Share this article
Improve this guide
Windows 11 Boot Repair Tool: 10 Best Native and Third-Party Options
21 min. read
Updated onJuly 25, 2024
updated onJuly 25, 2024
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
The best Windows 11 boot repair tool can easily resolve start-up issues.
If you can’t enter your PC’s Desktop environment or if it loads the Startup Repair screen, there’s a problem with its boot record. Often, after a blue screen of death or other PC breakdowns, the Windows logo keeps appearing but it won’t start up. You’ll need a boot repair tool for situations like this.
Fortunately, I’ve tested more than 20 options, including both Windows 11 native and third-party tools.
Finally, I singled out the following 10 utilities for their reliability. I’ve also outlined their features, functionalities, and pricing so you can choose the one that suits you the best.
Ready?
10 Best Windows 11 Boot Repair Tools
Let’s start with the native Windows 11 OS tools you can access for free. Also, Windows will often prompt you to use these options first.
EaseUS Partition Master– Best Tool for All-in-One Drive Management
EaseUS Partition Master isone of the most popular tools to manage HDDs, SSDs, and NVMe SSDs. It enables you to get out of a Windows boot record error issue swiftly without running a single line of code. Also, if you can’t access the Desktop, you can still use its special features to migrate your Windows installation drive to another PC.
Firstly, if your PC is working fine or there are very few instances of startup issues, you should install the tool right now. Then, you can use it to create a clone of the existing Windows installation drive using theClone OS Diskoption.
You can use this backup later to migrate your whole Windows 11 installation to a new PC and keep all files, documents, software, etc.
Secondly, if you’re ready to migrate the Windows OS right now but you’re expecting that the PC might break down anytime, you can use theMigrate OStool. Both theClone OS DiskandMigrate OSoptions guide you through the whole process step-by-step.
EaseUS alsooffers a no-code approach to disk type conversion.You can access theDisk Converterfeature to fix any of the following root causes behind startup issues:
Furthermore, itsBootable Mediamodule allows you to set up the WinPE environment and fix startup issues with guidance from EaseUS. The software will also run synchronously with WinPE to guide you through the troubleshooting.
For this scenario, you can first create aWinPE-enabled bootable diskusing theCreate bootable mediaoption. Then, use theEnable Partition Master PreOSfeature to letWinPE run before Windows startupfor fixing purposes.
Thirdly, you’ll find theBoot Repairtool in theToolkitsection ofEaseUS Partition Master. This module lets you select a boot partition that requires troubleshooting.
Upon restarting, EaseUS attempts to fix the boot record file of the selected partition.
Other useful features include:
Pricing:Monthly subscription starts at $19.95 for one month. You can use the activation key on up to two PCs.
Get EaseUS Partition Master
4DDiG Windows Boot Genius– Best for Premium Auto Repair
4DDiG Windows Boot Geniusoffers a sleek graphical user interface for boot repair in a Windows 11 startup repair environment. It lets youcreate a recovery disk in a few minuteson your primary or secondary PC. Then, you can use therecovery USB stickto boot in the problematic PC.
TheWindows Rescuedialog shows up on the startup repair screen. You can choose from various automatic and manual methods to fix the booting issues. If you’re a beginner-level user,go with the Automated repair option.
The tool will automatically find and mount the problematic Windows 11 installation partition on the PC. It’ll usually rewrite the Bootcode on the boot partition and restart the PC to test if the existing Windows installation will load.
Other handy features include:
Pricing:You can get alicense for one PCfor$18.95/ month. If you need a license key to service multiple PCs, you must go for the1-Year License plan.
Get 4DDiG Windows Boot Genius
Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) – Best for DIY Troubleshooting
WinRE is the primary tool to fix various Windows 11 loading issues including boot-up errors. If your PC intermittently encounters startup issues, you can use this option from your Desktop. Simplypress the Shift key and restart the deviceto force Windows to boot into WinRE.
If you’ve already created a backup drive in an external HDD, SSD, or USB stick, theUse a devicedialog can start the recovery process straight away. You can also use cloned copies of your Windows 11 installation directory. Other system recovery options includeWindows Recovery DVDsandnetwork directories.
However, if you didn’t create a recovery or clone disk of your Windows 11 installation, you can go to the Troubleshoot menu.
