How to Check Your System BIOS: Version, Settings, and What It All Means

Your BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the firmware that wakes your computer up. Before Windows, macOS, or Linux ever loads, the BIOS runs a quick hardware check and hands control over to your operating system. Knowing how to find your BIOS version — and understanding what you're looking at when you get there — is a genuinely useful skill for troubleshooting, upgrading hardware, or preparing for a firmware update.

What the BIOS Actually Does

The BIOS lives on a small chip on your motherboard, separate from your hard drive or SSD. It initializes hardware components — CPU, RAM, storage, keyboard — and runs the POST (Power-On Self-Test) every time you boot. If something fails that test, the BIOS is what stops the boot and alerts you before your OS even tries to load.

Modern systems have largely moved to UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), which is the updated successor to legacy BIOS. UEFI offers a graphical interface, mouse support, faster boot times, and support for drives larger than 2TB. Despite the technical difference, most people — and most manufacturers — still use "BIOS" as a catch-all term for both.

How to Check Your BIOS Version in Windows

You don't always need to enter the BIOS to find your version number. Windows gives you a few ways to check it from within the OS itself.

Method 1: System Information Tool

1. Press Windows + R, type msinfo32, and hit Enter
2. In the System Information window, look for BIOS Version/Date in the right panel
3. This shows the manufacturer name, version string, and release date

Method 2: Command Prompt or PowerShell

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion 

This returns a short version string directly — useful if you want a quick, no-frills answer.

Method 3: Settings App (Windows 11)

Go to Settings → System → About and scroll to Device specifications. Some systems display firmware version here, though the msinfo32 method is more reliable.

How to Check BIOS Version on Linux 🖥️

On Linux, the most straightforward command is:

sudo dmidecode -t bios 

This outputs BIOS vendor, version, release date, and firmware revision. You'll need dmidecode installed — it's available in most package managers (apt, dnf, pacman).

Alternatively:

cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version 

This returns just the version string without requiring elevated permissions on many distributions.

How to Enter the BIOS Directly

Sometimes you need to go into the BIOS itself — to check settings, change boot order, enable virtualization, or configure hardware behavior.

The entry key varies by manufacturer:

Timing matters — you need to press the key immediately after powering on, before the OS starts loading. On faster UEFI systems with SSDs, that window can be under a second.

Windows fast startup workaround: If your PC boots too fast to catch the BIOS key, go to Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced Startup → Restart Now. From the blue menu, select Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → UEFI Firmware Settings.

What to Look for Once You're In

Once inside the BIOS or UEFI interface, a few areas are worth knowing:

• Main/Info page — usually shows BIOS version, date, CPU model, and installed RAM at a glance
• Boot order — determines which device the system tries to boot from first
• Secure Boot — a UEFI feature that blocks unsigned bootloaders; relevant for dual-boot setups and some Linux installs
• XMP/EXPO profiles — RAM performance settings; enabling these unlocks your RAM's rated speed if it's running below spec
• Virtualization (Intel VT-x / AMD-V) — needs to be enabled for running virtual machines or using WSL2 on Windows

Why BIOS Version Matters 🔧

Manufacturers release BIOS updates to fix bugs, improve hardware compatibility, add CPU support, and patch security vulnerabilities. Knowing your current version is the first step in determining whether an update is available or necessary.

Before updating, always cross-reference your version against the manufacturer's support page for your specific motherboard or laptop model. BIOS updates carry some risk — a failed flash can brick a board — so updates are generally recommended only when there's a specific reason (new CPU support, persistent bug, security patch).

The Variables That Change Your Experience

How you check and interact with your BIOS depends heavily on your setup:

• Desktop vs. laptop: Desktops typically give more BIOS access and customization; laptops often lock down settings to protect thermal and power configurations
• OEM vs. custom build: Pre-built systems from Dell, HP, or Lenovo have simplified BIOS interfaces; custom builds on enthusiast motherboards offer much deeper control
• Legacy BIOS vs. UEFI: Older machines running legacy BIOS lack graphical interfaces, mouse support, and some modern features — the experience is noticeably more limited
• Fast boot settings: Can make BIOS entry difficult; the Windows recovery path becomes the more practical route
• Operating system: The command-line tools and in-OS methods differ between Windows, Linux, and macOS (where Apple controls firmware access much more tightly through its own EFI implementation)

What you find in your BIOS — and how much of it is relevant to change — depends entirely on your hardware generation, your motherboard manufacturer, and what you're actually trying to accomplish with the system.