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Do you want to learn how to use the BCDEdit command to modify the Windows boot configuration data store? You’re welcome to join me as I demystify this Windows command-line tool!
Overview
Starting from Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Boot Configuration Data (BCD). BCD files provide a data store that describes boot applications and their settings.
BCDEdit is a command-line tool you can use to manage BCD stores. You can use this command-line tool to create new stores, modify existing stores, add boot menu parameters, and perform other tasks.
As I mentioned earlier, Microsoft introduced BCD and BCDEdit from Windows Vista. This meant that BCDEdit replaced the Boot (.ini) file while BCDEdit.exe replaced Bootcfg.exe.
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However, BCDEdit.exe introduced some added benefits compared to Bootcfg.exe. For example, BCDEdit.exe offers a wider range of boot parameters.
In addition to that, BCDEdit.exe also provides improved scripting support than Bootcfg.exe. In the next sections of this guide, I will explain the capabilities of BCDEdit.exe, starting with its syntaxes in the next section.
Syntax of the BCDEdit Command-Line Tool
The syntax of the BCDEdit command is…
BCDEdit /command [<argument1>] [<argument2>] ...
The syntax has the “/command” switch, known as “topics.” Then, each “/command” switch has some arguments.
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To display all available BCDEdit “/command” switches (or “topics.”), run the command below.
BCDEdit /? Topics
The above command displays all the available “topics.” If you look closely, you’ll notice that the result includes what I may call “standard” “/command” switches like /bootdebug and /bootems.
Moreover, if you look towards the bottom of the result, you’ll see a list that starts with “TYPES”. More on this in subsequent sections.
To display information about a BCDEdit, for example, /bootdebug run a command like the one below.
BCDEdit /? /bootdebug
The command displays the specific syntax of the BCDEdit command. Then, it also displays the arguments available to the command and what they mean.
Most importantly, you also get some examples.
Moreso, to get more information about available BCDEdit data “TYPES,” options and how to use them, run the command below.
BCDEdit /? TYPES
This last command displays available TYPES and offers brief explanations about them.
Furthermore, to get more help with a specific data TYPE, run the command with this syntax.
BCDEdit /? <TYPE NAME>
For example, to get more information about the BOOTAPP TYPE, I’ll run the command below.
BCDEdit /? TYPES BOOTAPP
Here is the result of the command.
In the subsequent sections, I will dive deep into the various elements of the BCDEdit command. I will start with a detailed explanation of the BCEDit command options and their arguments in the next section.
BCDEdit Command-line Options and their Arguments
In the subsections of this section, I’ll explain the command-line options (commands or topics) shown in the screenshot above.
As I mentioned earlier, to learn about any of the topics, run a command with the syntax below.
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BCDEdit /bootdebug Command Syntax and Arguments
The /bootdebug command option enables or disables the boot debugger for the specified boot entry. Although this command works for any entry, it is only effective for boot applications.
The syntax of the /bootdebug command is…
BCDEdit /bootdebug [<id>] { ON | OFF }
<id> specifies the identifier of the entry to be modified. An identifier uniquely identifies entries contained in a BDC store.
BCDEdit /bootems Command Syntax and Arguments
The /bootems command enables or disables Emergency Management Services for the
specified entry. The syntax of the /bootems command is…
BCDEdit /bootems [<id>] { ON | OFF }
<id> specifies the identifier of the entry to be modified. An identifier uniquely identifies entries contained in a BDC store.
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The /bootsequence command sets the one-time boot sequence to be used by the boot manager. The syntax of this command is…
BCDEDit /bootsequence <id> [...] [ /addfirst | /addlast | /remove ]
The table below explains the arguments of the /bootsequence command syntax.
| BCDEdit /bootsequence Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <id> | The <id> argument specifies the identifier of the entry to be modified. An identifier uniquely identifies entries contained in a BDC store. |
| /addfirst | /addfirst argument adds the specified entry identifier to the top of the boot sequence. If this switch is specified, only a single identifier may be specified. If the identifier is already in the list, it is moved to the top of the list. |
| /addlast | The /addlast argument adds the specified entry identifier to the end of the boot sequence. If this switch is specified, only a single identifier may be specified. If the identifier is already in the list, it is moved to the end of the list. |
| /remove | /remove argument removes the specified entry identifier from the boot sequence. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the identifier is not in the list then the operation has no effect. If the last entry is being removed, then the boot sequence value is deleted from the boot manager entry. |
BCDEdit /copy Command Syntax and Arguments
The /copy command creates a copy of the specified boot entry. The syntax of this command is…
BCDEdit [/store <filename>] /copy {<id>} /d <description>
In the table below I have explained each argument…
| BCDEdit /copy Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| /store <filename> | The <filename> argument specifies the BCD store to use. If this option is not specified, the command will use the system store. |
| <id> | The <id> argument specifies the identifier of the entry to be copied. |
| /d <description> | Specifies the description to be applied to the new entry. |
BCDEdit /create Command Syntax and Arguments
The /create command creates a new entry in the boot configuration data store. If a well-known identifier is specified, then the /application, /inherit and /device options cannot be specified.
On the contrary, if a well-known identifier is not specified, or if is not well-known, then you must specify an /application, /inherit or /device option.
