update, disk clone, or drive swap, which Microsoft notes can happen when firmware settings or boot records change.

Say your PC was moved from an old SATA SSD to a new NVMe drive. If the new disk was cloned but the firmware now boots Legacy first, Windows 10 may never reach the EFI path even though the files are still there. Microsoft’s BCDBoot and disk layout documentation are why the fix starts with firmware and partition type, not with random startup commands.

Wrong boot mode or boot order

If the disk is GPT but the firmware is set to Legacy or CSM, Windows Boot Manager may not appear or may be skipped. That is a firmware problem, not a Windows file problem, and Microsoft’s Secure Boot and boot configuration docs both treat the firmware mode as the first decision point.

1. Enter setup with the PC’s firmware key, often F2, Del, or Esc. Use F8 or F12 for the one-time boot menu on many systems.
2. Look for Boot Mode, UEFI/Legacy, or CSM. Set pure UEFI if the disk is GPT.
3. Move Windows Boot Manager to the top of the boot order.
4. Save changes and exit, usually with F10.

Corrupted BCD or EFI boot files

Microsoft’s BCDBoot documentation treats a missing or damaged BCD/EFI boot set as a rebuild problem, not a reinstall problem. The common UEFI boot errors 0xc000000f and 0xc000014c often point to a broken BCD store or missing boot files on the EFI partition.

1. Use a Windows 10 install USB or a recovery USB, boot from it, and open the repair environment.
2. Select Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
3. If Startup Repair does not fix it, open Command Prompt from the same Advanced options menu.
4. Run the repair command after you identify the EFI and Windows volumes: bcdboot C:\Windows /f UEFI.

Missing or damaged EFI System Partition

Microsoft’s GPT/UEFI recovery guidance depends on the EFI System Partition being present, typically as a small FAT32 partition on the system disk. If DiskPart does not show such a partition, there may be no place for the UEFI boot files to live, so the path is to restore the partition layout or repair from a valid clone image rather than forcing boot files onto the wrong volume.

1. Boot to Windows recovery media.
2. Open Command Prompt and start diskpart.
3. Run list disk and confirm the system disk has an asterisk in the GPT column.
4. Run list volume and look for a small FAT32 volume, often 100 MB, that matches the EFI System Partition.
5. If no EFI partition exists, stop before writing files to the wrong volume.

Secure Boot-related failure

Secure Boot can block a boot path after a firmware change, a cloned disk, or a boot file replacement. Microsoft’s Secure Boot troubleshooting guidance explains that the firmware must trust the boot chain, and HP’s recovery path for Windows 10 users shows how to reach firmware settings from Settings > Update & Security > Recovery, then Advanced startup, then UEFI Firmware Settings.

1. Enter firmware setup from Advanced startup or with the PC’s firmware key.
2. Temporarily disable Secure Boot if the failure began right after a firmware or disk change.
3. Boot Windows recovery media and retry Startup Repair or bcdboot.
4. Turn Secure Boot back on after Windows boots normally.

No operating system found

This message often means the firmware is pointing at a disk that has no usable UEFI boot entry. It can also appear after a clone if the disk was left in the wrong mode or the boot entry did not move over. Microsoft’s BCDBoot and boot order documentation make it clear that the UEFI entry must exist and be first in the firmware list.

1. Open the one-time boot menu and choose Windows Boot Manager, not just the raw disk name.
2. If Windows Boot Manager is absent, check whether the disk is GPT in DiskPart.
3. If the disk is GPT, run bcdboot C:\Windows /f UEFI from a recovery Command Prompt.
4. If the disk is MBR and you need a native UEFI boot, stop and plan the conversion before changing partitions.

How do you check firmware settings first?

Open UEFI setup or the one-time boot menu first, because the boot path has to match the disk layout before any repair command can help. Microsoft’s boot configuration and Secure Boot guidance both place the firmware decision ahead of recovery commands. On a Windows 10 UEFI install, the boot target should usually be Windows Boot Manager, not the bare disk name. If the system still uses Legacy/CSM, repair steps may miss the real fault. For a related step-by-step overview, see UEFI boot mode and, if the system is still currently in Windows, Microsoft’s UEFI firmware settings instructions.

1. Restart and tap the firmware key shown by the vendor, often F2, Del, Esc, F8, or F12.
2. In setup, find boot mode and set UEFI or UEFI only when the disk is GPT.
3. Confirm Windows Boot Manager is first in boot priority.
4. If the failure began after a change, temporarily turn Secure Boot off, save, and test again.

How do you confirm the disk and EFI partition?

Use Windows recovery media or a recovery USB so you can inspect the disk without relying on the broken boot path. DiskPart is the quickest way to confirm whether the system disk is GPT and whether an EFI System Partition is present before you run BCDBoot. Microsoft’s BCDBoot documentation and the Windows Recovery Environment guidance both support this sequence.

1. Boot from Windows installation media and select Repair your computer.
2. Open Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
3. Type diskpart, then list disk.
4. Look for an asterisk under GPT on the system disk.
5. Run list volume and identify the Windows volume plus a small FAT32 EFI volume.

