How To Open Bios Windows 10

How to Enter the BIOS on Any PC: Access Keys by Manufacturer

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Windows or Linux may be your operating organisation of choice, but no thing which platform you choose, your computer's BIOS (Basic Input / Output Arrangement) is calling all the shots behind the scenes.

The BIOS, sometimes referred to as UEFI firmware on newer computers, tells your PC what storage drives you have and which ane to boot from and what components you take, among other central functions. To change your kick club, set up a system password, disable ports or congenital-in peripherals, or even to overclock, you may need to get into the BIOS menus.

There are a few different ways to access the BIOS menus on a PC:

Method 1: Use a BIOS Cardinal

When you lot first power-on a computer, it goes through a very quick Mail service (power on self test). If yous tin hit the correct hotkey before the Postal service is completed (or hold information technology downwards as you hit the power push), you will become into the BIOS menu. Withal, some computers become through POST and so fast that they don't recognize input from the keyboard in fourth dimension for you to a hit key. For those, skip to method #2 below.

Annoyingly, different PC brands use unlike BIOS keys. Most modern motherboards use the DEL key, simply ultrabooks, gaming laptops and gaming PCs are less consistent. For example, striking F2 might work on an Asus, only you'll need F10 on an Acer computer.

If you don't know the hotkey for your computer, you can expect and see if a message comes upwards during POST, telling you what key to press or you can try hitting one of the 12 function keys, the DEL primal, the Enter fundamental or the ESC key since it is always one of those. Yous may have to endeavor a few times to make up one's mind which one it is. In our research, DEL and F2 were, past far, the most common.

BIOS Keys by Manufacturer

Here'due south a list of mutual BIOS keys by brand. Depending on the historic period of your model, the central may exist different.

ASRock: F2 or DEL
ASUS: F2 for all PCs, F2 or DEL for Motherboards
Acer: F2 or DEL
Dell: F2 or F12
ECS: DEL
Gigabyte / Aorus: F2 or DEL
HP: F10
Lenovo (Consumer Laptops): F2 or Fn + F2
Lenovo (Desktops): F1
Lenovo (ThinkPads): Enter then F1.
MSI: DEL for motherboards and PCs
Microsoft Surface Tablets: Press and hold volume up button.
Origin PC: F2
Samsung: F2
Toshiba: F2
Zotac: DEL

Unfortunately, some computers go through Post then quickly that there'southward no fourth dimension to hit a key. Some desktops won't even recognize input from a USB keyboard until after POST is completed (though they will see input from an old PS2-style keyboard). If you lot can't utilise a BIOS key and you lot have Windows 11 or 10, you tin can use the "Avant-garde startup" feature to get at that place.

Notation that the screen shots below are from Windows xi, merely the same steps apply to Windows 10.

i.Navigate to the Advanced Startup section of Settings. The easiest way to get at that place is by searching for "avant-garde startup" in Windows search and clicking the top issue.

Navigate to advanced startup — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

2. Click Restart now under the Advanced startup header.

Your figurer will reboot and a new menu eventually appears.

3.Click Troubleshoot.

iv. Click Advanced options.

5. Click UEFI Firmware Settings.

6. Click Restart to confirm.

Method 3: Use a Linux Command

If you lot're running a modern version of Linux such as Ubuntu, y'all may exist able to get to the BIOS by typing "sudo systemctl reboot --firmware" at the command prompt.

What if you tin't boot your OS or striking a BIOS cardinal?

If your calculator can't load an operating system, because information technology doesn't detect a bootable drive, information technology will usually break, beep and requite you the option to enter the BIOS, which it will often call "setup."

Nevertheless, the biggest problems occur when the system POSTs too fast for you to hit a fundamental and then Windows or Linux tries to boot and fails. I've had this problem when I had a missing or corrupted bootloader, I got the Windows splash screen and then a blue screen of death.

To force the BIOS to announced under these circumstances, you can effort using an emergency kicking disk, provided that you lot tin can either select a kicking device at startup or your computer has set an external USB drive as a higher kicking priority than its internal storage drive(s).

You can use a Windows install disk as an emergency kick deejay. Once the USB boots, you need to click "Repair your computer" instead of install and then click Troubleshoot -> UEFI Firmware Settings -> Restart.

Finally, if you can't kick off of an emergency disk, you can attempt to cause a organisation halting error that would foreclose your computer from attempting to boot off of its internal drives. Then, you'll be given the option to enter the BIOS menu.

Many desktop computers volition give an fault bulletin if there'south no keyboard plugged in (if yous need help finding 1, check our out Best Gaming Keyboards (opens in new tab) list) or if the keyboard buffer is overloaded from holding downward too many keys at start. Pulling out your master internal storage drive would also crusade an fault that would let you into the BIOS, but if that bulldoze has a non-booting OS on it, your problems might resume once yous plug information technology back in.

Bottom Line

Whatever method y'all use to access your BIOS, be conscientious when making changes to your settings there. You could stop up disabling key components.

Avram Piltch is Tom's Hardware's editor-in-chief. When he'southward not playing with the latest gadgets at piece of work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-globe benchmarks, including our laptop battery test.