The syntax of this command is…
BCDEdit /create [{<id>}] [/d <description>] [/application <apptype> | /inherit [<apptype>] | /inherit DEVICE | /device]
In the table below I have explained each argument…
| BCDEdit /create Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <id> | The <id> argument specifies the identifier to be used for the new entry |
| /d <description> | Specifies the description to be applied to the new entry. |
| /application <apptype> | Specifies that the new entry must be an application entry. <apptype> specifies the application type. <apptype> can be BOOTAPP, BOOTSECTOR, OSLOADER, RESUME or STARTUP |
| /inherit <apptype> | The /inherit argument specifies that the new entry must be an inherit entry, and <apptype> specifies the application type. If /inherit is not specified, then the entry can be inherited by any entry. However, if /inherit is specified, <apptype> can be one of the following: BOOTMGR, BOOTSECTOR, FWBOOTMGR, MEMDIAG, NTLDR, OSLOADER, or RESUME |
BCDEdit /createstore Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /createstore command creates a new empty boot configuration data store. The store created with this command is not a system store.
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BCDEdit /createstore <filename>
/createstore <filename> specifies the filename of the boot configuration data store. If the filename contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotation marks (“”).
BCDEdit /dbgsettings Command Syntax and Arguments
The /dbgsettings command sets or displays the global debugger settings for the system. It does not enable or disable the debugger for any particular boot entry.
The syntax of the /dbgsettings command is…
BCDEdit /dbgsettings [ <debugtype> [DEBUGPORT:<comport>] [BAUDRATE:<baud>] [CHANNEL:<channel>] [TARGETNAME:<targetname>] [HOSTIP:<ip>] [PORT:<port>] [KEY:<key>] [nodhcp] [newkey] [/start <startpolicy>] [/noumex] ]
In the table below, I have explained the arguments of the syntax.
| BCDEdit /dbgsettings Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <debugtype> | Specifies the type of debugger. You can specify SERIAL, 1394, USB, NET, or LOCAL. |
| DEBUGPORT: <comport> | If you specify SERIAL debugging, you can use <comport> to specify the serial port to use as the debugging port. This is an optional setting. |
| BAUDRATE:<baud> | This argument is also applicable to SERIAL debugging. Use it to specify the baud rate to be used for debugging. This is an optional setting. |
| CHANNEL:<channel> | If you specify1394 debugging, use <channel> to specify the 1394 channel to be used for debugging. |
| TARGETNAME:<targetname> | This argument is used to specify the USB target name to be used for debugging if you specify USB debugging as the <debugtype>. |
| HOSTIP:<ip> | For network (NET) debugging. <ip> specifies the IPv4 address of the host debugger. |
| PORT:<port> | This also applies to the network (NET) debugging <debugtype>. Use <port> to specify the port to communicate with on the host debugger. This value should be 49152 or higher. |
| KEY:<key> | For network debugging as well. <key> specifies the key with which to encrypt the connection. Values can be [0-9] and/or [a-z]. |
| nodhcp | nodhcp applies to network debugging. When you specify nodhcp, it prevents the use of DHCP to obtain the target IP address. |
| newkey | Applies to network debugging – specifies that a new encryption key should be generated for the connection. |
| /start <startpolicy> | This argument applies to all debugger types (<debugtype>). /start <startpolicy> specifies the debugger start policy. You can use one of the following: ACTIVE, AUTOENABLE, DISABLE. If you do not specify not specify <startpolicy>, ACTIVE is the default. |
| /noumex | If you specify the /noumex argument, this causes the kernel debugger to ignore any user-mode exceptions. |
BCDEdit /debug Command Syntax and Arguments
This command enables or disables the kernel debugger for the specified boot entry. The syntax of the BCDEDit /debug command is…
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BCDEdit /debug [<id>] { ON | OFF }
<id> specifies the identifier of the entry to be modified. You can only specify Windows boot loader entries. If you do not specify a boot loader identifier, the BCDEDit /debug command will use {current}.
BCDEdit /default Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /default command sets the default entry that the boot manager will use when the timeout expires.
The syntax of this command is…
BCDEdit /default <id>
<id> specifies the identifier of the boot entry to be used as the default when the time-out expires.
BCDEdit /delete Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /delete command deletes an entry from the boot configuration data store.
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The parameter of the /delete command is…
BCDEdit [/store <filename>] /delete <id> [/f] [/cleanup | /nocleanup]
The table below lists and explains the arguments in the above syntax.
| BCDEdit /delete Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| /store <filename> | Use the /store <filename> argument to specify the store to be used. If this option is not specified, the system store is used. |
| <id> | Specifies the identifier of the boot entry that you want to delete. |
| /f | Deletes the specified entry. Without this option, Bcdedit will not delete any entries that have a well-known identifier. |
| /cleanup | Deletes the specified entry and removes the entry from the display order. Any other references to the entry being deleted will also be removed from the store. When deleting an OS loader entry, the associated resume from hibernation entry is also deleted if any other OS loaders do not reference it. This option is assumed unless /nocleanup is specified. |
| /nocleanup | Deletes the specified entry without removing the entry from the display order. |
BCDEdit /deletevalue Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /deletevalue command deletes a data element from an entry in the boot configuration data store.
