# How to Fix No Bootable Device Errors on Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-bootable-device-windows-11/
Published: 2026-05-18 | Updated: 2026-08-10 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Boot, Hardware, Fix
Summary: No bootable device or OS not found on Windows 11? Fix boot order in BIOS and repair the bootloader with bcdboot or recovery.
Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
At power-on you get **No bootable device**, **Operating System not found**, **Reboot and select proper boot device**, or **No boot device available**. Firmware looked for something to boot and found nothing it recognised.

Causes run from trivial to terminal: a USB stick ahead of the SSD in the boot order, a firmware setting that was reset, a damaged bootloader, a loose cable, or a dead drive.

> If Windows starts and then loops, that is different: [Automatic Repair loop](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-automatic-repair-loop-windows-11/) or [stuck on the loading screen](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-11-stuck-on-loading-screen/).

## Step 1: The Two Free Checks
**Unplug every USB device** except keyboard and mouse—external drives, sticks, phones, card readers—and restart. A bootable USB stick left plugged in produces this error constantly.

**Reseat the drive** if the PC was recently opened, moved, or transported. Power off, unplug from the wall, and reseat the SATA data and power cables or the M.2 module. A partially seated M.2 stick gives exactly this symptom.

## Step 2: Does Firmware See the Drive?
This is the question that decides everything else.

1. Power on and tap **Del**, **F2**, **F10**, or **Esc** to enter BIOS/UEFI. See [how to enter BIOS or UEFI settings](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enter-bios-uefi-windows-11/).
2. Open the main information page or the storage configuration page.
3. Look for your SSD or hard drive by model name.

**Drive not listed** → hardware. Reseat it again, try a different SATA port and cable, or move the M.2 to another slot. If it is still invisible, test the drive in another machine. A drive that no firmware detects has usually failed.

**Drive listed** → the hardware is alive and the problem is the boot configuration. Continue.

## Step 3: Fix the Boot Order
1. In firmware, open the **Boot** menu.
2. You are looking for **Windows Boot Manager**, not just the drive name. On a UEFI system, that entry is what actually boots Windows.
3. Move it to first position.
4. Save and exit (usually **F10**).

If **Windows Boot Manager** does not exist as an option, the EFI boot entry has been lost—Step 5 rebuilds it.

## Step 4: Check the Boot Mode and Secure Boot
A mismatch here breaks boot on an otherwise healthy system, and it is the usual cause after a CMOS reset or a firmware update.

1. **Boot Mode** must be **UEFI** for a modern Windows 11 install. If **CSM** or **Legacy** has been enabled, turn it off.
2. **Secure Boot** should be on for Windows 11, but if the install predates it being enabled, a mismatch can stop boot—try both once.
3. Also check **SATA Mode** is **AHCI** rather than RAID, unless you deliberately use RAID. A change here also causes [INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-inaccessible-boot-device-windows-11/).

## Step 5: Rebuild the Bootloader
Boot from a [Windows 11 installation USB](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-clean-install-windows-11/) → **Repair your computer** → **Troubleshoot** → **Command Prompt**.

Find the right drive letter first—in recovery, Windows is often not on C:

```cmd
diskpart
```
```cmd
list volume
```

Note the large NTFS volume's letter and the small FAT32 EFI partition, then `exit`.

Repair attempts, in order:

```cmd
bootrec /fixmbr
```
```cmd
bootrec /fixboot
```
```cmd
bootrec /scanos
```
```cmd
bootrec /rebuildbcd
```

If `bootrec /fixboot` returns **Access is denied** on a UEFI system—which is normal—rebuild the EFI boot files instead:

```cmd
bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI
```

where `S:` is the EFI system partition. If it has no letter, assign one in diskpart with `select volume <n>` then `assign letter=S`.

## Step 6: Run Startup Repair
From the same recovery menu, **Startup Repair**. Let it complete. Run it once—if it fails twice it will not succeed on a third attempt.

## Step 7: Check the Disk for Damage
```cmd
chkdsk C: /f /r
```

Bad sectors reported here mean the drive is failing, and any fix is temporary. Get your data off it first.

## What Not to Do
* **Don't initialize the disk** if another PC offers to. That rewrites the partition table and destroys your data.
* **Don't clean-install before recovering files.** The partition is normally readable from another machine or a live USB.
* **Don't run `diskpart clean`.** It wipes the partition table entirely—people reach for it after reading forum posts about a different problem.

## Still No Boot Device?
* Firmware never sees the drive → assume it has failed or is disconnected: [check SSD or hard drive health](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/check-ssd-hard-drive-health-windows-11/) on another machine.
* No display at all, no logo, no beeps → this is not a boot error: [PC won't turn on](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-pc-wont-turn-on/).

> **Drive detected but unbootable?** Recover important files first with [RecoverPro](https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/data-recovery-pro/) before reinstalling Windows.

**Seeing "Boot Device Not Found — Hard Disk (3F0)"?** That is HP's wording for the same condition, and their firmware diagnostics give a faster answer: [fix Boot Device Not Found (3F0)](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-boot-device-not-found-3f0-windows-11/). **Had a dual-boot menu that stopped appearing?** See [fix a missing dual-boot menu](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-dual-boot-menu-missing-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-bootable-device-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt