No Bootable Devices Found in Windows 11: 7 Fixes That Work

Seeing “No Bootable Devices Found” on startup means your PC’s firmware searched every connected drive and found none it can boot from. The screen freezes right there, before Windows even begins to load. This happens most often after a power cut, a loose cable, or a change to a BIOS setting, and it looks alarming but rarely means your files are gone. The fixes below start with the quickest checks and move toward deeper repairs, so work through them in order.

What Causes “No Bootable Devices Found” Error

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to know what triggers this error on Windows 11 systems.

The boot drive is not set as the first priority in BIOS/UEFI
A loose or faulty SATA or power cable disconnects the drive
A corrupted boot sector or BCD after a bad shutdown or failed update
A failing or physically disconnected storage drive

Fix 1: Check the Boot Order in BIOS

The most common cause of this error is a boot order that no longer points to your Windows drive.

Restart your PC and press the BIOS key during startup. This is usually F2, Del, or F10 depending on your motherboard brand
Go to the Boot tab once inside BIOS
Check the Boot Priority list and confirm your Windows drive appears at the top
If the drive does not appear in the list at all, that points to a hardware issue rather than a settings problem, so move to Fix 2

Fix 2: Reseat the Drive Cables

Loose cables inside a desktop case are a frequent cause of this exact error. If you use a laptop, skip to Fix 3 since the drive is not accessible without disassembly.

Power off the PC and unplug it from the wall
Open the case and locate your boot drive
Disconnect and reconnect both the SATA data cable and the power cable at the drive end
Repeat the same disconnect and reconnect at the motherboard end
Try a spare SATA port if one is available, then restart

Fix 3: Confirm the Drive Is Detected in BIOS

If reseating cables does not help, check whether the firmware sees the drive at all.

Enter BIOS again and open the storage or drive information page, sometimes labeled System Information or Storage Configuration
Look for your boot drive in the list of detected storage devices
If the drive does not show up here even after reseating cables, the drive itself has likely failed or disconnected internally, and it may need replacement

Fix 4: Run CHKDSK for Bad Sectors

Even when the drive is detected in BIOS, bad sectors on the disk can still block Windows from booting. This fix needs a bootable Windows 11 USB installer, so create one on another PC if you have not already.

Boot from the Windows 11 USB installer
Select Repair your computer
Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt
Type the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk C: /r /x

Wait for the scan to finish, since it checks the entire drive for bad sectors and repairs them automatically
Exit the installer, unplug the USB drive, and restart your PC

Fix 5: Mark the Primary Partition Active

If the partition holding Windows is not marked active, the firmware skips it during boot even though the drive itself is healthy.

Boot from the Windows 11 USB installer and open Command Prompt the same way as Fix 4
Type diskpart and press Enter
Type list disk and press Enter to see your drives
Type select disk 0 and press Enter, or the correct disk number for your Windows drive
Type list volume and press Enter to see the partitions
Type select volume X and press Enter, replacing X with the volume number where Windows is installed
Type active and press Enter
Type exit and press Enter
Close the installer, unplug the USB drive, and restart your PC

Fix 6: Rebuild Boot Files From Windows Install Media

When the drive is detected but Windows still will not boot even after Fix 4 and Fix 5, the boot sector or BCD file is likely corrupted. This fix needs a second working PC or laptop to create the installer, plus a spare USB drive of at least 8GB.

Create a bootable Windows 11 USB installer on another PC and boot from it. If no second device is available, most repair shops and cyber cafes can create one for a small fee, or a friend’s PC works as well
Select Repair your computer
Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt
Run the following commands one at a time:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Restart the PC once the commands finish and remove the USB drive

Fix 7: Revert Storage Controller Mode in BIOS

If you recently changed a storage controller setting, Windows may stop recognizing the drive that holds it.

Open BIOS and look for a setting labeled SATA Mode, AHCI, or RAID under the storage or advanced section
Check whether this setting was switched after Windows was installed
If you are unsure what the original mode was, set it to AHCI first, since that is the default on almost all Windows 11 installations unless you deliberately set up RAID
Save changes and restart to see if the drive is recognized again

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my PC suddenly show “No Bootable Devices Found”?

This usually happens after a power outage, a failed Windows update, a loose cable, or a change to a BIOS storage setting. Any of these can prevent the firmware from locating a valid boot drive at startup.

Can I fix this error without a Windows installation USB?

Yes, if the cause is a wrong boot order or a loose cable, Fix 1 and Fix 2 resolve it without any installation media. A USB drive is only needed if the boot sector or BCD file itself is damaged.

How do I know if my hard drive has failed?

Check the storage information page inside BIOS. If the drive does not appear there at all, even after reseating its cables, the drive has likely failed physically and needs replacement.

Will switching AHCI to RAID in BIOS delete my files?

Switching this setting does not delete files directly, but it can make Windows unable to recognize the drive it is installed on, which triggers this exact boot error. Reverting the setting back typically restores access.

Does this error mean I have to reinstall Windows?

Not usually. Most cases trace back to boot order, cable connections, a bad sector, an inactive partition, or a corrupted BCD, and Fix 4 through Fix 6 resolve these without touching your installed programs or personal files. Reinstallation is only necessary if the drive itself has failed.

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