How to Fix winload.efi error windows 11/10

The Winload.efi file is an EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) file, as its name suggests. The executable EFI files work with computer systems that are based on UEFI and load the files to the computer’s bootloader. They have important information about how the operating system should start up. Because of this, Winload.efi files are very important for an OS to boot properly. Windows 11 has just as many random errors and problems starting up as any other operating system.

Which is why it’s not too much of a shock that Winload.efi is missing or has errors. The error is a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error that doesn’t happen very often. It stops your computer from starting up correctly or makes it crash randomly while you’re using it. Winload.efi is an EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) file that is mostly based on UEFI and loads files to the computer’s bootloader. These files are used for a certain set of tasks, such as turning on the computer, restarting it, installing Windows, resetting the desktop computer, etc.

Because of this, the error almost always happens when the system starts up or restarts. Even though reinstalling the system is usually the best way to fix this error message, there are some other things you can try that might help you avoid doing that. We suggest going through them in the order they appear on the list, which goes from easiest to hardest. We mentioned below are the ways Fix winload.efi error windows 11/10.

Ways to Fix winload.efi error windows 11/10

Fix Corrupted System Files

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media
2. Click on Repair Computer
3. Select Troubleshooting, then Command Prompt.
4. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter

Use Automatic Startup Repair

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media.
2. Click on Repair Computer.
3. Click Troubleshooting, then Advanced Options, then Startup Repair.
4. Follow the instructions in the Recovery Wizard

Rebuild the BCD and Master Boot Record

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media
2. Click on Repair Computer
3. Troubleshooting, then Command Prompt.
4. Execute the following commands one at a time, holding down the Enter key.
   1. bootrec /FixMbr
   2. bootrec /FixBoot
   3. bootrec /ScanOs
   4. bootrec /RebuildBcd
5. Exit the command prompt with “exit“.
6. Restart your computer

Enable CSM Compatibility and Disable Secure Boot

1. Reboot the computer and always press F2, F8, Del (keys may vary depending on PC manufacturer) to enter the UEFI Settings menu.
2. Enable CSM boot compatibility mode in the UEFI settings (called legacy boot in some versions of the UEFI firmware)
3. Then locate and disable Secure Boot Mode (usually found in the Security, Authentication, and Boot section)
4. Change Secure Boot Mode to Disabled or Off.

Repair BCD and Winload.efi File

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media
2. Click on Repair Computer
3. Select [Troubleshooting], then [Command Prompt].
4. Run the diskpart command
5. Type list volume to list disk partitions.
6. Look for partitions labeled ESP or EFI with a size of 100 MB (the file system must always be FAT32.) If you accidentally deleted the EFI partition, you can restore it by following these steps:
   1. Select this partition: select volume 2
   2. Assign a drive letter to the partition: assign letter=Z
   3. Exit the diskpart: exit
7. bcdboot c:Windows /s Z: /f ALL (replace c: with the drive letter where Windows is installed). If it is working correctly, you will see the following message: Boot files successfully created;
8. Reboot the device to see if the boot problem has been resolved.

Check Disk

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media
2. Click on Repair Computer
3. Troubleshooting, then Command Prompt.
4. Type chkdsk c. Type /f and press Enter

Disable Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection

1. Boot from the Windows 10 installation media.
2. Click on Fix Your Computer.
3. Click Troubleshooting, then Advanced Options, then Startup Settings.
4. Restart the computer
5. Press the F8 key to select an item 8) Disable the early startup anti-malware feature

What is the Winload.efi file?

Winload.efi is an EFI file, which stands for “Extensible Firmware Interface.” These files are executable files for the firmware of computers that are mostly based on UEFI. They do the work of loading files to the bootloader of the computer. These files are used for specific things, like turning on the computer, restarting it, installing Windows, resetting it, and so on. So, Winload.efi is a very important file. If this file is lost, corrupted, or damaged, the Windows operating system will not be able to move forward. Some of the error statements that this file gives out when goes missing or damaged are:

1. winload.efi is missing
2. winload.efi cannot be found
3. winload.efi is missing or contains errors
4. This program can’t start because winload.efi is missing from your computer
5. This application requires the file winload.efi, which was not found on this system.
6. There was a problem starting [path]winload.efi. The specified module could not be found.

What causes the Windows 11 Winload error?

Bad hard drive: The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a firmware interface that lets the operating system and the hardware talk to each other. It’s in charge of things like finding your hardware and setting it up when you first turn on your computer. If you think your hard drive might be failing, you can run tests to prove or disprove your fears.

Unsuccessful updates: Most of the time, the Winload error happens because a recent update to Windows didn’t work. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as a driver or system file not being installed correctly during the update process.

Unexpected shutdown: The most common reason for this problem is that the computer shut down by itself. This can happen because of a sudden power surge or failure, or even a simple BSOD.

Damaged BCD: The BCD stores information about your computer’s partitions and hardware. If this database gets damaged, Windows won’t be able to load correctly.

Final Words

One of the most common Windows 10 boot errors is that Winload.efi is missing or broken. This Winload.efi missing error happens after cloning to HDD SSD, after sysprep, or even after a Windows update. FYI, Windows.efi is the file that tells UEFI systems how to start up correctly. EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) systems have the Windows.exe boot loader file, and UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) systems have Windows.efi.

The error will stop your Windows PC from starting up or keep it on the blue screen. If you want to find ways to fix this problem, you’ve come to the right place. We hope our article on “How to Fix winload.efi error windows 11/10” will surely help you to do so. You can also go to the official Microsoft support site for more information about this error.