The syntax of the BCDEdit /deletevalue command is…
BCDEdit [/store <filename>] /deletevalue [<id>] <datatype>
I have explained the arguments in the syntax in the table below.
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| BCDEdit /deletevalue Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| /store <filename> | Use the /store <filename> argument to specify the store to be used. If you do not specify this option, the /deletevalue command will use the system store. |
| <id> | Specifies the identifier of the entry that will be modified. If not specified, {current} is used. |
| <datatype> | Specifies the option that will be removed from the specified entry. |
BCDEdit /displayorder Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /displayorder command sets the display order to be used by the boot manager.
The syntax of the command is…
BCDEdit /displayorder <id> […] [ /addfirst | /addlast | /remove ]
In the table below, I have explained the arguments in the syntax.
| BCDEdit /displayorder Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <id> […] | Specifies a list of identifiers that make up the display order – the identifiers must be separated by spaces. At least one identifier must be specified. |
| /addfirst | The /addfirst argument adds the specified entry identifier to the top of the display order. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it will be moved to the top of the list. |
| /addlast | /addlast adds the specified entry identifier to the end of the display order. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it is moved to the end of the list. |
| /remove | The /remove argument removes the specified entry identifier from the display order. If /remove is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the identifier you specified is not in the list then the BCDEdit /displayorder command will no effect. If the last entry is being removed, then the display order value is deleted from the boot manager entry. |
BCDEdit /event Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /event command enables or disables the remote event logging for the specified boot entry.
The syntax of the command is…
BCDEdit /event [<id>] { ON | OFF }
<id> specifies the identifier of the Windows boot manager entry to be modified. Only Windows boot loader entries may be specified.
If you do not specify an identifier with the <id> argument, the command will use {current} as the identified.
BCDEdit /ems Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /ems command enables or disables Emergency Management Services for the specified operating system boot entry.
The syntax of the BCDEdit /ems command is…
BCDEdit /ems [<id>] { ON | OFF }
<id> specifies the identifier of the Windows boot manager entry to be modified. The <id> argument only supports “Windows boot loader” entries.
If you do not specified, {current} is used.
BCDEdit /emssettings Command Syntax and Arguments
The /emssettings command sets the global Emergency Management Services settings for the system. Emssettings does not enable or disable Emergency Management Services for any particular boot entry.
The syntax of /emssettings command is…
BCDEdit /emssettings [ BIOS ] | [ EMSPORT:<port> | [EMSBAUDRATE:<baudrate>] ]
This table explains the arguments.
| BCDEdit /emssettings Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| BIOS | The BIOS argument specifies that the system will use BIOS settings for the Emergency Management Services configuration. This works only on systems that have Emergency Management Services support provided by the BIOS. |
| EMSPORT:<port> | Specifies the serial port to use as the Emergency Management Services port. You cannot specify this argument with the BIOS argument. |
| EMSBAUDRATE:<baudrate> | The “EMSBAUDRATE:<baudrate>” argument specifies the serial baud rate to use for Emergency Management Services. This command should not be specified with the BIOS option. This is an optional argument – the default is 9,600 baud. |
BCDEdit /enum Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /enum command lists entries in a store. The /enum command is the default, so running “bcdedit” without parameters is equivalent to running “bcdedit /enum ACTIVE”.
The syntax of the /enum command is…
BCDEdit [/store <filename>] /enum [<type> | <id>] [/v]
I have explained the arguments in the table below.
| BCDEdit /emssettings Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| /store <filename> | Use the /store <filename> argument to specifies the store to be used. If this option is not specified, the command will use the system store. |
| <type> | The <type> argument specifies the type of entries to be listed. You can specify one of the following as the <type> – ACTIVE, FIRMWARE, BOOTAPP, BOOTMGR, OSLOADER, INHERIT, ALL |
| <id> | Use the <id> argument to specify the identifier of the entry to be listed. If an identifier is provided, then only the specified object will be listed. |
| /v | Displays entry identifiers in full, rather than using names for well-known identifiers. Read about well-known identifiers in the “Well-known BCD Store Identifiers” section later in this guide. |
BCDEdit /export Command Syntax and Arguments
Use this command to export the contents of the system store to a file. You can then use the file to restore the state of the system store if you ever need to do that.
The BCDEdit /export command is only valid for the system store.
The syntax of BCDEdit /export is…
bcdedit /export <filename>
/export <filename> is the filename to be used as the destination for the export. If the filename contains spaces, you must be enclose it in quotation marks (“”).
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BCDEdit /import Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /import command restores the state of the system store using a backup data file previously generated using the /export command. The command deletes All existing entries in the BCD system store before the import takes place.
This command is only valid for the system store.
The syntax of the /import command is…
BCDEdit /import <filename> [/clean]
/import <filename> is the name of the file that is imported into the system store. If the filename contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotation marks (“”).
/clean specifies that all existing firmware boot entries should be deleted (only affects EFI systems).
BCDEdit /hypervisorsettings Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /hypervisorsettings command sets or displays the hypervisor settings for the system. This command does not disable or enable the hypervisor debugger for any
specific OS loader entry.
If you want to enable or disable the hypervisor debugger for an Operating System loader entry, run the command with the syntax below.