If DiskPart shows only MBR and no EFI volume, stop before you run UEFI repair commands on the wrong structure. That is a different job from fixing an existing UEFI boot path, and Microsoft’s UEFI-to-GPT conversion guidance should be used first if native UEFI boot is required.

How do you repair the boot files with command prompt?

Start with Startup Repair, then move to BCDBoot if Windows still does not start. BCDBoot is the right tool when the EFI files or BCD store need to be rebuilt on a valid GPT disk. Microsoft’s documentation says BCDBoot copies boot files and creates a new boot entry; bootrec is not the primary UEFI repair tool because it was designed mainly for legacy/MBR boot records. On UEFI systems, use bootrec only for limited troubleshooting, not as the main repair step.

1. Boot to recovery media and run Startup Repair once.
2. If it fails, open Command Prompt and identify the Windows and EFI volumes in diskpart.
3. Assign a temporary drive letter to the EFI partition if needed.
4. Run bcdboot C:\Windows /f UEFI using the correct Windows path.
5. If needed, run bootrec /scanos and bootrec /rebuildbcd, then recheck firmware boot order.

Suppose the EFI partition is visible as volume 2 and Windows is on C:. In that case, BCDBoot can copy fresh boot files to the EFI volume and recreate the BCD store without reinstalling Windows. Microsoft’s recommended UEFI workflow is to point BCDBoot at the mounted EFI partition and the installed Windows directory, then reboot into UEFI firmware with Windows Boot Manager first.

Exact WinRE EFI/BCD repair workflow: from Command Prompt in Windows Recovery Environment, run diskpart, then list disk, list vol, select vol for the EFI System Partition, assign letter=S, exit, and then bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI. Use the actual Windows volume letter if it is not C: in WinRE. This is the standard Microsoft-supported sequence when the EFI partition exists but the UEFI boot files need to be rebuilt.

When bootrec is appropriate: use it only as a secondary diagnostic on UEFI systems, mainly to scan for installations or refresh the BCD list. When bootrec is not appropriate: do not rely on it to fix a missing EFI System Partition, a wrong firmware boot mode, or a GPT/UEFI boot path that needs BCDBoot. If the machine is MBR and you intend to stay in Legacy mode, bootrec may be useful; if the machine is native UEFI/GPT, BCDBoot is the primary fix.

Still not working?

If the machine still will not boot, repeat the checks from a known-good Windows USB and verify that you are repairing the correct disk after a clone or drive swap. A common first-timer mistake is running BCDBoot against the recovery media drive letter instead of the installed Windows volume. Microsoft’s recovery guidance recommends confirming both the Windows installation and the EFI partition before rebuilding boot files.

1. Confirm the disk order in firmware after every repair attempt.
2. Verify the EFI partition is on the same disk as the Windows installation.
3. Stop if the system disk is MBR and native UEFI boot is required.
4. If the EFI path cannot be rebuilt safely, move to vendor support, professional data recovery, or a clean reinstall after backing up data.

Prevention: after the PC boots again, leave Windows Boot Manager first in the boot order and avoid switching boot mode unless the disk layout changes too.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert windows 10 to uefi boot?

Conversion is different from repair. If the disk is MBR, you first need a safe conversion plan before any UEFI repair command can work. Windows 10 native UEFI boot expects GPT, so check list disk in DiskPart first. If the disk is already GPT, you do not need conversion; you need boot repair. Microsoft’s MBR2GPT documentation is the right starting point for in-place conversion prerequisites, especially when you need to keep the existing Windows installation.

How to repair the bootloader after cloning to a new disk

After a clone, confirm that the new disk is GPT, that it contains the EFI System Partition, and that firmware boots Windows Boot Manager on that disk. If the boot files did not copy correctly, assign a letter to the EFI partition and run bcdboot C:\Windows /f UEFI from recovery Command Prompt. Microsoft’s clone and deployment guidance also requires that the firmware and partition style match the target disk.

Windows 11 repair parity

Windows 11 uses the same UEFI/GPT recovery path as Windows 10 on supported hardware: check firmware mode first, confirm the EFI System Partition, then rebuild the boot files with BCDBoot if the entry is missing or damaged. The main difference is not the repair command, but the hardware baseline and firmware policy. If Windows 11 was installed in UEFI mode and later fails after a BIOS update or clone, the same stop conditions apply: do not use bootrec as the primary fix on a native UEFI system.

Why Windows 10 fails to boot in UEFI mode after cloning or firmware changes

Cloning and firmware updates are the two most common reasons a previously working Windows 10 UEFI install stops booting. A clone can leave the EFI partition off the new disk, give the Windows volume a different drive letter in recovery, or fail to copy the UEFI boot entry. A firmware update can reset boot order, switch boot mode, or re-enable Secure Boot checks. The recovery sequence is always the same: verify firmware mode, confirm GPT and the EFI partition, then run the exact BCDBoot workflow against the installed Windows volume.

MBR to UEFI conversion prerequisites

Before converting from MBR to GPT for native UEFI boot, back up the data, confirm the disk has enough free space for the conversion tool to create the required partitions, and make sure BitLocker is suspended if enabled. Microsoft’s MBR2GPT documentation also requires a compatible Windows version and a firmware that can boot in UEFI mode. If those conditions are not met, stop and resolve them before attempting conversion.