Software & Apps > Windows 269 269 people found this article helpful BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Popular Computer Systems BIOS access keys for Sony, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Gateway, and other PCs By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 20, 2021 In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Acer Asus Compaq Dell eMachines EVGA Fujitsu Gateway Hewlett-Packard (HP) IBM Lenovo (formerly IBM) Micron (MPC Computers) NEC Packard Bell Samsung Sharp Shuttle Sony Toshiba Trending Videos Close this video player 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. 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. How to Update Asus Motherboard BIOS 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit