How to Update Your Computer's BIOS in 5 Easy Steps

Use your PC maker’s own tool: Lenovo Vantage, HP Support Assistant, Dell SupportAssist or MyASUS on a laptop, and the flash tool built into the BIOS on a desktop motherboard. Plug into mains power before you begin and do not interrupt it, because a failed flash can leave the PC unable to start. Download files only from the maker’s own site. BIOS files from anywhere else are not worth the risk, and we do not link to them.

How to check your BIOS version

Press Windows+R, type msinfo32 and press Enter. The BIOS Version/Date line shows what you have. System Model tells you which laptop or brand PC to look up. On a PC you built yourself, BaseBoard Manufacturer and BaseBoard Product matter instead, because the BIOS comes from the motherboard’s maker. Compare that version with the newest one on the maker’s support page for your exact model.

When you should not update

The makers disagree on this. HP and Dell both describe updates as regular maintenance, though another Dell article says to update “only when necessary”. Gigabyte goes the other way: if you have no problems with your current BIOS, it recommends you do not flash it at all, and says you take the personal risk of a failure if you do.

We side with Gigabyte on a home PC that works, with one exception: take an update when the maker marks it as critical or a security fix and offers it through its own app. Beyond that, a good reason to update is a bug the release notes actually name, or a new processor your board needs support for. Leave it alone in these cases:

You cannot find your BitLocker recovery key. HP warns that you could lose data or need to reinstall Windows.
Power is likely to fail. On a desktop in a place with regular cuts, wait for a stable supply or a UPS.
You are not certain the file matches your exact model. HP says the wrong BIOS can stop the computer working.
It is a work computer. HP’s advice is to ask your IT service, and we agree.

You often cannot go back afterwards. ASUS does not allow downgrades through its tools, and Dell may block them once a version contains critical security fixes.

If a game or Windows told you to update

Call of Duty is behind many of these searches. Black Ops 7, Warzone and Modern Warfare 4 need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on PC, and Activision’s page says those are usually settings to switch on in the BIOS. An update comes into it only if you are still prompted after enabling them, or if its checker asks for one, so try the settings first.

Windows has a related reason. The Secure Boot certificates issued in 2011 have started to expire, and Microsoft says most home PCs get the replacements through Windows Update. To see where yours stands, open Windows Security > Device security > Secure Boot. Only the hardware or firmware limitation message sends you to the maker.

Before you start

Back up anything you cannot lose. ASUS and Dell both ask for this.
Find your BitLocker key, then search Windows for Manage BitLocker and choose Suspend protection. Dell warns that otherwise Windows will ask for the key at the next restart.
Connect the charger and leave it connected.
Close your apps. HP also says to turn off antivirus for the duration.
Read the release notes on the maker’s page.

Do you need a USB drive?

Usually not on a laptop. Lenovo, HP, Dell and ASUS can all update most of their laptops from inside Windows, so you need a USB drive mainly if Windows will not start. Windows Update can also offer firmware on Dell and MSI laptops, under Advanced options > Optional updates. Desktop motherboards usually do need one, formatted as FAT32, because their flash tools run from the BIOS screen.

Lenovo

Open the Vantage app and click Device > System Update, then follow the prompts if a UEFI BIOS package is listed. Otherwise, go to pcsupport.lenovo.com, select your computer, and install the BIOS package from there, following its readme. Lenovo warns that the screen can go blank during memory retraining while lights blink on Esc, F1 and F4. Do not press the power button: wait a few minutes for the logo. A T14s readme also says you must restart or fully shut down to finish the update.

HP

Open HP Support Assistant, version 8 or later. On the My Dashboard tab, find your computer, click Updates and install what it lists. The manual route starts at HP’s software and driver downloads: find your product, select BIOS, read the Details section to confirm the update applies, download it and run the file, then choose Update and Restart Now. HP says the computer may beep, flash its screen or blink its power light, and that this is normal. For the product details, press Fn+Esc on the notebook to open HP System Information.

Dell

Dell recommends SupportAssist for most people. Windows Update can offer the BIOS too, or you can download the file from Dell’s support site using your Service Tag and run it in Windows. If Windows will not start, use a USB drive: copy the file to a FAT32 drive, restart, press F12 at the splash screen, choose Other Options if shown, then BIOS Flash Update. Select the file, and do not turn the computer off or pull the drive out while it runs.