Here, you get the following additional options to fix Windows boot problems:
All things considered,DaRTis your best bet to fix a range of boot issues. For example, you can run theSolution WizardfromDaRTand choose theSystem will not start correctlyoption for automatic detection of startup issues and attempt a permanent fix.
Sometimes, the boot issue you’re facing happens due to the corrupted header of theGuid Partition Table (GPT). In this case, you can use theDisk Commandertool of DaRT and chooseRestore the header of the GPT.
Bootrec.exe – Best for Severe Boot Record Issues
If you know how to operate theWindows Command Prompttool and are okay with executing a few simple commands, you can try this option. However, you should execute the Startup Repair feature first. If this troubleshooter doesn’t generate any results, you can move on to Bootrec.exe.
TheCommand Promptcard is inChoose an option>Troubleshoot>Advanced options. Once you open the terminal, you can either run thebootrec.execommand and then execute subsequent commands with just a forward slash.
For example, if you’ve already run thebootrec.exeprogram, you can enter/fixmbrto rewrite theMBR codeinto the boot partition. Alternatively, you can execute the commands in this formatbootrec /fixmbrtoo.
If you’ve chosen to useBootrec.exeto fix Windows 11 startup issues,type in bootrecand then the following commands in the order:
Finally, you can reboot the PC from WinRE to startup. If you’ve executed the above-mentioned commands as instructed, you should be able to fix the Windows 11 boot-up issue.
Reset this PC – Best for Quick Fixes Right From Your Desktop
Reset this PCshould be your go-to option to fix Windows 11 boot problemsif you can enter the Desktop. You should be able to locate this feature in the System menu of the Windows 11 Settings app. Once you’re on the System screen, find the recovery option from the right-side menu to access Reset this PC.
Here, you get the following two options to proceed:
Automatic Repair – Best for Random Boot Issues
If your Windows 11 PC restarts itself and can’t go past the loading screen, the Automatic Repair tool will activate. Sometimes,it takes up to three abrupt restartsor loading errors for this mode to load.
On the dialog box, the system will ask you to either Restart or move to troubleshoot in the Advanced options dialog box.
If you think that the previous loading errors were temporary, you canhit the Restart buttonto apply basic troubleshooting. If your PC doesn’t enter the lock screen, the next timechoose Advanced options.
TheAdvanced optionsfeatures are the same as the WinRE tool, as explained earlier in this article.
Windows Installation Media – Best for Fixing Boot Issues From the Root
You can boot your PC from a Windows 11 installation media to repair the existing setup. Windows bootable media comes in two forms. You caneither use a bootable DVD or transform a USB stick into a bootable drive using Rufus. The latter option is much faster, though.
You can simply execute the Windows 11 setup file from the DVD or USB stick. Most of the setup process will happen on the Desktop. Moreover, you can choose whether you want to keep old files or perform a fresh installation by formatting the existing OS partition.
Once the bootable media has downloaded the necessary updates, your PC will restart and install the rest of the OS files.
Youmight need to enter an activation codeif you didn’t get the previous Windows 11 copy with the PC or have bought it digitally.
This process is much fasterthan the rest of the built-in Windows 11 boot repair techniques. However, you’ll lose the previous apps installed on the old installation partition.
So far, you’ve learned about the built-in utilities you can try out. You might have noticed that the above toolsrequire considerable manual effort. If you’re a beginner or a nontechie and you’re okay with using a freeware or paid third-party Windows 11 boot repair tool, check out these options:
Rufus– Best Free Bootable Media Solution
For this to work, you’ll need a bootable USB drive with the same edition of Windows 11 that’s installed on your PC. Rufus is thebest freeware choice to create a bootable USB storage devicefrom theWindows 11 ISO file.
This bootable media creation program is completely transparent. You canaccess its publicly available source codeto explore if there’s any spyware or malware that might harm you.
All you need to do is download and run Rufus on your PC. There’s no need to install it. Also, there’s aportable version. You can use it on PCs with limited user account rights or you want to run it from a USB drive instead.
Besides creating a bootable media, you can use Rufus for the following purposes:
Moreover, it offers a simple user interface. Itautomatically detects a compatible USB storage deviceconnected to the PC. It also clearly indicates from where you can browse and select the Windows 11 ISO file for removable media creation.
Pricing:It’sfree for personal and commercial use.Its source code is also open. You can modify the source code to develop your own program.