BCDEdit <identifier> /set HYPERVISORDEBUG ON
The syntax of BCDEdit /hypervisorsettings command is…
bcdedit /hypervisorsettings [ <debugtype> [DEBUGPORT:<port>] [BAUDRATE:<baud>] [CHANNEL:<channel>] [HOSTIP:ip>] [PORT:<port>] ]
The arguments are explained in the table below.
| BCDEdit /hypervisorsettings Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <debugtype> | Use <debugtype> to specify the type of debugger. You can use SERIAL, 1394, or NET for this argument |
| DEBUGPORT:<port> | When you use the SERIAL debugging <debugtype>, use <port> to specify the serial port to use as the debugging port. |
| BAUDRATE:<baud> | This argument also works when you specify SERIAL debugging <debugtype>. Use <baud> to specify the baud rate to be used for debugging. |
| CHANNEL:<channel> | <channel> applies to the 1394 debugging <debugtype>. Use <channel> to specify the 1394 channel to be used for debugging. |
| HOSTIP:<ip> | For network debugging <channel>. <ip> specifies the IPv4 address of the host debugger. |
| PORT:<port> | For network debugging <channel>. <port> specifies the port to communicate with on the host debugger. You should specify 49152 or higher. |
BCDEdit /mirror Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /mirror command creates a mirror of the specified boot entry. The syntax of this command is…
BCDEdit [/store <filename>] /mirror {<id>}
/store <filename> specifies the store to be used. If this option is not specified, the system store is used. <id> specifies the identifier of the entry to be mirrored.
BCDEdit /set Command Syntax and Arguments
The BCDEdit /set command sets an entry option value in the boot configuration data store. The syntax of the /set command is…
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In the table below, I have explained the arguments in the syntax.
| BCDEdit /store Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| /store <filename> | Use the <filename> argument to specify the store BCDEDit should use for the /set command. If you do not specify the <filename> argument, the /set command will use the system store. |
| <id> | The <id> argument specifies the identifier of the entry to be modified. If not specified, {current} is used. |
| <datatype> | <datatype> specifies the option data type that will be created or modified. For more information about data types, run the “bcdedit /? TYPES” command. I have a section later in this guide that explains the data types. |
| <value> | Use the <value> argument to specify the value that should be assigned to the option. The format of <value> depends on the data type specified. To learn about data formats, run the “bcdedit /? FORMATS”. I have a section dedicated to explaining the different data type formats later in this guide. |
| /addfirst | The /addfirst argument adds the specified entry identifier to the top of the list. If you specify this argument, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it will be moved to the top of the list. You can only use this argument if datatype is an object list. |
| /addlast | The /addlast argument adds the specified entry identifier to the end of the list. If you specify this argument, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it will be moved to the end of the list. You can only use this argument if datatype is an object list. |
| /remove | Use the /remove argument to remove the specified entry identifier from the list. If you specify this argument, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the identifier is not in the list, then the operation has no effect. However, if you’re removing the last entry, then the datatype value will be deleted. You can only use this argument if datatype is an object list. |
BCDEdit /store Command Syntax and Arguments
Use the BCDEdit /store command-line option to specify the store to be used. If this option is not specified, then the system store is used.
You cannot use the /store argument with the /createstore, /import, or /export commands. The general syntax for the /store command argument is…
BCDEdit /store <filename>
Use <filename> to specify the file name of the boot configuration data store. If the file name contains spaces, you must enclose it in quotation marks (“”).
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The BCDEdit /timeout command sets the time to wait, in seconds, before the boot manager selects a default entry to boot.
The syntax of the /timeout command is…
BCDEdit /timeout <timeout>
Use <timeout> to specify the time to wait, in seconds, before the boot manager selects a default entry to boot.
BCDEdit /toolsdisplayorder Command Syntax and Arguments
The /toolsdisplayorder command sets the display order to be used by the boot manager when displaying the tools menu.
The syntax of the command is…
BCDEdit /toolsdisplayorder <id> [...] [ /addfirst | /addlast | /remove ]
In the table below, I have listed and explained the arguments of the syntax above…
| BCDEdit /toolsdisplayorder Argument | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <id> […] | Specifies a list of identifiers that make up the tools display order. You must specify at least one identifier and they must be separated by spaces. |
| /addfirst | /addfirst adds the specified entry identifier to the top of the tools display order. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it is moved to the top of the list. |
| /addlast | /addlast adds the specified entry identifier to the end of the tools display order. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the specified identifier is already in the list, it is moved to the end of the list. |
| /remove | /remove removes the specified entry identifier from the tools display order. If this switch is specified, only a single entry identifier may be specified. If the identifier is not in the list, then the operation will have no effect. If the last entry is being removed, then the tools display order value is deleted from the boot manager entry. |
BCDEdit /v Command Syntax and Arguments
By default, when you run BCDEdit, any well-known entry identifiers are replaced by their friendly shorthand form. Specifying /v as a command-line switch prevents this replacement and displays all identifiers in full.
Running “bcdedit /v” by itself is equivalent to running “bcdedit /enum ACTIVE /v”.
Well-known BCD Store Identifiers
In the last subsection, I discussed the syntaxes and arguments of the BCDEDit commands. Most of them an <id> argument that specifies the unique identifier or GUID for the BCD sore.
