What Is the Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR)?

Windows Boot Manager loads from the volume boot code, which is part of the volume boot record. It helps your Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista operating system start.

Boot Manager—often referenced by its executable name, BOOTMGR—eventually executes winload.exe, the system loader used to continue the Windows boot process.

Where Is Windows Boot Manager Located?

Configuration data required for Boot Manager rests in the Boot Configuration Data store, a registry-like database that replaced the boot.ini file used in older versions of Windows like Windows XP.

The BOOTMGR file itself is both read-only and hidden. It is located in the root directory of the partition marked as Active in Disk Management. On most Windows computers, this partition is labeled as System Reserved and doesn't obtain a drive letter.

If you don't have a System Reserved partition, BOOTMGR is probably located on your primary drive, which is usually C:.

Can You Disable Windows Boot Manager?

You cannot remove the Windows Boot Manager. However, you can reduce the time that it waits for you to answer which operating system you want to start by choosing the default operating system and then lowering the timeout time, basically skipping the Windows Boot Manager altogether.

Use the System Configuration (msconfig.exe) tool to modify the default behavior.

1. Open Administrative Tools, which is accessible through the System and Security link in Control Panel.

   If you don't see the System and Security link on the first page of Control Panel, select Administrative Tools instead.

2. Open System Configuration.

   Another option for opening System Configuration is to use its command line command. Open the Run dialog box (WIN+R) or Command Prompt and then enter the msconfig.exe command.

3. Select the Boot tab on the System Configuration window that opens.

4. Choose the operating system you want to always boot to.

   Remember that you can always change this again later if you decide to boot to a different one.

5. Adjust the Timeout time to the lowest possible time, in seconds, which is probably 3.

6. Choose OK or Apply to save the changes.

   A System Configuration screen might pop up after saving these changes, to inform you that you might need to restart your computer. It's safe to choose Exit without restart—you'll see the effect of making this change the next time you restart.

7. Boot manager should appear to be disabled.

Additional Information About Boot Manager

A common startup error in Windows is the BOOTMGR Is Missing error.

BOOTMGR, together with winload.exe, replaces the functions performed by NTLDR in older versions of Windows, like Windows XP. Also new is the Windows resume loader, winresume.exe.

When at least one Windows operating system is installed and selected in a multi-boot scenario, the Windows Boot Manager is loaded and reads and applies the specific parameters that apply to the operating system installed to that particular partition.

If the Legacy option is chosen, the Windows Boot Manager starts NTLDR and continues through the process like it would when booting any version of Windows that uses NTLDR, like Windows XP. If there's more than one installation of Windows that's pre-Vista, another boot menu is given (one that's generated from the contents of the boot.ini file) so that you can select one of those operating systems.

The Boot Configuration Data store is more secure than the boot options found in previous versions of Windows because it lets users in the Administrators group lock down the BCD store and give out certain rights to other users to determine which ones can manage boot options.

As long as you're in the Administrators group, you can edit the boot options in Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows using the BCDEdit.exe tool included in those versions of Windows. If you're using an older version of Windows, the Bootcfg and NvrBoot tools are used instead.