Boot from USB

After creating the bootable USB drive, you need to make your computer boot from the USB drive instead of the hard disk. This page covers two methods: using the one-time boot menu and modifying the boot order.

Method 1: Using the Boot Menu (Recommended)

Most computers support pressing a specific key at startup to bring up a one-time boot menu without entering BIOS/UEFI settings.

Boot Menu Shortcut Keys by Brand

Steps

1. Insert the bootable USB drive into a USB port on your computer (prefer rear ports on desktops or side ports on laptops; avoid front panel extension ports)
2. Restart the computer
3. Rapidly and repeatedly press the corresponding boot menu key when you see the brand logo
4. Select your USB drive from the boot menu that appears

How to Identify the USB Drive Option

The USB drive may appear in the boot menu as:

• UEFI: USB Brand Name (UEFI mode — recommended)
• USB HDD: Brand Name
• Removable Device
• The USB drive brand name (e.g., SanDisk, Kingston, etc.)

Important: If you see two options for the same USB drive — one with a UEFI: prefix and one without — select the one with the UEFI: prefix to boot in UEFI mode.

Method 2: Modifying the Boot Order

If the boot menu method doesn’t work, you can enter the BIOS/UEFI settings to change the boot order.

Steps

1. Enter BIOS/UEFI settings (refer to BIOS / UEFI Basics)
2. Find the Boot tab
3. In Boot Priority or Boot Order, move the USB drive to the first position
4. Save settings and exit (usually press F10)
5. The computer will automatically boot from the USB drive

Tip: After installing Ubuntu, remember to change the boot order back to hard disk first, or remove the USB drive.

Booting to USB from Windows

If you’re unable to access the boot menu via key presses, you can do it from within Windows:

1. Open Settings -> System -> Recovery
2. Click Restart now under Advanced startup
3. Select Use a device
4. Select your USB drive
5. The computer will boot from the USB drive

What You’ll See After Successful Boot

If everything goes well, you’ll see the Ubuntu boot menu (GRUB), which typically includes these options:

• Try or Install Ubuntu: Enter the Live environment where you can try the system or start the installation
• Ubuntu (safe graphics): Safe graphics mode for cases where the GPU driver has issues

Select Try or Install Ubuntu to enter the installation environment.

Troubleshooting

Key press doesn’t work — goes straight to Windows

• Confirm the timing is correct (you need to press repeatedly when the logo appears)
• Some laptops require pressing Fn + function key
• Try disabling the Fast Boot option in UEFI

USB drive not visible in the boot menu

• Try a different USB port
• Confirm the ISO was correctly written to the USB drive (try recreating it)
• Check that USB boot is enabled in UEFI settings
• Try disabling Secure Boot

Black screen or garbled display

• Restart and select the Ubuntu (safe graphics) option
• This is usually a GPU compatibility issue that can be resolved by installing proprietary drivers after installation

Stuck at the Ubuntu logo

• Wait patiently for a few minutes; some hardware initialization takes time
• If it remains unresponsive for a long time, try safe graphics mode

After successfully entering the Ubuntu installation environment, you can proceed to the Installation Walkthrough to begin the actual installation.