How to Access the BIOS on a Windows 8 Computer
How Accessing BIOS Changed in Windows 8
Traditionally, computers displayed a message like “Press F2 to enter setup” at the beginning of the boot process. Pressing this key entered the computer’s BIOS.
On some machines, especially those with solid-state hard drives, the boot process can be so fast that you might not have time to see the message about entering BIOS. In these cases, you can opt to enter the BIOS from Windows itself. The new system does away with this problem. It also brings some much-needed consistency to Windows 8 computers they’ll all have a consistent way of accessing the BIOS.
Windows 8 Hardware vs. Old Computers With Windows 8
Note that this new method only applies if you purchased a new computer with Windows 8 preinstalled. If, on the other hand, you’ve installed Windows 8 on an existing computer that uses the legacy BIOS system, you’ll access the BIOS in the same way as always by pressing the key that appears during your boot process.
This key is often F2 or Delete, but it can also be other keys. The exact key depends on your computer—if you don’t see the appropriate key displayed on your screen during the boot-up process, consult your computer’s manual.
How to Enter Windows 8 BIOS
In order to access the BIOS on Windows 8, you need to restart your computer into the boot options menu. There are several ways to do this.
The easiest one to find is in the PC Settings application. Press Windows key + C to reveal the Charms bar, click Settings, and select Change PC settings to access it.
In the PC Settings application, select the General category and click the Restart now button under Advanced startup. Your computer will restart and you’ll enter the Windows 8’s boot options menu. From here you can access the UEFI BIOS and change other settings.
You can also hold Shift while clicking Restart in the Shut Down menu to restart your computer into the boot options menu. This is a quick way to restart into the boot options menu, as you can access the Shut Down button from the Charms anywhere on your system.
Those who prefer to use the Windows command line to access the BIOS in Windows 8 can do so. There’s a shutdown command that’s one of the essential Windows command prompts you should know.
Here’s the command you need to use:
Shutdown.exe /r /o
Accessing UEFI BIOS
Once you’ve restarted and accessed the boot options menu, you can enter UEFI BIOS. To do this, click the Troubleshoot tile.
This will reveal an Advanced Options screen with a variety of tools. The UEFI Firmware Settings tile will take you to your computer’s BIOS.
If you don’t see the UEFI Firmware Settings tile here, your computer doesn’t use UEFI. That means you’ll need to access the BIOS in the traditional way, by pressing a specific key during the boot-up process. See the earlier section above for more information.
If there’s an error booting Windows, you won’t be locked out of the BIOS. The boot options screen will appear when you start your computer. From here, you can repair Windows or enter your BIOS.
Once you’ve entered the BIOS, you can perform the tasks you want. These could include tasks such as changing the boot device order, setting fan curves, overclocking your processor, or performing troubleshooting by detecting what hardware is being picked up by your system.
It’s Important to Secure Your BIOS
This shows you how to access BIOS from Windows 8, in case you need to make any changes to your system.
While you’re working on BIOS, it’s a good idea to set a password to keep your system more secure. If you have any problems with this process, then see our article on how to reset the BIOS password.
Spend some time on its screen and understand how the BIOS works and how it can help you optimize your computer.
