Bcdedit.exe can’t open boot configuration data, can’t find the specified file — how to fix it?

When editing boot parameters of Windows 11, Windows 10 or other system versions at the command line using bcdedit.exe you might encounter an error: "Failed to open boot configuration data. Cannot find specified file", as a result no settings can be set.

This tutorial details how to fix it for Windows systems with UEFI or Legacy boot and how to edit BCD boot configuration using bcdedit.exe in case you encounter the error in question.

Specifying BCD boot configuration data when using bcdedit.exe

Error "Failed to open boot configuration data. Cannot find specified file" occurs when bcdedit.exe cannot automatically determine where the BCD boot configuration data is stored, usually in Windows 11 or Windows 10 the problem occurs after using some third-party programs that modify the boot parameters, such as adding themselves to the menu.

For Legacy systems installed on an MBR disk:

1. The boot configuration file is located in C:\Boot\BCD
2. To change the boot configuration settings, you will need to use the following command option:

   bcdedit /store C:\Boot\BCD команда_изменения_параметров

3. It may also make sense to specify which boot record it applies to, usually the default system. An example command for this case looks like this:

   bcdedit /store C:\Boot\BCD /set {default} safeboot minimal

In the case of UEFI-based systems, the boot configuration is located on a hidden FAT32 partition at EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD and you must assign a drive letter to this partition beforehand in order to specify this path when running commands. The complete path will consist of the following steps:

1. Run as administrator, at the command prompt, and type the following commands

   diskpart
   list volume

2. From the volume list, check the FAT32 volume number of the EFI boot loader. Next — N.
3. Use the commands (you can change the X to another drive letter):

   select volume N
   assign letter=X
   exit

   

4. Now I have a drive letter (X in my case) for the partition with the loader. And we can run bcdedit commands as follows:

   bcdedit /store X:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD команда_изменения_параметров

5. As in the previous case, it may make sense to specify a specific boot item to which you want to apply the settings, usually {default}. Final command example:

   bcdedit /store X:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /set {default} loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS

   

After making the necessary changes you can hide the bootloader partition again. Use steps 1-3, replacing the penultimate command with remove letter=X