Get Rufus
Easy Recovery Essentials– Best for One-Click Repairs
Easy Recovery Essentialsfor Windows is a software suite designed to get your PC back up and running when stuck in startup and boot issues. It’s packed with multiple PC troubleshooting features on the startup screen. Youdon’t need to access the Desktop or home screento run troubleshooting scenarios.
The most useful feature is theAutomated Repairfunction. It can automatically scan the entire system and find active or inactive Windows installations. Once you select the target Windows installation, it fixes file system corruptions, fixes the bootloader, recreates MBR, removes viruses and malware from boot files, and more.
You can also use this tool to perform a Windows 11 System Restore without accessing the home screen. You’ll find theSystem Restoretool in the Automated Repair dialog. It shows you all the available restore points.
You can choose one from the list to revert your system to one of the last known good configurations before the onset of boot issues.
However, sometimes you can’t resolve Windows 11 startup issues without a new OS installation. If you do that, you also lose all content on the Windows installation drive. For such scenarios, Easy Recovery offers theBrowse/ Backup Filesfunctionality.
You can use this module tovisually copy and paste content from the C: driveto another partition of the HDD/SSD or a different device.
Pricing:Starts from$19.99for theHome package for Windows 11 PCs. There are different pricing slabs for different Windows OSs. For Windows Server OS, you must buy the server-enabled version separately.
Get Easy Recovery Essentials
Lazesoft Recovery Suite– Best for All-in-One Windows Repairs
You can use Lazesoft Recovery Suite to perform various recovery activities on a Windows 11 PC that won’t boot up to the Desktop. Here are some of the most useful modules:
Besides the above-mentioned features,Windows Recoveryis one of the major attractions. It offers youmore than five startup recovery options. The module also works on theWindows startup screento help you fix boot-up issues.
Firstly, you’ll need theBurn CD/ USB Disktool to create theLazesoft Windows Recovery disk.
When you restart the malfunctioning PC, access the Boot order section in the UEFI BIOS and choose the Lazesoft disk.
The PC will boot into theLazesoft Windows Recoveryinterface.
Here, you can choose any of the following depending on the severity of the issue:
Pricing:You can buy alifetime license for $17.95for the Lazesoft Windows Recovery Professional Edition. If you want all the features, go for the$27.95 package.
Get Lazesoft Recovery Suite
How I Chose the Best Windows 11 Boot Repair Tools
Find below the methodology I’ve devised to select the most reliable boot repair tools for Windows 11:
I’ve explored all boot repair tools that are directly available on your Windows 11 OS. Moreover, I prioritized those that nontechies can use without any previous experience. I’ve also chosen a mix of built-in options that run from the Windows 11 Desktop and on the startup repair screen.
I emphasized non-destructive resolutions where you can keep existing device data, drives, and partitions, and still repair the boot issue. However, you can only fix some startup issues with a fresh Windows 11 installation.
Most of the tools described above are fairly easy to understand and operate. Also, I’ve only chosen options that offer visual instructions, automated boot fix wizards, etc.
I prioritized solutions that offer an intuitive graphical user interface to interact with the tool without writing any code or executing commands. However, for power users, I’ve included one command line-based tool as well.
I’ve tested 20+ tools to repair Windows 11 boot problems. Then, I’ve only listed those that offered the best success rates.
I’ve only listed third-party apps that value user privacy and security. I ensured they don’t inject malicious codes into the Windows 11 OS to steal your data, show in-app advertisements, or displayWindows 11 ads.
I’ve excluded non-Microsoft boot repair tools that aim to siphon off money from its users for things that even default utilities can achieve.
I’ve gone through many user reviews for all the test tools to understand user feedback. Then, I’ve excluded options that didn’t address user complaints.
All the tools and techniques mentioned above offer extensive tutorial and documentation resources. You can use those to learn more about Windows boot recovery functionalities.
I’ve also ensured that all the third-party apps offer professional and accessible customer support.
Furthermore, all the non-Microsoft tools are regularly updated.
The third-party apps I’ve listed offer additional solutions apart from Windows boot recovery. For example, you can recover the Windows installation key, extract data from the Windows 11 installation partition, etc.
Conclusion
So, now you’re much closer to finding the ideal Windows 11 boot repair tool.
And not just Windows 11! You can also use these options when yourWindows 10 PC won’t boot.
Did you try any of the above tools and experience any positive results? Do you know of a better option that’s suitable for everyone? Write your replies and share your thoughts in the comment box below.
More about the topics:boot errors,Windows 11
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.
