Basic Input Output System or BIOS is a firmware that helps to initialize and boot the operating system as per the settings. Most of the latest Windows PC and laptop models replaces BIOS with UEFI or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. UEFI has advanced features and easy to use interface compared to BIOS. There are many reasons you may want to access BIOS or UEFI settings of your computer. If you do not know how to do, in this article we will explain three different ways to open BIOS or UEFI settings in Windows 11.
BIOS or UEFI Settings
The firmware has lot of settings to change the way your computer works. One of the reasons people access BIOS/UEFI is to change the boot sequence. For example, if you are not able to boot from the default hard drive then it is possible to boot your computer from USB drive. However, your computer by default will try to boot from hard drive. Hence you should change the boot sequence and select booting from USB as first option in BIOS/UEFI settings. There are three possible ways to access BIOS/UEFI settings in Windows 11.
1. Using Keyboard Shortcut
Unfortunately, there is no common keyboard shortcut key to access BIOS. It depends on the key assignment by your computer’s manufacturer. However, most computers use one of the following keys for accessing BIOS. After pressing power on button, you should immediately press the key(s) to enter into BIOS mode.
- F2
- F10
- Delete
- Shift + Delete
- Shift + F2
- Shift + F10
Some computers will show a flash notification at the bottom of the screen while starting the system. Otherwise, you may need to try these shortcuts one by one while booting to find which one is working on your computer.
2. Access BIOS/UEFI from Windows 11 Settings
Though the above method is easy, it will be annoying to find the correct shortcut if you do not know. Also, you should be quick enough to press the key before the system boots. Fortunately, Windows 11 comes with a setting which you can use for this purpose.
- Right-click on the Start menu icon on the taskbar to open power user menu and select “Settings” from the list of options. Alternatively, press “Win + X” keys to open the power user menu.
- This will open Windows Settings app and make sure you are in “System” section.
- Scroll on the system settings page and click “Recovery” option.
- Go to “Recovery options” heading and click on “Restart now” button showing against “Advanced startup” option.
- Windows will show you a prompt to save all your work. As you understand, this will restart your computer, make sure to save all your work and confirm the prompt by clicking on “Restart now” button.
- When the system restarts, you will see a list of options and select “Troubleshoot”.
- On the next screen, select “Advanced options”.
- It will again show a list of options and select “UEFI Firmware Settings” (it may show BIOS settings, if your computer is using BIOS).
- Click “Restart” button on the next screen.
- Your computer will restart and you will see the BIOS or UEFI firmware settings page.
You can make the required changes and press F10 to save and close the page. Or simply press escape key to quit the BIOS/UEFI settings page and reboot the system. Though this is a lengthy process, you can do it patiently without hurrying.
3. Schedule BIOS/UEFI Access from Terminal
Windows 11 comes with Terminal app which has both Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell interface. Use search icon from the taskbar to search and open Terminal app. Type the following command and press enter key.
shutdown /r /o /t 120
The shutdown command has the following parameters:
- shutdown – trigger C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe file to shutdown your system after the mentioned time.
- /r – completely shutdown and restart the system.
- /o – open advanced startup options and restart your system.
- /t 120 – time in seconds after the action should be triggered
You will see a prompt before 30 seconds of the restart informing you that the system will be shutdown. There will be no other warning or prompt shown if you have unsaved open windows. Therefore, make sure to provide sufficient time in the above command to have time for saving all your work. When the system restarts, you will see the advanced startup options as explained in method 2 from there you can restart your system and access BIOS or UEFI settings page.
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