What Is an EFI File? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > File Types 109 109 people found this article helpful

What Is an EFI File?

EFI files are UEFI boot loaders, and here's how they work

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 16, 2022 Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email File Types File Types Apps Windows MS Office Linux Google Drive Backup & Utilities Design Cryptocurrency

What to Know

An EFI file is an Extensible Firmware Interface file.Open one with EFI Developer Kit. This article explains what an EFI file is used for and how to open one if you need to.

What Is an EFI File

A file with the EFI file extension is an Extensible Firmware Interface file. They are boot loader executables, exist on UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) based computer systems, and contain data on how the boot process should proceed. Alfred Pasieka / Getty Images EFI files can be opened with EFI Developer Kit, but frankly, unless you're a hardware developer, there's little use in "opening" one.

Where Is the EFI File in Windows

On a system with an installed operating system, the boot manager that exists as part of the motherboard UEFI firmware will have an EFI file location stored in the BootOrder variable. This might actually be another boot manager if you have an installed multi-boot tool, but is usually just the EFI boot loader for your operating system. Most of the time, this file is stored on a special EFI system partition. This partition is typically hidden and doesn't have a drive letter. On a UEFI system with Windows 10 installed, for example, the EFI file will be located at one of the following locations, on that hidden partition:
\EFI\boot\bootx64.efi \EFI\boot\bootia32.efi You'll see the bootx64.efi file if you have a 64-bit version of Windows installed or the bootia32.efi file if you're using a 32-bit version. See 64-bit & 32-bit: What's the Difference? for more on this if you're not sure. On some Windows computers, the winload.efi file acts as the boot loader and is usually stored within the System32 folder:
C:\Windows\System32\Boot\winload.efi If your system drive is something other than C or Windows is installed to a folder other than Windows, then the exact path on your computer will differ respectively, of course. On a system without an installed operating system, with a blank BootOrder variable, the motherboard's boot manager looks in predefined places for an EFI file, like on discs in optical drives and on other connected media. This occurs because, if that field is empty, you don't have a working OS installed and so you're likely going to install one next. For example, on a Windows 10 installation DVD or ISO image, the following two files exist, which your computer's UEFI boot manager will quickly locate:
D:\efi\boot\bootx64.efi D:\efi\boot\bootia32.efi Like with the Windows installation drive and path from above, the drive here will be different depending on the media source. In this case, D is the letter assigned to my optical drive. Additionally, as you may have noticed, both 64-bit and 32-bit EFI boot loaders are included on the installation media. This is because the install disc contains both architecture types as installation options.

Where Is the File in Other Operating Systems

Here are some of the default EFI file locations for some non-Windows operating systems: macOS uses this file as its boot loader, but not in all situations: \System\Library\CoreServices\boot.efi The EFI boot loader for Linux will differ depending on the distribution you have installed, but here are a few: \EFI\SuSE\elilo.efi \EFI\RedHat\elilo.efi \EFI\ubuntu\elilo.efi You get the idea.

Still Can' t Open or Use the File

Take note that there are some file types that are spelled very much like ".EFI" that you might actually have and can, therefore, open with a regular software program. This is most likely the case if you've simply misread the file extension. For example, you might really have an EFX eFax Fax Document file that has nothing to do with Extensible Firmware Interface files and is instead a document that opens with a fax service. Or maybe your file uses the .EFL file extension and is an External Format Language file or an Encryptafile Encrypted file. If you're sure that you can open the file you have, then it's most likely not in the same format that's described on this page. Instead, double-check the file extension for your file and research the program that can open it or convert it to a new format. You might even try uploading it to a file converter service like Zamzar to see if it will recognize the file type and suggest a conversion format. FAQ What is file: \efi\microsoft\boot\bcd? This file is the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file for your Windows operating system. If you see an error message associated with it that prevents you from booting your PC, you likely need to rebuild the BCD file. On Windows 11/10, access Advanced Startup Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options and run the bootrec command. What is the file system format needed for /boot/efi? The EFI system partition should be in FAT32 File Allocation Table (FAT) file system format. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Error Code 0xc00000e9: What It Means and How to Fix It How to Install Windows 8 or 8.1 From USB 000 File (What It Is & How to Open One) What Is a Registry Value? ACCDE File (What It Is and How to Open One) AHK File (What It Is and How to Open One) Install Windows 8/8.1 From USB [Full Walkthrough] M4V File (What It Is and How to Open One) HWiNFO v7.30 Review (A Free System Information Program) ALP File (What It Is and How to Open One) MSI File (What It Is & How to Open One) Master Boot Record Definition (MBR, Sector Zero) What Is a CSI File? Belarc Advisor v11.5 Review (A Free System Info Tool) XAR File (What It Is and How to Open One) ESD File (What It Is & How to Open One) Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies