To enter BIOS/UEFI from Windows 11, open Settings → System → Recovery, then select Restart now beside Advanced startup. After the restart, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings → Restart. If Windows will not start, use the setup key documented for your exact PC or motherboard instead.
BIOS and UEFI are firmware that runs before Windows. You can ask Windows to restart into setup, but the firmware interface does not open as a normal desktop app. The methods below cover access, not flashing an update or changing boot, storage, or security settings.
Prepare Before Restarting
Save your work and close open applications first. Keep the laptop connected to power and have a working keyboard available. If BitLocker or device encryption protects the drive, make sure you can retrieve the recovery key before using recovery tools or changing firmware settings. Microsoft explains where to find a BitLocker recovery key; a work or school device may require help from its administrator.
If you only need the installed firmware version, you can check BIOS Version/Date in Windows 11 without restarting. Opening setup to look at a value does not require a firmware update.
Open UEFI Settings Through Windows 11 Recovery
- Press Windows + I to open Settings, then choose System → Recovery.
- Beside Advanced startup, select Restart now. If Windows asks you to save work, finish saving before confirming the restart.
- On the recovery screen, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options.
- Select UEFI Firmware Settings, then Restart. The next screen should be your manufacturer’s firmware setup.
Microsoft documents this route in its Windows 11 firmware-access instructions. Update & Security → Recovery is the older Windows 10 Settings path; Windows 11 uses System → Recovery.
Enter UEFI Firmware Settings From Windows 10
On Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and select Restart now under Advanced startup. Then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. If that tile is missing, use your PC’s setup key below.
- After saving work, open Start → Power. You can also use the Power control on the Windows sign-in screen.
- Hold Shift while selecting Restart.
- When the recovery menu opens, select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings → Restart.
Microsoft’s Windows recovery environment guide describes Shift + Restart. Choose the firmware option, rather than Startup Settings, which serves a different task such as starting Windows in Safe Mode.
Find and Use Your Manufacturer’s Setup Key
Identify the exact PC model before choosing a key. In normal Windows, open msinfo32 and note System Manufacturer and System Model. Our guide to checking system configuration in Windows 11 covers other places to find these details. For a custom-built PC, use the motherboard’s model and revision. Find “BIOS setup” or “UEFI setup” in its official manual; a one-time boot-menu key is not necessarily the setup key.
- Save your work and restart the PC.
- Press the documented setup key at the manufacturer logo, before Windows loads. Follow the model’s instruction about repeated tapping or holding the key.
- If Windows loads, let it finish starting, then restart and try again.
Keys differ by brand and model. These are the methods each maker documents:
| Device family | Access method | Official instructions |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS PCs | For supported models, shut down completely, hold F2, then press Power. Release F2 when setup appears. Some older desktops use Delete; gaming handhelds have a different button method. | ASUS PCs guidance |
| Dell PCs | Restart and repeatedly tap F2 at the Dell logo. Dell also describes F12 → BIOS Setup/System Setup as an alternative. F12 by itself opens a boot menu. | Dell PCs guidance |
| HP consumer notebooks | From power-off, press Power and repeatedly tap Esc until the Startup Menu opens, then press F10 for BIOS Setup. Confirm the separate instructions for an HP desktop or another product family. | HP consumer notebooks guidance |
| Lenovo ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation | Repeatedly tap F1 at the logo. On models that first show a Startup Interrupt Menu, press Enter at the logo, then F1. | Lenovo ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation guidance |
| Lenovo IdeaPad | Immediately tap F2 or Fn + F2 after power-on. On a model with a documented Novo button, shut down, press that button, then choose BIOS Setup in the Novo menu. | Lenovo IdeaPad guidance |
| MSI notebooks | Restart and press Delete as the MSI logo appears. Use your notebook manual for any model-specific requirement; do not substitute F2 based on a generic PC list. | MSI notebooks guidance |
Enter Firmware From Command Prompt
This command restarts the PC right away, so save your work first. It works only on UEFI PCs and must run in an administrator Command Prompt.
- Search Start for Command Prompt. Choose Run as administrator and approve the Windows prompt using an authorized administrator account.
- Enter the command below and press Enter only when ready to restart.
- The PC restarts into firmware setup. If Windows shows an error instead, use the Settings method or your setup key.
shutdown /r /fw /t 0In Microsoft’s shutdown command reference, /r means restart, /fw sends the next restart to the firmware, and /t 0 removes the delay.
To open the recovery menu instead, use shutdown /r /o /t 0, then choose UEFI Firmware Settings. Neither command updates the BIOS or bypasses a firmware password.
If the Firmware Option or Startup Key Does Not Work
UEFI Firmware Settings missing: the PC may be running in legacy BIOS mode. Check BIOS Mode in System Information (msinfo32), then use your model’s setup key instead. Don’t change the boot mode just to make the tile appear.
Key press missed: Begin at the manufacturer logo, not after the Windows sign-in screen. Check whether the manual requires Fn with a function key. If an external wireless keyboard is not recognized before Windows, try the built-in keyboard or a directly connected wired keyboard.
No time to press the key: Windows Fast Startup can skip past the logo screen. Use the Windows recovery method instead, since it doesn’t depend on catching the logo.
Firmware password or managed device: enter the firmware password, or contact the device administrator or manufacturer. Your Windows password is usually not the firmware password.
Exit Without Making Unintended Changes
Read the on-screen key legend or Exit menu; keyboard and mouse support vary. If you only inspected the settings, choose the model’s Discard Changes and Exit or Exit Without Saving option. If you deliberately changed a documented setting, review it before using Save Changes and Exit.
Don’t use Load Defaults to undo an accidental change, because it resets other settings too. Confirm that the PC returns to Windows when you exit.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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