How to Update BIOS on Lenovo?

BIOS or Basic Input Out System is the firmware or low-level software that acts as an intermediary between the OS (Operating system) and the hardware of your device. Updating the BIOS is necessary to retain the hardware functionalities while increasing the security aspect of the user’s device.

However, the process of updating BIOS was comparatively complicated during old age. Now, there are multiple ways to update the BIOS safely on your Lenovo device.

From using software like Lenovo Vantage to installing the updates from their support site, Lenovo offers users multiple ways to update the BIOS of their devices.

How to Update the BIOS in Lenovo Systems

Lenovo offers users multiple ways to update the BIOS of their devices. You can choose and follow the most appropriate method given below to update the BIOS in your Lenovo system.

Check the BIOS Version

Before we go and update the BIOS, we first need to gather some information regarding the BIOS. Specifically, the BIOS version and the device model number. This is needed to check if your device has the latest BIOS and then download the compatible BIOS for your Lenovo device.

To do this:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open Run
   
2. Now, type cmdin the text field to open Command prompt
3. Type the following in the console: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion
   
4. Note down the device model and the BIOS version of your device.

Another way of checking the BIOS version in your device is through the System Information.

1. Press the Windows key + R to open Run
2. Type msinfo32or systemin the search box to open System Information
   
3. In the System Information window, click on System Summary located on the left
   
4. Note down the BIOS version and the model of your Lenovo system

From Windows Update

The first and the easiest method to update the BIOS in your device is through Windows update. If the current BIOS in your device requires some important updates, your device manufacturer will generally bundle it with the Windows update.

To update the BIOS from Windows update:

1. Press the Windows key + I to open Settings
2. On the left, click on the Windows Update tab
3. Now, click on the Check for updates button.
   
4. If the device has an update available, click on the Install now button and your device will begin installing the new updates.

From an Executable File

If you wish to manually download and install the BIOS of your Lenovo device:

1. Go to Lenovo’s support page and click on Detect Product if you own a Lenovo device
2. A popup box will appear. Click on the checkbox and press the Continue button to proceed
3. You can also select the Browse Product option to select the BIOS for your device. Enter the type of device you wish to update the BIOS of
4. Choose the Series and the Subseries of your Lenovo device
5. In the product details section located on the left, click on Drivers & Software 
6. On the Drivers & Software page, click on the Manual Update tab and select the type of operating system your device has 
7. In the Components section, select the most recent version of BIOS/UEFI from the drop-down menu.
   
8. From the list, click on the Download icon located on the right.
9. An executable file will download on your device

Now, to run the executable file,

1. Navigate to the folder where you have downloaded the BIOS file
2. Double-click on the file to start the setup. If the update requires administrator access, click on the Continue button to proceed with the update. 
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the BIOS 
4. After installation, restart your device to complete the installation process

From Lenovo Vantage

Lenovo’s Vantage is a proprietary Lenovo software that contains various support and diagnostic tools to help manage and maintain the health of your device. If your device has Lenovo Vantage installed, you can download and update the BIOS from there.

1. Open Lenovo Vantage and click on the Device icon located at the top right
2. From system tools, Click on System Update
   
3. On the System Update window, click on the Check for Updates button and wait until the scan finishes
   
4. If your device has a BIOS update available, it will be shown in the list. Scroll down to find it
5. Click on the checkbox next to the BIOS update and click on the Install Now button.
   
6. You will be prompted to restart your device. Click on OK and the BIOS will start downloading into your device
7. Now, in the new window, select Update BIOS and click on Next
8. Click on Next again and then click on Yes. You will receive a message saying that your device will reboot. 
9. Click on Ok to begin the installation process. 

From Lenovo System Update 

Lenovo System Update is Lenovo’s automation software that automatically finds, downloads, and installs the necessary drivers, software, and other applications on your device. To update the BIOS from System Update:

1. Download Lenovo System Update software from the support website and launch it
   
2. In the System Update Window, click the Get New Updates tab on the left
   
3. If prompted, click on the Next button located below
   
4. Click on OK on the User Information window
   
5. The software will now start scanning your device to search for new updates
6. In the License Notice window, click on the checkbox and click on Ok  to proceed
7. In the list, review each tab and search for the latest BIOS for your device
8. Select the BIOS updates by clicking on the checkbox and then click on Next
9. If you wish to download but install the updates at a later date, click on the Defer installation button.
10. Click on Next again and then click on Download
    
11. After the download completes, the installation process should start.

Follow the on-screen prompts and wait until the update process completes. Your device may restart several times during the update process.

From a USB Drive

If you want to update the BIOS from a USB drive, we need a Bootable USB drive first. Updating the BIOS from a USB is sometimes necessary when the software provided by Lenovo fails to update it. To update the BIOS from a USB drive, follow the steps shown below:

Make USB Bootable

The first step to update the BIOS through USB is to make a bootable USB drive that will execute the install files automatically during the startup process.

1. You will need to download and install Rufus on a computer first
   
2. Open Rufus and select the USB drive you want to flash from Device
   
3. In Boot selection select FreeDOS from the drop-down menu
4. Click on the START button to make your USB drive bootable

Download Update File

After making your USB drive bootable, you will need to visit Lenovo’s driver and support page to download the necessary BIOS files. To do this:

1. Download the latest version of the BIOS from Lenovo’s support page. Make sure that the filetype is a ZIP file
   
2. Insert a blank USB drive or format it. This will be your bootable USB drive
3. Extract the files from the ZIP folder and copy them into your USB drive
   
4. Replace the AUTOEXEC.BAT file from your USB drive if prompted
5. Finally, close everything and reboot your device to open the BIOS interface 

Change Boot Order

After downloading and extracting the files into the USB drive, you will need to change the boot order of your device to USB from BIOS.

To access the BIOS, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key to open Start
2. Click on the power menu 
3. In the menu, press and hold the Shift key and click on Restart. Your device will now enter the WinRE (Recovery Environment) 
4. Click on Troubleshoot to enter the troubleshooting menu
5. Under the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced Options
   
6. Click on UEFI Firmware Settings
   
7. Inside the UEFI menu, click on the Restart button 
   

You can also directly enter the BIOS by pressing dedicated keys during the bootup sequence of your Lenovo device. You can refer to our other article for detailed steps to enter BIOS settings.

Update BIOS

Now, after accessing the BIOS interface, you will need to disable the secure boot from the boot options and change the boot order of the device from firmware to USB. This will make sure that your device will boot from the USB drive that has the BIOS in it. To disable secure boot from the device:

1. Enter the Security menu
2. Disable secure boot and Save your changes
   
3. Now, in the Startup or Boot menu, change the boot order to USB. Check your device’s support page for more information.
   
4. Save the changes and exit the BIOS

The BIOS file will now begin updating on your device from the USB drive.

After a successful update, you will receive a confirmation and your device will restart. Now, remove the USB drive from your device and change the boot order of your device back to that of the Operating System from the BIOS.