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A BCD store identifier takes the form of a globally unique identifier or GUID. A GUID has the following format:
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“x” represents a hexadecimal digit. The table below lists and explains the well-known BCD store identifiers.
| BCD Store Identifiers | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| {bootmgr} | Specify {bootmgr} to manage the Windows boot manager entry. |
| {fwbootmgr} | Use this identifier on systems that implement the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) specification to specify the firmware boot manager entry. |
| {memdiag} | Use {memdiag} to specify the memory diagnostic application entry. |
| {ntldr} | Specifies a OS loader (Ntldr) that can be used to start operating systems earlier than Windows Vista. |
| {current} | The {current} BCD store Identifier specifies a virtual identifier that corresponds to the operating system boot entry for the operating system that is currently running. |
| {default} | Use {default} BCD store identifier to specify a virtual identifier that corresponds to the boot manager default application entry. |
| {ramdiskoptions} | {ramdiskoptions} contains the additional options required by the boot manager for RAM disk devices. |
| {dbgsettings} | {dbgsettings} contains the global debugger settings that any boot application entry can inherit. |
| {emssettings} | The {emssettings} BCD store identifier contains the global Emergency Management Services settings that any boot application entry can inherit. |
| {badmemory} | Contains the global RAM defect list that any boot application entry can inherit. |
| {globalsettings} | The {globalsettings} BCD store identifier contains the collection of global settings that all boot application entries should inherit. |
| {bootloadersettings} | Contains the collection of global settings that all Windows boot loader application entries should inherit. |
| {resumeloadersettings} | This BCD store identifier contains the collection of global settings that all Windows resume should inherit from hibernation application entries. |
| {hypervisorsettings} | {hypervisorsettings} contains the hypervisor settings that any OS loader entry can inherit. |
BCDEdit Command-line Data Types
The /set and /deletevalue BCDEdit commands require the <datatype> argument. <datatype> uniquely identifies both the data format and the meaning of the data value.
Before I explain the data types, it is important to show you the command you need to list them. To display the available BCDEdit command data types, run the command below.
BCDEdit /? TYPES
In the following subsections, I have explained the available BCDEDit data types.
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The BOOTMGR (Boot Manager) data types apply only to entries for the boot manager.
In the table below, I have listed the part of the boot manager entry in column 1. Column 2 lists the data types and formats, while column 3 explains the data type.
| Boot entry section | Boot Manager Data Types/Formats | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boot | BOOTSEQUENCE (list) | Defines the one-time boot sequence. |
| PERSISTBOOTSEQUENCE (bool) | Enables persisting a boot sequence across multiple boots. | |
| DEFAULT (id) | Defines the default boot entry. | |
| TIMEOUT (integer) | Defines the boot manager time to wait, in seconds, before the boot manager selects a default entry. | |
| Resume | RESUME (bool) | Indicates that a resume operation should be attempted. |
| RESUMEOBJECT (id) | Provides the identifier of the resume application object. | |
| HIBERBOOT (bool) | Indicates that a hiberboot resume should be attempted. This is used along with the RESUME setting and should not be modified. | |
| Display | DISPLAYBOOTMENU (bool) | Enables the boot menu display. |
| DISPLAYORDER (list) | Defines the boot manager display order list. | |
| TOOLSDISPLAYORDER (list) | Defines the boot manager tools display order list. |
BCDEDit BOOTSECTOR (Boot Sector) Data Types
The BOOTSECTOR (Boot Sector) type applies to entries that contain bootsector in the form of a file. As of October 2022, there are no additional options for this type.
BCDEDit FWBOOTMGR (Firmware Boot Manager) Data Types
The FWBOOTMGR (Firmware Boot Manager) data types apply only to entries for the firmware boot manager.
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In the table below, I have listed the part of the boot manager entry in column 1. Column 2 lists the data types and formats, while column 3 explains the data type.
| Firmware Boot Manager entry section | Firmware Boot Manager Data Types/Formats | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boot | BOOTSEQUENCE (list) | Defines the one-time boot sequence. |
| DEFAULT (id) | Defines the default boot entry. | |
| TIMEOUT (integer) | Defines the boot manager time to wait, in seconds. | |
| Display | DISPLAYORDER (list) | Defines the boot manager display order list. |
BCDEDit MEMDIAG (Memory Diagnostic Application) Data Types
The MEMDIAG (Memory Diagnostic Application) data types apply only to entries for memory diagnostic application entries.
In the table below, I have listed the part of the boot manager entry in column 1. Column 2 lists the data types and formats, while column 3 explains the data type.
| Memory diagnostic entry section | Memory diagnostic Data Types/Formats | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Test | PASSCOUNT (integer) | The number of iterations that will be run. |
| | TESTMIX | Can be BASIC or EXTENDED. |
| | CACHEENABLE (boolean) | Overrides the default cache settings of the testmix. |
BCDEDit NTLDR (NTLDR-Based OS Loader) Data Types
The NTLDR data types apply to NTLDR-Based OS Loader. There is no additional options for this data type.
BCDEDit OSLOADER (Windows OS Loader) Data Types
The OSLOADER (Windows OS Loader) data types apply only to Windows OS Loader entries. The table below explains the data types that apply to the Windows OS Loader.
