How to Enter BIOS on Windows 11, Windows 10, or Any PC

The fastest way to enter BIOS on a modern PC isn't mashing a key at boot — it's telling Windows to take you there. On Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Restart now (under Advanced startup), then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. Your PC reboots straight into the BIOS setup screen, no timing required.

That method works every time, which matters because the classic press-F2-while-booting trick increasingly doesn't: modern PCs with fast SSDs can finish their startup checks in under a second, leaving almost no window to catch the key. This guide covers every reliable way in — from Windows, from the command line, and with the right boot key for your laptop or motherboard brand.

A quick word on names: technically, almost every PC made in the last decade uses UEFI firmware, which replaced the old BIOS standard (Windows 11 outright requires UEFI). Everyone still calls the setup screen "the BIOS," so we will too.

Method 1: Enter BIOS from Windows 11

You don't need any boot key for this — it works even if your PC boots too fast to catch one.

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Go to System > Recovery. (Note: on Windows 10 this lived under Update & Security; Windows 11 moved it under System.)
3. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now and confirm.
4. When the blue Choose an option screen appears, select Troubleshoot.
5. Choose Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings, then click Restart.

Your computer reboots directly into the BIOS setup utility.

Shortcut version: hold the Shift key while you click Restart in the Start menu's power options. That jumps straight to the same blue menu — works on both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and even from the sign-in screen.

If "UEFI Firmware Settings" is missing from the Advanced options menu on your machine, don't panic — a few OEM configurations don't expose it to Windows. Use the boot-key method below instead.

Method 2: Enter BIOS with one command

Open Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt as administrator (right-click the Start button and pick the admin option), then run:

shutdown /r /fw /t 0

This restarts the PC (/r) directly into the firmware setup screen (/fw) with zero delay (/t 0). It must be run elevated — from a normal window it won't work. On the rare machine still running legacy (non-UEFI) firmware, Windows will tell you the command isn't supported, and you'll need the boot-key method.

Related: shutdown /r /o /t 0 reboots to the general Advanced startup menu instead — useful when you want Safe Mode or System Restore rather than the BIOS.

Method 3: The classic boot key

Turn the computer on and immediately tap (don't hold) the setup key repeatedly until the BIOS screen appears. Tapping matters — holding the key down can register as a stuck key on some firmware.

Brand	BIOS setup key	Notes
Dell	F2	F12 opens the one-time boot menu, not BIOS setup
HP	Esc, then F10	Esc opens the Startup Menu; F10 enters BIOS Setup
Lenovo ThinkPad	F1	Consumer IdeaPad/Yoga use F2; the tiny Novo button (pinhole) also works from powered-off
ASUS laptops	F2	Hold F2, then press power
ASUS motherboards	Del or F2
Acer	F2	Acer's official method: hold F2, then press power
MSI	Del (motherboards), F2 (recent laptops)	F11 for MSI boot menu
Gigabyte	Del	F12 for boot menu
Samsung	F2	F10 for boot menu
Microsoft Surface	Hold Volume-Up + tap Power	From fully shut down; keep holding Volume-Up until the UEFI screen appears
Razer Blade	F1 or Del
Framework	F2	F12 for boot menu

General rule of thumb: laptops usually use F2, desktop motherboards usually use Del. Many PCs also flash a "Press [key] to enter Setup" prompt during startup — if you see one, trust it.

Setup key vs boot-menu key: F2/Del-style keys open the full BIOS settings. F12/F11/Esc-style keys usually open a one-time boot menu for picking a boot device (like a USB installer) without changing any settings. If you just need to boot from USB once, the boot menu is the safer tool.

Why the boot key doesn't work on your PC

Three usual suspects:

• Fast Startup. Windows' hybrid shutdown skips a true cold boot, so the firmware never listens for your key. Disable it under Control Panel > Power Options > "Choose what the power buttons do" > uncheck Turn on fast startup — or just use Method 1, which doesn't care.
• The boot is simply too fast. On NVMe systems, the window can be a fraction of a second. Restart (rather than cold boot) and start tapping before the logo appears.
• Wireless keyboards. Bluetooth and some wireless keyboards aren't initialized that early in startup. Use a wired USB keyboard for BIOS work.

