How to Boot Lenovo Laptop from USB Windows 11/10 [Complete Guide]

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Cici 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Key Takeaways:

• Booting from USB on a Lenovo laptop can resolve numerous issues.
• This guide will offer comprehensive instructions for booting Lenovo from USB.

Equipped with high computing capabilities and excellent quality, Lenovo has established itself as a significant player in the market for business laptops and desktops. If you're looking to boot Windows from a USB drive or reinstall the operating system on your Lenovo laptop, this article will provide a swift solution. The tools mentioned will guide you through the detailed steps on how to boot your Lenovo laptop from a USB:

Many users are highly interested in booting their laptops from a USB drive. Here's a genuine scenario from Reddit:

System corruption, hard drive failure, and other critical factors can prevent you from properly booting your Lenovo laptop or PC. Don't worry; you'll follow this guide to boot your Lenovo laptop from a USB drive.

Preparing to Boot Lenovo Laptop from USB

To boot a Lenovo laptop from a USB drive, you need to make the USB bootable and have the operating system or other utility installed on it. Follow these steps to create a bootable USB and start your Windows system or other tools from it: 1. **Download the ISO Image**: First, download the ISO file of the operating system (e.g., Windows, Linux) or utility you want to install. 2. **Get a USB Drive**: Ensure you have a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space, as most modern operating systems require more than that. 3. **Backup Data**: Backup any important data on the USB drive, as the process will erase its contents. 4. **Make the USB Bootable**: Use a tool like Rufus, balenaEtcher, or the built-in Windows Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB. Connect the USB drive to your computer and follow the software's instructions to select the ISO file and the USB drive. Make sure to choose the correct settings for your system (e.g., GPT/UEFI or MBR/BIOS). 5. **Change Boot Order**: Restart your Lenovo laptop and press the appropriate key to enter the BIOS or UEFI setup. This key is usually F2, F10, F12, or Del, but it may vary depending on the model. Check your laptop's documentation if needed. 6. **Access Boot Settings**: In the BIOS/UEFI menu, navigate to the "Boot" or "Startup" section. 7. **Set USB as First Priority**: Find the "Boot Order" or "Priority Order" list and move the USB drive to the top position. This ensures your laptop will attempt to boot from the USB first. 8. **Save and Exit**: Save the changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI setup. Your laptop should now restart and begin booting from the USB drive. 9. **Install the Operating System**: Follow the on-screen instructions to install the operating system or run the utility from the USB drive. Remember to remove the USB drive after the installation is complete or when you no longer need to boot from it to avoid accidentally starting the process again.

Download the ISO file for Windows

1. **English:** - Windows 10: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 - Windows 11: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 These links are already in English, so no translation is needed. If you require translations into other languages, please specify which languages you need.

Prepare the USB

The USB drive should have at least 16GB of visible free space, and it must be formatted as FAT32.

• Press and hold Windows+R, then type diskmgmt.msc in the Run window.
• Right-click on the target USB drive and choose Format.

Download Bootable USB creator and ISO burner

Windows does not offer a tool to create a bootable USB, so you need to download a professional tool - tools Partition Master Free.

This utility is specifically designed for Lenovo laptops to burn Windows ISO images. It streamlines the process of creating a bootable USB drive. The tool supports Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, as well as Windows XP and Vista.

Steps to Boot Lenovo Laptop from USB: 1. Insert the USB drive: Plug in the USB flash drive containing the bootable operating system or installation media into one of the USB ports on your Lenovo laptop. 2. Change the boot order: Restart your Lenovo laptop and press the designated key to enter the BIOS setup. Commonly, this key is F1, F2, F10, or Del, but it may vary depending on the model. Look for on-screen instructions during startup. 3. Access the Boot menu: In the BIOS settings, navigate to the "Boot" or "Startup" menu. This is where you can manage the boot order priorities. 4. Set USB as the first priority: Using arrow keys, highlight the USB device (usually listed as "USB Drive," "Removable Device," or a similar name) and press Enter to select it. Move it to the top of the boot order list. 5. Save and exit: Press the key to save changes (often F10 or 'Save & Exit') and confirm the action when prompted. The laptop will then restart and attempt to boot from the USB drive. 6. Boot process: If everything is set correctly, your Lenovo laptop should now boot from the USB drive. You may see an initial loader screen or a setup wizard, depending on the contents of the USB. 7. Install or run the OS: Follow the on-screen instructions to either install a new operating system or run a diagnostic tool, recovery environment, or live Linux distribution. Remember to remove the USB drive after the process is complete to prevent accidental reboots from the USB.