The first column is the OS Loader section that the data type applies. Then, column 2 lists the data types while column 3 explains them.
| Windows OS Loader entry section | Windows OS Loader Data Types/Formats | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boot | BOOTLOG (bool) | Enables the system initialization log. |
| | BOOTSTATUSPOLICY | This data type can be DisplayAllFailures, IgnoreAllFailures, IgnoreShutdownFailures, IgnoreBootFailures, IgnoreCheckpointFailures, DisplayShutdownFailures, DisplayBootFailures, or DisplayCheckpointFailures. |
| | LASTKNOWNGOOD (bool) | Enables boot to last known good configuration. |
| NOCRASHAUTOREBOOT (bool) | Disables automatic restart on crash. | |
| RESUMEOBJECT (id) | Defines the identifier of the resume object that is associated with this operating system object. | |
| SAFEBOOT | Can be Minimal, Network or DsRepair | |
| SAFEBOOTALTERNATESHELL (bool) | Uses the alternate shell when booted into Safe mode. | |
| SOS (bool) | Displays additional boot information. | |
| WINPE (bool) | Enables the computer to boot to Windows PE. | |
| Display | BOOTUX | Defines the graphics experience during boot. The values can be Disabled, Basic or Standard. (Defunct.) |
| BOOTMENUPOLICY | Defines the type of boot menus the system will use. Can be Legacy or Standard. | |
| Options | ADVANCEDOPTIONS (bool) | Enables advanced options. |
| LOADOPTIONS (string) | Defines any additional options that are not covered by other types. | |
| OPTIONSEDIT (bool) | Enables the options editor. | |
| Processors and APICs | CLUSTERMODEADDRESSING (integer) | Defines the maximum number of processors to include in a single Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC) cluster. |
| CONFIGFLAGS (integer) | Specifies processor-specific configuration flags. | |
| MAXPROC (bool) | Uses only the specified number of processors. | |
| ONECPU (bool) | Forces only the boot CPU to be used. | |
| RESTRICTAPICCLUSTER (integer) | Defines the largest APIC cluster number to be used by the system. | |
| USEPHYSICALDESTINATION (bool) | Forces the use of the physical APIC. | |
| USELEGACYAPICMODE (bool) | Forces the use of legacy APIC mode even if the processors and chipset support extended APIC mode. | |
| X2APICPOLICY (integer) | Enables the use of extended APIC mode if the processors and chipset support extended APIC mode. Can be Enabled, Disabled or Default. | |
| MAXGROUP (bool) | Maximizes the number of groups created in group configuration. | |
| GROUPAWARE (bool) | Forces drivers to be aware of multiple groups in a multi-group environment. | |
| GROUPSIZE (integer) | Specifies the size of all processor groups. Must be an integer of power of 2. | |
| Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) & KERNEL | HAL (string) | Defines the file name for a private HAL. |
| HALBREAKPOINT (bool) | Enables the special hardware abstraction layer (HAL) breakpoint. | |
| KERNEL (string) | Defines the file name for a private kernel. | |
| USEPLATFORMCLOCK (bool) | Forces the use of a platform clock source for the system’s performance counter. | |
| FORCELEGACYPLATFORM(bool) | Forces the OS to assume the presence of legacy PC devices like CMOS, keyboard controller etc. | |
| VESA, PCI, VGA, and TPM | USEFIRMWAREPCISETTINGS (bool) | Uses BIOS-configured Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) resources. |
| MSI | Can be Default or ForceDisable. | |
| VGA (bool) | Forces the use of the VGA display driver. | |
| TPMBOOTENTROPY | Determines whether entropy is gathered from the trusted platform module (TPM) to help seed the random number generator in the operating system. Can be Default, ForceDisable, or ForceEnable. | |
| Debugging and Performance | DBGTRANSPORT (string) | Defines the file name for a private debugger transport. |
| DEBUG (bool) | Enables kernel debugging. | |
| PERFMEM (integer) | Specifies the size (in megabytes) of the buffer to allocate for performance data logging. | |
| Memory | INCREASEUSERVA (integer) | Increases the amount of virtual address space that the user-mode processes can use, in MBs. |
| NOLOWMEM (bool) | Disables the use of low memory. | |
| NX | Enables, disables, and configures Data Execution Prevention (DEP). DEP is a set of hardware and software technologies designed to prevent harmful code from running in protected memory locations. You can use OptIn, OptOut, AlwaysOn or AlwaysOff. | |
| PAE | Use the PAE data type to enables or disables Physical Address Extension (PAE). When you enable PAE, the system loads the PAE version of the Windows kernel. PAE can be Default, ForceEnable, ForceDisable. | |
| REMOVEMEMORY (integer) | Removes memory, in MBs, from the total available memory that the operating system can use. | |
| Drivers and System Root | DRIVERLOADFAILUREPOLICY | Can be Fatal or UseErrorControl. |
| EMS (bool) | Enables kernel Emergency Management Services. | |
| OSDEVICE (device) | Defines the device that contains the system root. | |
| SYSTEMROOT (string) | Defines the path to the system root. | |
| Hypervisor | HYPERVISORLAUNCHTYPE | Controls the hypervisor launch type. Can be Off or Auto. |
| HYPERVISORDEBUG (bool) | Enables hypervisor debugging. | |
| HYPERVISORDEBUGTYPE | Can be SERIAL, 1394, or NET. | |
| HYPERVISORDEBUGPORT (integer) | Defines the serial port number for the serial debugger. | |
| HYPERVISORBAUDRATE (integer) | Defines the baud rate for the serial debugger. | |
| HYPERVISORCHANNEL (integer) | Defines the channel for the 1394 debugger. | |
| HYPERVISORHOSTIP (integer) | Defines the IPv4 address of the debugger host for the network debugger. | |
| HYPERVISORHOSTPORT (integer) | Defines the UDP port to communicate with on the debugger host for the network debugger. | |
| HYPERVISORBUSPARAMS (string) | Defines the PCI bus, device, and function numbers of the debugging device. For example, 1.5.0 describes the debugging device on bus 1, device 5, function 0. | |
| HYPERVISORUSELARGEVTLB (bool) | Increases virtual Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) size. | |
| HYPERVISORIOMMUPOLICY | Controls the hypervisor Input Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) policy. Can be default, enable or disable. | |
| Virtual Secure Mode | VSMLAUNCHTYPE | Controls the Virtual Secure Mode launch type. Can be Off or Auto. |
BCDEDit RESUME (Resume Loader) Data Types
The RESUME (Resume Loader) data types apply to entries for the resume loader. The table below explains the data types that apply to the Resume Loader.
