BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Popular Computer Systems

BIOS access keys for Sony, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Gateway, and other PCs

Having trouble getting into your computer's BIOS setup utility? If you've tried the basic steps for accessing your computer's BIOS and haven't had much luck, you're not alone.

There are hundreds of computer manufacturers out there and each seems to have their own idea when it comes to designating a key sequence to enter BIOS. There are often even huge differences in access methods between different models made by the same company!

If you have a custom-built computer or one from a very small company, look up the BIOS access keys for the motherboard or the BIOS access keys based on manufacturer.

Illustration of a person pressing F2 on their keyboard to get to the BIOS Setup Utility

Michela Buttignol / Lifewire

Acer

Aspire, Predator, Spin, Swift, Extensa, Ferrari, Power, Altos, TravelMate, Veriton

  • Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.
  • The Acer Veriton L480G uses F12.
  • The BIOS on the Acer Altos 600 server uses the Ctrl+Alt+Esc key and the F1 key for advanced options.
  • Older Acer computers may use also use the F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc keys.

Asus

B-Series, ROG-Series, Q-Series, VivoBook, Zen AiO, ZenBook

  • Press (or press and hold) F2 until you see the BIOS screen. You may need to press the key repeatedly until the utility appears.
  • Some Asus laptops require that the Del, Esc, or F10 key be pressed instead.
  • Older Asus computers might boot to the BIOS setup utility only if you hold down the Esc key until you reach the Boot Device Selection screen; continue by selecting Enter Setup from the menu.

Compaq

Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable

  • Press F10 while the cursor in the top right corner of the screen is blinking.
  • Older Compaq computers may use the F1, F2, F10, or Del key to give access to BIOS.

Dell

XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Alienware, Vostro

  • Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the message Entering Setup appears.
  • Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del.
  • Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.

eMachines

eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series

  • Press Tab or Del while the eMachine logo displays on the screen.
  • Other eMachine computers may use F2.

EVGA

SC17, SC15

  • Press Del repeatedly while the EVGA laptop is booting.

Fujitsu

LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower, Celsius

  • Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway

DX, FX, LT, NV, NE, One, GM, GT, GX, SX, Profile, Astro

  • Press the F1 or F2 key repeatedly after restarting the Gateway computer to access the setup utility. You might have to press and hold the key.

Hewlett-Packard (HP)

Pavilion, EliteBook, ProBook, Pro, OMEN, ENVY, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet, Stream, ZBook

  • Press the F1, F10, or F11 key after restarting the computer.
  • HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.
  • Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.
  • Still others might require that you press the Esc key and then F10.

IBM

PC, XT, AT

  • Press F1 immediately after powering on the computer.
  • Older IBM computers (including some laptops) may utilize the F2 key.

Lenovo (formerly IBM)

ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Yoga, Legion, H535, 3000 Series, N Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

  • Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.
  • Some Lenovo products have a small Novo button on the side (next to the power button) that you can press (you might have to press and hold) to enter the BIOS setup utility. You might have to then enter BIOS Setup once that screen is displayed.
  • Press F12.
  • Older Lenovo products allow access using Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, or Fn+F1.

Micron (MPC Computers)

ClientPro, TransPort

  • Press F1, F2 or Del immediately after powering on the PC.

NEC

PowerMate, Versa, W-Series

  • Press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Packard Bell

8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme

  • Press F1, F2, or Del.

Samsung

Odyssey, Notebook 5/7/9, ArtPC PULSE, Series 'x' laptops

  • Press F2 to start the BIOS setup utility. You might need to press this key repeatedly until the correct screen appears.

Sharp

Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

  • Press F2 after the computer starts.
  • Some very old Sharp PCs require a Setup Diagnostics Disk.

Shuttle

Glamor G-Series, D'vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, XPC, Surveillance

  • Press F2 or Del on startup.

Sony

VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series

  • Press F1, F2 or F3 after turning on the computer.

Toshiba

Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium

  • Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.
  • Press F12 on a Toshiba Equium.
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