The BIOS contains crucial information about all the hardware devices connected to your motherboard. Besides this, it stores and can also change the configuration state of your hardware. Controlling/monitoring your hardware are only some of the features that you can perform using the BIOS.
However, one primary function of the BIOS would be that it loads the Operating System to the primary memory. Therefore, if you face any errors where you cannot boot the computer, entering the BIOS and tweaking the right settings might just fix the issue you face.
This article provides you with a few simple steps to get into the BIOS in Windows 11.
Table of Contents
What Does BIOS Do?
BIOS, or the Basic Input/Output System, is a program that is stored in Electrically Programmable Randon Access Memory (EPROM). The hardware devices use the configuration state stored in the BIOS to load.
The BIOS is embedded into your motherboard on a small chip. This is called a BIOS chip. Access the BIOS, and you have all available control over your hardware, such as the processor’s clock speed, ram speed, fan speed, etc.
- Change boot device
- Change the system’s date and time
- Read system temperatures
- Control and monitor fan speed
- System voltage information
- Improve hardware performance
How to Get to BIOS Windows 11?
In the earlier version of Windows, there was only one way to enter the BIOS. And that is by pressing the BIOS’ access key. However, in the latest version of Windows, you can get into BIOS in several ways.
Using the BIOS key
Depending on the different motherboards, the BIOS key can either be any of the function keys or the Delete key. If you do not know the key to enter the BIOS, search the internet for the BIOS key for your laptop or computer.
All you need to do is power on the computer and repeatedly press the BIOS key to get to BIOS. This method will work on any version of Windows. Below, we have mentioned the BIOS key for different motherboard manufacturers for PCs and laptops.
- HP: F10
- Lenovo: F2, F1 or Enter + F1
- Acer: F2 or Delete
- ASUS: F9, F10. or Delete
- Dell: F2 or F12
- MSI/Gigabyte/Zotac/BIOStar/EVGA: Delete
Advanced Startup
For Windows 10 and 11, you can also open Advanced Startup to access the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). Both UEFI and BIOS are similar. Both start before loading the OS. Most modern computers and laptops have the UEFI only instead of the BIOS.
In some laptops, you need to access the UEFI settings first before accessing the BIOS.
From Windows Settings
Follow the steps mentioned below to boot into Advanced Startup.
- Press the Windows + I key to open Settings
- Go to System > Recovery (Update & Security > Recovery for Windows 10)
- On Advanced startup, click on Restart now.
From Command Prompt
Below are the steps to boot into Advanced startup using the command prompt.
- Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
- Type cmd and press Enter.
- Now, type the following command and press Enter to boot into Advanced startup.
shutdown /r /o /f /t 00 or shutdown /r /o
From Shortcut
You can also access the Advanced startup using a shortcut.
- Right-click on the desktop and click on New.
- Select Shortcut.
- Under Type, the location of the item, paste the following code and click Next
shutdown /r /o /f /t 00
- Click on Finish.
- Double click on the shortcut file you created to restart the PC in Advanced startup.
Alternatively, you can also press the Shift key when you click the restart button on the start menu to boot into the advanced startup directly.
Once you are in the Advanced startup menu, follow the steps mentioned below to run the UEFI
- Click on Troubleshoot
- Select Advanced Options
- Select UEFI Firmware Settings
- Click on Restart to boot into UEFI (BIOS)
Related Questions
How Do I Reset BIOS?
Resetting the BIOS is a simple task if you know the ins and outs of the BIOS. You can easily find the option to reset the BIOS once you are inside the BIOS itself.
If you have issues resetting the BIOS, we have a detailed article explaining the exact solutions.
Do I Need to Upgrade My BIOS to Upgrade to Windows 11?
Most latest motherboards released recently are already equipped with a BIOS that supports Windows 11. If your motherboard supports Windows 10, it most likely will support Windows 11 as long as the board has TPM 2.0.
If the board is not integrated with TPM 2.0, try updating the BIOS to see if it upgrades the TPM module.
Are BIOS and CMOS the Same?
BIOS and CMOS are not the same. However, they do work side by side. The BIOS starts a computer once it is turned on. Besides this, it also holds hardware settings such as RAM speed, CPU clock speed, and fan speed.
CMOS on the other hand holds the configurations of the BIOS once the system is completely turned off.