Once you've completed these preparations, proceed to learn how to boot your Lenovo Laptop from USB. We offer a range of detailed solutions to cater to different user needs for booting Lenovo computers from a USB drive:

Scenario 1: Run the Operating System

If you simply want to run a Windows operating system from a USB drive, you have several options available: 1. Clone the OS to an external drive: You can use software to clone the existing Windows installation to a USB drive, ensuring it remains bootable. 2. Burn a Windows ISO to USB: You can download the Windows ISO file and use tools like Rufus, Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, or Etcher to write the ISO image onto a USB drive, making it bootable. 3. Use other tools to create a bootable USB: There are various third-party applications, such as UNetbootin, that can help you create a bootable Windows USB drive by extracting the necessary files from an ISO or directly from a running Windows installation. Remember that running a full-fledged operating system from a USB drive might be slower than running it from a hard drive, and not all computers support booting from USB.

Read more: Create a Bootable USB from ISO for Windows 10

Situation 2: Fix Boot Error

If your computer is experiencing startup errors, like a Windows blue screen, you may need to boot your computer from USB to address the issue. You can reinstall the operating system or resolve most boot problems using an ISO file.

We will provide a detailed solution next.

Stage 1: Create a Bootable USB Drive for Lenovo Laptop

Before using the tool Partition Master, ensure you've downloaded the correct ISO file. Next, utilize the tool to create a bootable USB and burn the ISO file. Even beginners can easily and quickly burn ISO to USB with this method.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and go to the Bootable Media section. Click "Burn ISO" and click "Next".

Step 2. Select the ISO image that you downloaded on your computer and click "Open."

Step 3. Click "Next" and choose the target USB drive as the destination, then click "Burn" to perform the operation.

tools Partition Master is a reliable free ISO burner. After burning the ISO file, you can use the burned USB to install Windows and boot your Lenovo laptop from USB.

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Stage 2. Change the Lenovo Laptop Boot Order

Once the USB is set up, you'll need to change the boot order. Before booting from the USB drive, the first step is to disable Secure Boot:

Translate the following text into English:
• Enter BIOS (recommended method for entering BIOS on an IdeaPad). (Read this article to learn more about the Lenovo Boot Menu Key.)
• Press F9 (Fn+F9) to load the optimized defaults and set Secure Boot to Disabled.

Next, change the boot order in the BIOS following these steps:

Here are the translations in American English: 1. Insert the bootable USB drive. 2. Restart your computer and enter the boot menu at startup by pressing F12 (or Fn + F12). 3. Press Enter to select the required boot device.

Change the boot order:

Upon altering the boot sequence, your Lenovo laptop will automatically boot from the USB drive. If you're conversant with this procedure, you can also Boot Raspberry Pi From USB and boot from USB on an HP laptop.

Conclusion

There's no denying that Lenovo laptops simplify our work and daily life. However, your Lenovo laptop might fail to boot correctly due to various issues, or it could be stuck in a boot loop. This article will guide you through creating a bootable USB and burning the ISO file to the appropriate USB drive to boot your Lenovo computer from USB.

If you find this tutorial helpful, please don't forget to share the article to assist more users.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Boot Lenovo Laptop from USB

Understanding how to boot a Lenovo laptop from a USB drive can be very convenient. Here, I've listed some related questions; if you come across any of these issues, please continue reading.

1. How to fix a Lenovo laptop that won't boot from a USB drive on Windows?

The bootable USB drive was not created properly, or the computer might be affected by the Lenovo Service Engine (LSE), which can result in a Lenovo laptop not booting from USB. For this issue, you have two potential solutions:

Solution 1. Remove Lenovo Service Engine

Step 1. Open Settings, select System, and note the system type.

Step 2. Navigate to Lenovo Security Advisory and choose the date.

Step 3. Find the Lenovo LSE Windows Disabler Tool, download it, and open it.

Solution 2. Create the bootable media correctly

Step 1. Create the bootable USB using MediaCreationTool or a third-party utility.

Step 2. Select the bootable CD type.

Step 3: Insert the bootable USB drive into your Lenovo computer and enter the BIOS. Select the bootable USB drive and press Enter to make Lenovo boot from the USB.

2. How to resolve the issue of Lenovo boot menu not functioning?

Press the F1/F2/F9/F10/F11/F12 keys during startup to enter the boot menu. Alternatively, if these keys don't function, you can use the Novo button to access BIOS. Additionally, users can utilize Lenovo Diagnostics to examine their hard drives. Should an issue be detected, replacing the drive with a new one might be necessary.

3. What is the Lenovo BIOS key?

Accessing the BIOS may take several attempts. Please repeatedly press F2 or (Fn + F2) after turning on your PC. You can also access the BIOS using the function keys: restart the system and press F1 when the Lenovo logo appears, or press F1 5-10 times immediately after pressing the power button.