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Being able to access UEFI / BIOS on your Windows machine is essential if you want to change certain firmware and hardware settings. Unfortunately, however, as BIOS/UEFI are pre-boot environments, you can’t access them from your regular OS interface. Not to worry, though – today we’re going to show you how to enter UEFI / BIOS on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
UEFI vs BIOS: What’s the difference?
You may have noticed that we’re using the terms UEFI and BIOS almost interchangeably in this guide. So, is there any real difference between the two? The answer is yes.
UEFI and BIOS are two of the most popular motherboard firmware interfaces. They act as translators between an operating system and its hardware, initializing components and allowing users to change certain settings.
The main difference between BIOS and UEFI is their age. UEFI is a more modern solution, supporting faster boot times, better security, and larger hard drives. Unlike UEFI, BIOS can only support hard drives of up to 2.1 TB and must run in a 16-bit processor mode. Additionally, it does not support cursors and a modern graphical interface.
There are also differences between how each functions. BIOS, for example, stores its bootloader data in the MBR format on the first sector of the HDD. This can be more easily corrupted than UEFI, which uses the GUID Partition Table (GPT) and built-in redundancy checks.
As a result of all of these advantages, basically any PC or laptop you buy today will be using UEFI instead of BIOS. However, it is still referred to as “BIOS” by some manufacturers to avoid confusion, and many people use “BIOS” to refer to any pre-boot interface. As a result, we’ll be using both in this guide.
With that important distinction out of the way, here’s how to enter BIOS / UEFI in Windows 11 and Windows 10:
How to Enter UEFI (BIOS) on Windows 11 via Settings
While there may be a key you can press to access BIOS, this varies between OEMs. It could be Del, F1, F2, F10, F12, or even Esc. On top of this, modern PCs boot so quickly that it can be difficult to find and press the key in time.
As a result, we’ll be showing you how to get to BIOS on Windows 11 using the Settings interface instead. To do this we’ll make use of Windows’ Advanced Startup Options:
- Open Settings and click the “Recovery” heading
- In the “Advanced startup” section, press “Restart now”
- Click “Restart now”
As prompted, you should save any open documents before you do so.
- Wait for your PC to start
- Press “Troubleshoot” on the “Choose an option” screen
- Click “Advanced options”
- Press “UEFI Firmware Settings”
- Click “Restart”
- Make your BIOS / UEFI changes as necessary
Upon restart, your PC will exit Advanced Startup Options and boot as it normally does.
How to Boot into BIOS on Windows 10 via Settings
Similarly to Windows 11, you can try one of the many BIOS keys as your computer boots, but it’s easier to just skip all that and get there via your Settings interface. This is how to get to BIOS in Windows 10:
- Open Settings and click on “Update & Security”
- Select “Recovery” in the sidebar and click “Advanced options”
- Look for the “Advanced startup” heading and click “Restart now”
- Wait for your PC to restart
- Press “Troubleshoot” on the “Choose an option” screen
- Click on “Advanced options”
- Select UEFI Firmware Settings
Your PC will automatically reboot into UEFI / BIOS.
- Make any modifications to your UEFI / BIOS and save them
Upon restart, your PC will exit Advanced Startup Options and boot as it normally does.
Extra: How to Boot to Safe Mode in Windows
While you’re fiddling around with your Advanced Startup Options, you may want to learn how to enter Safe Mode in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This useful mode can help solve issues if your PC won’t boot normally. Once you’re done, be sure to follow our guide on how to get out of Safe Mode.
Extra: How to Disable Windows 11 or Windows 10 Fast Startup
If you’d really rather just hit a button on startup to enter BIOS / UEFI in Windows, you should consider following our guide on how to disable fast startup in your Control Panel. This will give you a bit more time without seriously slowing down the boot process.
