How to Boot an ASUS Laptop from USB: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

So, you’ve got an ASUS laptop and need to boot from a USB drive. Maybe you’re installing a fresh copy of Windows, trying to run a Linux live session, or troubleshooting your system. Whatever the reason, booting from a USB can seem tricky—especially if you’re not familiar with BIOS, UEFI, or boot menus. Don’t worry! I’m going to walk you through the entire process step-by-step.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to access BIOS/UEFI, create a bootable USB, adjust your laptop’s settings, and finally boot from your USB drive. Plus, I’ll share tips to avoid common headaches like missing the right key press or the USB not showing up as a boot option.

Let’s get started!

What Does Booting from USB Mean?

Before jumping in, here’s a quick primer. Booting from USB means telling your laptop to load its startup system (like Windows, Linux, or recovery tools) from a USB flash drive instead of the internal hard drive. This is super useful for reinstalling your OS or running diagnostic tools.

Step 1: How to Access BIOS or UEFI on an ASUS Laptop

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is where your laptop’s low-level settings live. To boot from USB, you usually need to enter BIOS/UEFI first.

Which Key to Press?

For ASUS laptops:

• Press the F2 key repeatedly right after powering on the laptop.
• Sometimes, the Del (Delete) key works too, but F2 is most common.
• If F2 doesn’t work, try pressing Esc during boot to see if it shows a boot menu.

You’ll want to hit the key immediately after turning on the laptop. If you wait too long and Windows starts loading, you’ll have to try again.

What If It’s Too Fast to Enter BIOS?

Many ASUS laptops have a “fast boot” feature that skips some startup steps to speed things up. This can make it hard to catch that split second to press F2.

Here’s what you can do:

• Completely shut down your laptop, don’t just restart it.
• Press and hold the power button until the laptop turns off.
• As soon as you power it back on, hit F2 repeatedly, like once every half second.
• You can also try plugging in a USB keyboard if you’re on a model with a touchscreen or no physical keyboard during boot—sometimes the built-in keyboard isn’t recognized immediately.

If this still doesn’t work, you can force Windows to restart into BIOS:

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
2. Under Advanced Startup, click Restart Now.
3. When the blue screen appears, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings.

This will reboot the laptop straight into the BIOS/UEFI screen.

Step 2: What Key Do I Press to Boot from USB on ASUS Laptops?

Besides entering BIOS, some ASUS models let you choose the boot device without going into BIOS via a boot menu key.

• On most ASUS laptops, press the Esc key right after powering on to access the boot menu.
• This menu lets you pick the device to boot from, including your USB drive.

Tip: Press Esc right after powering on the laptop, just like with F2 for BIOS. You might have to press it a couple of times.

If your model skips this menu or it doesn’t detect the USB, you’ll need to set the USB as the primary boot device inside BIOS.

Step 3: How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for an ASUS Laptop

Before your laptop can boot from USB, the USB drive itself needs to be prepared properly.

What You’ll Need:

• A USB flash drive with at least 8 GB capacity (some operating systems need more).
• An ISO file of the operating system or tool you want to boot (like Windows 10 ISO or Ubuntu ISO).
• A tool to create the bootable USB, like Rufus, which is free and easy to use.

Creating the Bootable USB with Rufus (Windows):

1. Download and open Rufus from its official site.
2. Plug your USB drive into your PC.
3. In Rufus, select your USB drive under “Device”.
4. Click “SELECT” and choose your ISO file.
5. Under “Partition Scheme,” pick:
6. GPT for newer ASUS laptops with UEFI (most modern ASUS models).
7. MBR for older ASUS laptops with legacy BIOS.
8. Make sure the file system is FAT32 (default for UEFI boot).
9. Click Start. Rufus will format your USB and copy over the files.
10. When done, safely eject the USB.

Note: If your ISO is larger than 4GB (like Windows 10 install media), Rufus will prompt you to split files to FAT32, which is fine.

Step 4: What BIOS Settings Need to Be Changed to Enable USB Boot?

Now comes the part where you tell your ASUS laptop to check the USB as a boot device.

Disable Fast Boot

Fast Boot speeds up your computer’s start process but can skip USB initialization, making your USB drive unrecognized.

• Enter BIOS (F2).
• Look for an option called Fast Boot or Boot Booster.
• Disable it.
• Save and Exit.

Enable CSM (Compatibility Support Module) or Legacy Boot (If Needed)

Many ASUS laptops run UEFI by default, which only boots USBs formatted for UEFI. If your USB isn’t detected, enabling legacy boot can help.

• Inside BIOS, find Boot tab.
• Look for CSM Support or Legacy Boot.
• Enable it if your USB isn’t showing up.
• Sometimes you’ll have to enable legacy boot to recognize older USBs.

Change Boot Priority Order

• In BIOS, go to Boot options.
• Find Boot Priority or Boot Option #1/2.
• Select your USB device as the first boot option.
• Save changes and exit BIOS.

Disable Secure Boot (If Necessary)

Secure Boot is a security feature that only lets approved software boot.

• If your USB still doesn’t boot, go to Security tab in BIOS.
• Find Secure Boot.
• Set it to Disabled.
• Save and exit.

Note: Disabling Secure Boot might be needed to boot Linux or custom tools.

Step 5: Boot Your ASUS Laptop from USB

Alright, everything’s set. Here’s how to actually boot from your USB:

1. Insert your bootable USB drive.
2. Turn off your laptop completely.
3. Turn it back on and immediately press Esc repeatedly to open boot menu.
4. Select your USB drive from the list.
5. Press Enter.
6. Your laptop should start booting the USB OS or tool.

If it doesn’t, double-check your steps: BIOS settings, USB format, and try a different USB port.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

FAQs for Booting ASUS Laptop from USB

Q: Can I use any USB drive to boot?
A: Not all USB drives are created equal. A fast, reliable USB 3.0 drive is best. Cheap or corrupted drives can cause boot failures.

Q: What if my ASUS laptop has no USB ports?
A: Some ultrabooks use USB-C only. Make sure your USB boot device is USB-C compatible or use an adapter.

Q: Why does my USB not show up in BIOS?
A: Either the USB isn’t bootable, or Secure Boot/Fast Boot is preventing detection. Recreate the USB, disable Secure Boot, and turn off Fast Boot.

Q: Can I boot from USB to run diagnostics?
A: Absolutely! Many tools like MemTest86 or antivirus rescue disks are designed for USB boot.

Final Thoughts

Booting an ASUS laptop from USB may feel like decoding an ancient puzzle when you’re not used to BIOS or boot menus. But it’s honestly pretty straightforward once you know the keys to press and the settings to tweak.

To recap:

• Hit F2 to enter BIOS, or Esc for the boot menu.
• Create a proper bootable USB with Rufus.
• Disable Fast Boot and Secure Boot if your USB isn’t detected.
• Set your USB as the first boot device.
• Boot from USB and get your work done!

If you ever feel stuck, remember you’re not alone. ASUS laptops have quirks, but with patience and the right steps, you’ll get through it.

Good luck! And don’t hesitate to ask if you need more help.

References

[1] According to ASUS official support, F2 and Esc keys are used for BIOS and boot menu access respectively: https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1010186/
[2] Rufus official site: https://rufus.ie/
[3] Microsoft Windows support on UEFI firmware settings: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-uefi-firmware-settings-in-windows-10-88442e7f-0a78-39d6-3fbe-9a4775a288af
[4] Ubuntu community on UEFI boot: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
[5] Tech forums consensus on Secure Boot and USB boot issues: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/95106-enable-disable-secure-boot-windows-10-a.html