Entering BIOS on Windows 10

Same idea as Windows 11 with one path difference: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Restart now (under Advanced startup), then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. The Shift+Restart shortcut and the shutdown /r /fw /t 0 command work identically on Windows 10.

What about Macs and Chromebooks?

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) have no BIOS. The equivalent is the Startup Options screen: shut down, then press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. From there you can open macOS Recovery or pick a different startup disk. The old Intel-Mac shortcuts (Cmd+R, Option) don't work on Apple Silicon.

Intel Macs: hold Cmd+R right after power-on for Recovery, or Option for the startup disk picker.

Chromebooks don't have a user-facing BIOS at all. Recovery mode (Esc + Refresh + Power) is the closest equivalent, and Developer Mode exposes low-level options at the cost of security — Google explicitly doesn't support it for normal use.

Before you change anything: two warnings

BitLocker. If your drive is encrypted (most Windows 11 laptops are, sometimes silently), firmware changes — especially to Secure Boot, TPM, or boot order — can trigger a BitLocker recovery prompt on the next boot. Make sure you can access your recovery key (check aka.ms/myrecoverykey while signed in to your Microsoft account) before changing BIOS settings, or suspend BitLocker first.

Don't change what you don't recognize. BIOS settings can prevent your machine from booting. Stick to the setting you came for; most screens have a "discard changes and exit" option if you're unsure.

What people actually enter BIOS for in 2026

• Boot order / boot from USB — installing Windows or Linux from a USB stick.
• Enabling XMP or EXPO — making your RAM run at its rated speed instead of the slower default.
• TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot — required for Windows 11; these toggles live in the BIOS.
• Virtualization (Intel VT-x / AMD-V) — needed for WSL2, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, and Android emulators.
• Fan curves, undervolting, and power limits — tuning thermals and noise, mostly on gaming machines.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between BIOS and UEFI? UEFI is the modern firmware standard that replaced the 1980s-era BIOS — it supports faster boot, drives over 2TB, Secure Boot, and a mouse-driven setup interface. Intel removed legacy BIOS support from its platforms around 2020, and Windows 11 requires UEFI. In everyday speech, "the BIOS" now just means the UEFI setup screen.

What key do I press to enter BIOS? On most laptops, F2. On most desktop motherboards, Del. HP uses Esc then F10, ThinkPads use F1, and Surface devices use Volume-Up + Power. See the full table above — or skip the guessing and use Settings > System > Recovery > Restart now.

How do I enter BIOS if my PC won't boot into Windows? The Windows-based methods obviously won't help, so use the boot key from the table with a wired keyboard. If Windows fails to boot three times in a row, most machines automatically drop into the same blue recovery menu, where you can reach UEFI Firmware Settings under Advanced options.

Can entering BIOS harm my computer? Just looking around is harmless — enter, look, and exit without saving. The risk comes from changing settings you don't understand, and from BitLocker recovery prompts after firmware changes (see the warning above).

Why does my BIOS look different from screenshots online? Every motherboard vendor skins its UEFI differently, and many have both an "EZ mode" summary screen and an "Advanced mode." The setting names are usually similar even when the layout isn't.

The final verdict

On any Windows 10 or 11 PC, the reliable path into the BIOS is through the OS: Settings > Recovery > Restart now, or the shutdown /r /fw /t 0 command — no reflexes required. Keep the boot-key table handy for machines that won't boot, and remember the BitLocker recovery-key check before you change firmware settings.

If you're poking around your machine's internals anyway, you might also want to know exactly what laptop you have before hunting for firmware updates, and if slow startup is what sent you here, see our guide to fixing slow laptop boot-up.