The first column is the OS Loader section that the data type applies. Then, column 2 lists the data types while column 3 explains them.
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|---|---|---|
| Display | BOOTUX | Defines the graphics experience during resume. Can be Disabled, Basic, or Standard. (Defunct.) |
| | BOOTMENUPOLICY | Defines the type of boot menus the system will use. Can be Legacy or Standard. |
| | ||
| Hibernation file | FILEDEVICE (Device) | Specifies the device containing the hibernation file. |
| | FILEPATH (String) | Specifies the path of the hibernation file. |
| | ||
| Other | ASSOCIATEDOSDEVICE (Device) | Names the OS device associated with the hibernated OS. This is only useful in cases where the hibernation file is not stored on the OS device. |
| CUSTOMSETTINGS (Boolean) | Allows resume loader to use custom settings. | |
| | PAE (Boolean) | Indicates whether the hibernated OS was running with PAE enabled. |
BCDEDit CUSTOMTYPES (Custom) Data Types
A custom data type (CUSTOMTYPES) identifies the data format and meaning of a value that is not represented by a friendly type name built in to BCDedit. Custom types are typically used to extend the functionality of BCD.
A custom type has the following format:
custom:0xXXXXXXXX
The literal string “custom:” followed by an 8-digit hexadecimal number that encodes the format and meaning of the type.
A custom data type appears in the same parameter position as a friendly type name in a /set or /deletevalue command. For example:
BCDEDit /set {<id>} custom:0xXXXXXXXX <value>
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.BCDEdit Command-line Data Type Formats
In the last section, I explained the data types you can use with the /set and /deletevalue BCDEdit commands. Some of the data types has specific data type formats they accept.
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For example, the WINPE Windows OS Loader Data type accepts the bool data format. Additionally, the bool data format accepts 1, ON, YES, TRUE as TRUE.
On the other hand, it also accepts 0, OFF, NO, FALSE as FALSE .
In this section, I’ll explain all the BCDEdit data type formats and the parameters they accept. Before I proceed, here is the command that lists all the data type formats I’ll explain shortly.
BCDEdit /? formats
In the table below, I have listed all the available data type formats, their command options and what they mean.
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BCDEDit bool Data Format
This data format represents a boolean value. The option can be either TRUE or FALSE.
However, you can also specify 1, ON, or YES instead of TRUE. In contrast, you can use 0, OFF, NO to replace FALSE.
As I hinted in this secrtion’s introduction, the WINPE Windows OS Loader Data type accepts the bool data format. In the last section, I explained that the WINPE data type enables the computer to boot to Windows PE.
So, if I want the running Windows to boot to WinPE, I will run the command below.
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However, to stop the current OS booting into WinPE, run the command below.
BCDEDit /Set {current} WINPE FALSE
BCDEDit device Data Format
A device data format can be one of the following types:
BOOT PARTITION=<drive> HD_PARTITION=<drive> FILE=[<parent>]<path> RAMDISK=[<parent>]<path>,<optionsid> <parent>]<path>,<locatecustom> LOCATE[=<locatecustom>]
In the table below, I have explained the options above.
| device Data Formats | Meaning/Notes |
|---|---|
| <drive> | A drive letter with a colon and no trailing backslashes. For example, D: |
| <parent> | This is a required option. You can be specify BOOT, LOCATE, or a drive letter with colon. The square brackets [] do not indicate that this is optional, but are a literal part of the syntax. So, when you specify the <parent> format, you must enclose it in []. |
| <path> | A path to the file (or .wim file) from the root of the parent device. |
| <optionsid> | The identifier to the device options entry that contains the system deployment image (SDI) options for the RAM disk. This is usually {ramdisksdioptions}. |
| <locatecustom> | Supplies an optional element used to locate a device by looking for a specified path. The default locate element for a device is its application path (systemroot for an osdevice). Custom values must be specified using custom element syntax. |
BCDEDit id Data Format
The BCDEDit id data format is an entry identifier. It refers to an entry in the boot configuration data store.
