How to boot from USB on Dell

Updated 26 October 2026

Dell laptops and desktops open a one-time boot menu with F12. If your drive or SSD is missing in a Linux installer, check that the storage mode in setup is AHCI rather than RAID.

Quick answer

• Boot menu key: F12
• Setup (BIOS/UEFI) key: F2

Steps

1. Shut the computer down completely. On Windows, hold Shift while choosing Shut down so Fast Startup does not skip the menu.
2. Plug in your bootable USB drive.
3. Power on and press the boot menu key (F12) as soon as the logo appears.
4. Choose the USB drive. Pick the entry with UEFI in its name on a modern computer.
5. If it does not start, check Secure Boot and UEFI vs Legacy settings.

Need a drive to boot? Browse our Linux USB drives or shop by system. Full guide: how to boot from USB.

Other brands

• HP
• Lenovo
• ASUS
• Acer
• MSI
• Gigabyte and Aorus
• Samsung
• Microsoft Surface
• Toshiba and Dynabook
• Apple Mac (Intel)