what to know
- The easiest way is to press a key at startup, usually F2 . However, this may not always be the case.
- or, Hold down the Shift key and click Restart from Start; then, Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart .
- Alternatively, enter the PowerShell command " shutdown /r /o /f /t 00 ": Then, follow the steps outlined after troubleshooting above.
This article explains how to access the BIOS on a Windows 11 PC. These steps largely apply to Windows 10 as well.
Be careful when accessing the BIOS. It's a powerful tool for solving problems, but if you change settings without understanding what they're for, you're likely to create more problems than you solve.
The fastest way to enter the BIOS on a Windows computer is to enter the BIOS directly by pressing certain keys during the PC startup process.
When you turn on your computer, it will display a splash screen with a logo related to your motherboard or computer brand. At the bottom of the screen, you may see a message: "Press [key] to enter BIOS."
Usually, this key is F2, but not always. If you don't see a message stating which key is used during the boot process, you can search online for the key relevant to your specific computer.
Once you find the correct key, just press it during boot and you'll be entered into the BIOS immediately afterwards.
Here are some examples of BIOS keys from major manufacturers:
- ASUS: F2
- Acer: F2 or Delete
- Dell: F2 or F12
- Health: F10
- Lenovo Desktop: F1
- Lenovo laptops: F2 or Fn + F2
- Microsoft Surface: Press and hold for volume up
- Original computer: F2
- Samsung: F2
- Toshiba: F2
Another easy way to access the BIOS is through the Windows 11 Start menu.
Hold down the Shift key while clicking the Restart button in the Start menu.
After clicking "Restart", your computer does not restart gracefully. Instead, a new screen will appear. Select Troubleshoot .
Select advanced options .
Click UEFI Firmware Settings .
Finally, select Restart . Your computer will restart and load you into the BIOS.
Alternatively, open the Windows 11 Settings app, go to System > Recovery > Restart now, and start from step 2 above. However, doing it directly from the Start menu is usually the easiest way.
Finally, you can access the BIOS in Windows 11 by entering commands in Command Prompt or PowerShell. Here's how to open one on Windows 11.
After opening PowerShell or Command Prompt, enter the following command and press Enter :
Close /r /o /f /t 00
As with the above method, your computer will not reboot to your familiar Windows desktop; instead, a new screen will pop up. From there, go to Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart . Your computer will reboot and enter the BIOS.
The BIOS interface is different from the regular Windows desktop. Here are some things to remember.
Once your BIOS is open, you may not be able to use your mouse, so you may end up relying on your keyboard.
After you complete whatever needs to be done in the BIOS and exit, your computer will boot into the Windows 11 desktop normally. You don't have to do anything different during startup.
