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rEFInd
What it is
rEFInd is a boot manager forked from rEFIt that scans for startup loaders and lets users select an operating system or utility. It is designed for EFI-based computers and works with EFI 1.1 and UEFI 2.x; it is not useful on older BIOS-based computers. It can find EFI loaders, legacy BIOS or CSM loaders, and boot choices saved in firmware NVRAM. For Linux, it can identify kernels with EFI stub support, find initrd files, and read options from refind_linux.conf. Users can choose text or graphical operation and configure resolution, backgrounds, icons, and fonts. rEFInd can work with Shim to authenticate boot loaders using supported Secure Boot keys. Included filesystem drivers cover ext2/3, ext4, Btrfs, ReiserFS, HFS+, and ISO-9660; the NTFS driver is not compiled by default. Packages include ZIP, RPM, Debian, CD-R, and USB images, alongside other forms. Installation automation is available for Linux and OS X, with manual procedures for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It is free under GPL version 3, though its maker describes it as beta-quality and says architecture testing varies.
For and against
For
- Scans EFI, legacy BIOS/CSM, and NVRAM boot options
- Supports Linux EFI-stub kernels and initrd files
- Offers configurable text and graphical menus
- Free under GPL version 3
Against
- Does not apply to older BIOS-based computers
- NTFS driver is not compiled by default
- Maker describes it as beta-quality software
- Architecture testing varies; ARM64 is least tested
The verdict
rEFInd offers boot discovery, Linux kernel handling, and menu customization for EFI-based systems. Its beta-quality designation and uneven architecture testing are important considerations.
Who it suits
rEFInd suits users who need to choose among operating systems or utilities at startup on an EFI-based computer. It may also suit Linux users who want kernel and initrd detection or a configurable boot menu.
Plans and prices
rEFInd
GPL-3.0 software · EFI/UEFI systems
Read 15 Oct 2026 · rodsbooks.com
On the record
- API or SDK
- The project documents no public web API or SDK; extensibility is through EFI binaries, drivers, scripts and configuration files.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Architectures
- Binaries are available for x86, x86-64, and ARM64; the author says x86-64 is best tested and ARM64 is least tested.rodsbooks.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Architecture support
- Binaries exist for IA32/x86, x86-64 and ARM64, with x86-64 described as the best-tested build and ARM64 as the least tested.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Automatic detection
- It scans EFI loaders, legacy loaders and firmware boot entries without requiring every entry to be listed in a configuration file.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Boot detection
- It scans for EFI loaders, BIOS/CSM/legacy loaders, and EFI boot options stored in firmware NVRAM.rodsbooks.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Boot option editing
- Users can edit EFI boot-loader options for a single boot or configure them manually.sourceforge.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Configuration extensibility
- Boot entries, scan paths, drivers, themes, icons and kernel options can be customized through refind.conf and related files.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Developer build systems
- The project documents building with GNU-EFI or TianoCore EDK2 toolchains.en.wikipedia.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The official documentation covers installation, usage, configuration, themes, Linux boot methods, EFI drivers, Secure Boot, revisions and support scripts.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Download formats
- Official packages include a cross-platform ZIP, RPM packages, Debian packages, Ubuntu PPA packages and bootable media images.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The maker lists binary ZIP, RPM, Debian, CD-R image, and USB flash drive image packages, among other forms.rodsbooks.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- EFI requirement
- rEFInd is useful only on EFI-based computers, not older BIOS-based computers.rodsbooks.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Filesystem drivers
- Distributed drivers provide read access for filesystems including ext2/3, ext4, Btrfs, ReiserFS, HFS+ and ISO-9660.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Fork origin
- rEFInd was forked from the rEFIt boot manager.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Graphics
- The interface supports configurable icons, fonts, banners, backgrounds and display resolutions.rodsbooks.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The refind-install script automates installation under Linux and OS X, and manual installation procedures for Linux, macOS, and Windows are also available.rodsbooks.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Installation script
- The refind-install utility copies files to an EFI System Partition and normally creates an NVRAM boot entry on Linux or macOS.man.archlinux.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Kernel update handling
- Its boot-time kernel scanning can recognize new Linux kernels without regenerating a boot-manager configuration file.sourceforge.net · read 15 Oct 2026
