How To Get Into Bios On Windows 10

Windows 10 logo

The BIOS, or UEFI, is a powerful tool for configuring your PC's hardware such as your RAM, CPU, motherboard, and more. Information technology likewise has options that can increase the security of your PC. Here are a few different means to access the BIOS.

What Is the BIOS?

The Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) is low-level software that is programmed onto your computer's motherboard. When you lot turn on your estimator, the BIOS initializes and tests all of the hardware in your PC to ensure it is functioning correctly. Past accessing the BIOS, you tin customize how your PC'south hardware functions.

Warning: Be careful though — some of the options available in the BIOS can physically impairment your computer.

If you're going to try overclocking components, exist sure yous sympathise what overclocking is, and take the necessary precautions to do it safely. You can besides exercise things like enable XMP profiles to change your RAM speed, or boot your computer from a disk or USB bulldoze.

The BIOS has been replaced past the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) on modern computers, simply the term BIOS is commonly used to refer to UEFI. UEFI adds a number of new features that make it different from BIOS.

Accessing the BIOS/UEFI at Startup

When y'all starting time your PC, there will usually exist a splash screen that displays the manufacturer's name or logo. To access your BIOS, you lot can hit a key while the manufacturer's splash screen is visible. The keys you can press to access the BIOS will typically be displayed near the bottom. Usually, the key volition exist either F2 or Delete, but not always. The manual for your computer or motherboard will also contain this information.

If yous don't run across annihilation because the screen flashes by as well quickly, or striking the correct primal doesn't bring you into the BIOS, it is possible that Fast Boot is enabled in the BIOS, or yous have Fast Startup mode enabled in Windows x.

Fortunately, there are other ways to admission the BIOS.

Accessing the BIOS From Within Windows 10

There are a handful of ways to access the BIOS from Windows 10.

The simplest manner to access the BIOS is with the Offset push button. Click the First button, hitting the ability icon, then concur Shift while you click "Restart."

click Start, then Power, then hold Shift while clicking Restart

Alternatively, you can striking the Start button, in the search bar type "Change Advanced Startup Options" so hit Enter. Go to the Advanced startup section of the window that pops up, and click the "Restart now" push.

in Advanced startup section, click "Restart Now"

If yous used either of the ii preceding methods, y'all'll be sent to a blue screen with multiple options. Become to Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings. You should then be at the BIOS.

If you don't see "UEFI Firmware Settings" there are 2 likely explanations. The kickoff is that the calculator you're using doesn't have UEFI at all — this is especially likely if your PC is older, and really has BIOS rather than UEFI. The second possibility is that your motherboard does have UEFI, but Windows 10 is booting from a drive that was partitioned using MBR and not GPT. If your kick drive was partitioned using MBR, information technology'll force UEFI to use a BIOS Legacy style that disables access from within Windows 10.

If y'all'd rather utilise Command Prompt to access the BIOS, click the Start button, blazon "cmd" in the search bar, and then select "Run equally administrator."

Click "Run Command Prompt as Administrator"

And so, type shutdown /r /fw into the Command Prompt window and press Enter.

If information technology worked, a window volition pop up informing you that your PC will shut down in less than a minute.

Windows restart warning

You tin can type shutdown /r /fw /t 0 into the Command Prompt to remove the waiting period and restart instantly.

If you see the message "Kick to firmware UI is not supported by this system's firmware" when y'all attempt to run the shutdown control, it probably means that your motherboard doesn't have UEFI. It could also mean that Windows x is installed on a disk that was partitioned with MBR.

Command Prompt message indicating /fw argument not accepted

If yous can't access the BIOS/UEFI from inside Windows ten, and your PC has Fast Kick enabled in the BIOS/UEFI, you'll have to do some troubleshooting.

Creating a Shortcut to Access the BIOS

The command to shut downwardly and go into the BIOS tin can hands be made into a shortcut for faster and more convenient access. Right-click empty space on your desktop and select New > Shortcut.

Right-click desktop. Select New > Shortcut

In the window that appears, type shutdown /r /fw where it says to type the location of the item, and so hit next. Name the shortcut something appropriate, then click "Finish."

Shortcut creation guide, prompt for location of item

Once the icon is on your desktop, right-click information technology, and hit "Properties." In the Properties window, click "Advanced."

Click "Advanced" in the Properties window.

On this window, tick "Run as ambassador", then hit "OK."

Enable "Run as Administrator."

Back on the Properties window, click "Apply" and then "OK" to cease creating the shortcut.

Click "OK" and then click "Apply."

If you'd like, y'all can customize the icon of the shortcut by striking the "Alter Icon" push button in the properties window. Y'all can then select an icon from a number of default options, or y'all can brand your own high-resolution icons out of any image.

What to Do If You Can't Admission the BIOS

If you can't access your BIOS during startup, Fast Boot or Fast Startup could exist the culprit. The terms Fast Boot and Fast Startup are often used interchangeably merely are actually singled-out.

Fast Kicking unremarkably refers to a setting in the BIOS or UEFI that changes the initial startup procedure of the reckoner. Fast Boot skips some of the hardware checks and initializations that usually occur when your PC is commencement turned on so that your operating organization, like Windows 10, loads more quickly. There is an additional setting (sometimes chosen Ultrafast Boot) that is even faster because it doesn't initialize things like USB controllers or disk drives. When that setting is enabled, USB devices like your mouse and keyboard won't be usable until the operating organisation loads. It besides prevents booting from DVDs or USB drives.

If that is the instance for you, your best selection is to try clearing your PC'south CMOS to reset your BIOS settings. Some newer or college-end motherboards include buttons to articulate the CMOS — check on the back of your PC, near the USB ports. If it is there, press and hold it for at to the lowest degree 10 seconds. By default, Fast Boot and Ultrafast Boot are disabled, so clearing your CMOS should enable you to hit the appropriate push button to become into the BIOS during startup.

Fast Startup is a Windows feature that enables your computer to kickoff more rapidly afterwards it was shut downward. Windows ten'southward Fast Startup mode can interfere with your power to accomplish the BIOS if your computer had been shut off with Fast Startup fashion enabled. Fast Startup style doesn't affect restarts though, so you should be able to reach your BIOS later on a restart even with Fast Startup enabled.

If none of that works, you should bank check the documentation that came with your figurer or motherboard. There may be more than specific instructions for your automobile that tin help.