ASUS laptops

Open MyASUS and click System Update, then install BIOS Update for Windows or BIOS Installer for Windows if it appears. If the tab or the item is missing, your model does not support this, and you need EZ Flash:

Download the BIOS for your model from ASUS’s download centre, extract it, and copy it to a USB drive.
With the laptop off, hold F2 and press the power button. Release F2 when the BIOS screen appears.
Press F7 for Advanced Mode, and open ASUS Firmware Update or ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility.
Select the file and confirm.

ASUS motherboards

Copy the BIOS file to a FAT32 USB drive, press Del or F2 at the ASUS logo, press F7 for Advanced Mode, then open the Tool page and select ASUS EZ Flash. EZ Flash is for Intel 800 series and newer boards and takes the file still zipped. Older Intel and AMD boards use EZ Flash 3 with the extracted file. Some boards also have USB BIOS FlashBack, which updates with the PC shut down but still connected to power, and can take around eight minutes.

MSI

On a motherboard, use M-FLASH. Download the file from MSI’s support site and extract it to the root of a FAT32 USB drive. Press Delete repeatedly at start-up, click M-FLASH, pick the file and confirm. Boards with a Flash BIOS Button can update with no CPU or memory fitted: rename the file MSI.ROM, put it in the USB port labelled BIOS on the rear panel, connect the 24-pin and CPU power cables, then press the button.

On an MSI laptop, look in Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates for Micro-Star International Firmware. Otherwise hold Del at the MSI logo, go to Advanced > UEFI BIOS Update, and choose the file. MSI itself suggests a service centre if these steps look hard, which is unusually honest and worth taking up.

Gigabyte

Save the file from Gigabyte’s support site to a FAT32 USB drive. Press End during start-up, or F8 inside BIOS Setup, to open Q-Flash, then choose the file. On boards with Q-Flash Plus, rename the file gigabyte.bin, insert the drive in the Q-Flash Plus port, and press the button on the board. @BIOS does the job from Windows, but with antivirus and everything else running in the background we would use Q-Flash.

Microsoft Surface

Surface firmware comes through Windows Update, including optional driver updates, and you can check from the Surface app under Help & support. Microsoft’s firmware page also has manual downloads by model.

What each maker says about power and failure

Maker	Power rule	If the update fails
Lenovo	AC adapter or a battery above 25% (T14s readme). Do not press power during a blank screen.	The guides above give no self-recovery steps, so contact Lenovo.
HP	Power cord connected throughout. Do not turn off or restart.	It tries automatic recovery. If not, hold Windows+B at power-on until about 8 beeps, (Windows+V on some models), or build a recovery USB on a second PC. Sure Start models repair themselves and do not support the manual routes.
Dell	Stay on AC, never battery alone. Its guide says charge to 10%, its troubleshooting says 50%, so use 50%.	Hold Ctrl+Esc at power-on until the recovery screen shows. On a laptop, unplug, hold the keys, then plug in. A USB recovery uses a file named BIOS_IMG.rcv.
ASUS	Battery at 20% or above and plugged in. Do not force a shutdown.	Motherboards with USB BIOS FlashBack can recover without booting. Laptops: contact ASUS.
MSI	Do not cut power or remove the USB drive. On laptops, do not touch keys or plug in devices either.	Stuck progress bar: wait 3 to 5 minutes, then contact MSI. Flash BIOS Button boards can be refreshed without a CPU. MSI warns that cutting power here can damage the BIOS chip.
Gigabyte	Do not turn off, restart or remove the USB drive.	Boards with DualBIOS keep a backup that takes over if the main BIOS is corrupted. Otherwise Gigabyte says to contact your supplier.
Surface	Battery at 40% or above, connected to power.	Microsoft’s firmware page gives no recovery steps, so contact Surface support.

In every case, resist holding the power button while the screen looks dead. Makers warn that this is normal for some updates, and forcing it off is the way to turn a slow update into a failed one.

After the update

Run msinfo32 again and confirm the new version. Turn BitLocker protection and your antivirus back on. Then check any BIOS settings you rely on, since an update can reset them: one XPS 13 owner on Dell’s forum found Fn Lock had unticked itself, which is one of the settings covered under disabling the Fn key in Windows.

How to Update BIOS, and When You Should Leave It Alone