To learn more about the id data format, run the command below.
BCDEDit /? ID
Some of the results of the commands are not shown in the screenshot below.
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BCDEDit integer Data Format
An integer data format a 64-bit integer type. Some integer types can be set using numerated values.
BCDEDit integerlist Data Format
The integerlist data format is a list of one or more 64-bit integers, separated by spaces. This list should not be enclosed in quotation marks.
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BCDEDit list Data Format
A list data format is an entry identifier list. It contains one or more entry identifiers separated by spaces.
The list should not be enclosed in quotation marks.
BCDEDit string Data Format
A literal string, for example a file path. If it contains spaces, it should be surrounded by quotation marks (“”).
BCDEDit Command-line Examples
In this section I have discussed some examples with some applications of some of the topics I discussed in the preceding sections.
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BCDEDit /dbgsettings
Example 2: Delete WinPE from Windows Boot Entry with BCDEdit
The following command deletes the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)
value from the current operating system boot entry:
BCDEdit /deletevalue winpe
The following command deletes the Windows PE value from the specified operating
system boot entry:
BCDEdit /deletevalue {cbd971bf-b7b8-4885-951a-fa03044f5d71} winpe
Example 2: Windows Boot Manager Display Order with BCDEdit
The following command sets two OS entries, and the NTLDR-based OS loader in
the boot manager display order:
BCDEdit /displayorder {802d5e32-0784-11da-bd33-000476eba25f} {cbd971bf-b7b8-4885-951a-fa03044f5d71} {ntldr}
Example 4: Enable Windows Remote Event Logging with BCDEdit
The following command enables remote event logging for the current Windows
operating system boot entry:
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The following command disables remote event logging for the specified operating
system entry:
BCDEdit /event {cbd971bf-b7b8-4885-951a-fa03044f5d71} OFF
Example 5: Use BCDEdit to Enable Emergency Management Services in Windows Operating System
The following command enables Emergency Management Services for the current
operating system boot entry:
BCDEdit /ems ON
Example 6: Use BCDEdit to List Windows Operating System Boot Loader Entries
The following command lists all operating system loader boot entries:
BCDEdit /enum OSLOADER
However, you can list specific boot entries. For example, if you want to display only the boot manager entries, run the command below:
BCDEdit /enum BOOTMGR
Alternatively, you can display only the default boot entry with this command.
BCDEdit /enum {default}
Finally, you can display information about a specific boot entry with the entry’s identifier. When I ran the “/enum OSLOADER” above, it displayed all operating system loader boot entries.
Each entry displays its identifier. You can display information about an entry with its identifier.
For example, to display the information about boot entry information with {0ee98279-2be9-11ec-a4f2-5414f3a8f4c0}, I will run the command below.
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Finally, to display firmware boot entries, use the command below.
BCDEdit /enum firmware
Example 7: Export Windows BCD System Store
The following command exports the BCD system store to the specified file:
BCDEdit /export "C:\Data\BCD Backup"
Example 8: Import Windows BCD System Store
The following command imports the specified file into the system store.
BCDEdit /import "C:\Data\BCD Backup" /clean
Example 9: Check Hypervisorsettings With BCDEdit
The following command displays the current hypervisor settings:
BCDEdit /hypervisorsettings
Example 10: Change Windows Boot Manager Timeout with BCDEdit
The following command sets the boot manager <timeout> to 30 seconds:
bcdedit /timeout 30
Example 11: Enable Safe Boot in Windows 10 and Windows 11 with BCDEdit
You can enable Safe Boot via MsConfig. However, you can enable safeboot in Windows 11 or Windows 10 by running the command below.
BCDEdit /set {current} SAFEBOOT Minimal
Example 12: List All Entries in the BCD Store with BCDEdit
To list all boot entries in the BCD store, run the command below:
BCDEdit /enum ALL /v
Frequently Asked Questions
BCDEdit is a command-line tool you can use to manage Boot Configuration Data (BCD) stores. The BCD store manages boot entries in a Windows computer.
BCDEdit.EXE is a versatile Windows command line tool with many applications. To learn how to run the command, start by running the command that displays its parameters –
BCDEdit /?
Better still, you can read my comprehensive guide above.
The BCDEdit /set command sets an entry option value in the boot configuration data store.
Yes. UEFI-based computer use BCD.
One of the common causes of BCD boot errors is corrupt or missing BCD store.
Conclusion
The BCDEdit command is a complex tool with so many applications. In this guide, I have covered everything you need to know about this versatile Windows command-line tool.
I started with an overview of the command. Then, I discussed its syntax and explained all the options and their arguments.
Not only that, but I also explained the Well-known BCD Store Identifiers, explained BCDEdit data types and the formats. Finally, I shared some examples to help illustrate some applications of this tool.
I hope you found this ultimate guide helpful. If you did, click on “Yes” beside the “Was this page helpful” question below.
You may also express your thoughts and opinions by using the “Leave a Comment” form at the bottom of this page.
Finally, if you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about Windows Command tools, visit our Windows Command Prompt Guides page.
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