Every computer’s motherboard has a BIOS manufacturer so if neither of the below BIOS resources help,

BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Computer Systems
BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Popular Motherboards

then this list of BIOS access keyboard commands based on the original BIOS manufacturer should get you in without a problem.

As your computer boots up, look for one of the following BIOS manufacturer’s names to flash on the screen. The BIOS manufacturer name usually appears as a logo in the top-left corner or as text at the very bottom of the screen.

After verifying the creator of the BIOS on your system, reference the following list and use the appropriate keyboard command to access the BIOS setup utility.

AMI (American Megatrends) - AMIBIOS, AMI BIOS

• Press Del when after powering on the computer.
• Some older motherboards that use AMIBIOS may prompt for the F1 or F2 key instead.

Award Software (now part of Phoenix Technologies) – AwardBIOS, Award BIOS

• Press the Del key to enter the BIOS Setup Utility on nearly all AwardBIOS powered motherboards.
• Some older systems using Award’s BIOS software asked for Ctrl+Alt+Esc to enter BIOS.

DTK (Datatech Enterprises) – DTK BIOS

• Press the Esc key to enter BIOS, right after powering on the PC.

Microid Research – MR BIOS

• Press F1 to access the BIOS setup utility.

Phoenix Technologies – Phoenix BIOS, Phoenix-Award BIOS

• Press Del during the Power On Self Test, immediately after the computer starts.
• Many older Phoenix BIOS systems required Ctrl+Alt+Esc, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, or Ctrl+Alt+S to access BIOS.

If you’re still having troubles entering BIOS or can’t figure out what company supplied the BIOS on your motherboard, here are some keyboard commands you might want to randomly try in addition to the any of the ones listed above:

• F3
• F4
• F10
• F12
• Tab
• Ctrl+Alt+F3
• Ctrl+Alt+Del
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Del (using Del from the keypad)
• Ctrl+Insert
• Ctrl+Shift+Esc
• Fn+[any "F" function key] (on some laptops)

The list of BIOS access keyboard commands on this page is a work in progress so any input from you would be very helpful. If you have any BIOS access information for any other BIOS manufacturer or if you find a mistake, please let me know so I can keep this popular listing up to date!

Getting in to the BIOS setup utility on your motherboard should be easy, right? If you’ve tried the basic steps for accessing your motherboard’s BIOS and haven’t been successful – don’t worry. This list of keyboard commands to enter BIOS should be of some help.

If you have a computer system from a major manufacturer like Dell, Gateway, etc. then my BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Computer Systems list will probably be of more help.

This list of BIOS access keyboard commands is a work in progress so any input from you would be greatly appreciated! If you have any additional information on BIOS access for a motherboard (listed here or not) or if you find a mistake in this list, please let me know.

abit – ab9, an7, an8, av8, aw9d, be6, bh6, ic7, in9, ip35, kn8, kn9, etc.

• Press Del while the PRESS DEL TO ENTER SETUP message is displayed to access the BIOS setup utility.

ASRock – 4coredual, 775dual, 939dual, k7s41gx, p4v88, k7vm3, etc.

• Press F2 right after the computer starts up.

ASUS – p5b, a7v600, a7v8x, a8n, a8v, k8v, m2n, p5k, p5n, etc.

• Press Del right after starting the computer to enter BIOS.

BFG - 680i, 8800gtx, 6800gt, 7600gt, 7800gs, 7950gt, etc.

• Press Del when the …enter setup message briefly displays at the bottom of the screen after powering on the computer.

BIOSTAR – 6100, 550, 7050, 965pt, k8m800, p4m80, ta690g, tf7050, etc.

• Press the Del key while the full screen logo is showing on screen, immediately after starting the computer.

DFI – LANParty Ultra, Expert, Infinity 975x, NF3, NF4, cfx3200, p965, rs482, etc.

• Press the Del key when the Press DEL to enter setup message appears, immediately after the memory test.

ECS Elitegroup – k7s5a, k7vta3, 741gx, 755-a2, 945p, c51gm, gf7100pvt, p4m800, etc.

• Press either the Del or F1 key to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.

EVGA – 790i, 780i, 750i, 680i, 650i, e-7150/630i, e-7100/630i, 590, etc.

• Enter BIOS by pressing Del immediately after powering on the computer.

Foxconn - c51xem2aa, 6150bk8mc, 6150bk8ma, c51gu01, etc.

• Press Del to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.

GIGABYTE – ds3, p35, 965p, dq6, ds3r, k8ns, etc.

• Press Del during POST, right after the computer is turned on.

Intel – d101ggc, d815eea, d845, d850gb, d865glc, d875pbz, d945gccr, d946gtp, d975xbx, etc.

• Press F2 during the initial boot process to enter the BIOS setup utility.

JetWay – jm26gt3, ha04, j7f3e, hi03, ji31gm3, jp901dmp, 775gt1-loge, etc.

• Enter BIOS setup by powering on the computer and pressing Del immediately.

Mach Speed – Viper, Matrix, pm800, 917gbag, v6dp, s755max, etc.

• Press Del after the boot process begins to enter the BIOS configuration utility.

MSI (Micro-Star) - k8n, k9n, p965, 865pe, 975x, k7n2, k9a2, k8t neo, p7n, p35, x48, x38, etc.

• Press Del while the Press DEL to enter SETUP message displays on screen after powering on the computer.

PCChips – m810lr, m811, m848a, p23g, p29g, p33g, etc.

• Press Del or F1 to enter the BIOS utility.

SAPPHIRE – PURE CrossFire 3200, a9rd580Adv, a9rs480, CrossFireX 770 & 790FX, PURE Element 690V, etc.

• Press Del after powering on to get into BIOS.

Shuttle – “bare bones” and motherboards including ak31, ak32, an35n, sn25p, ai61, sd37p2, sd39p2, etc.

• Press Del or Ctrl+Alt+Esc at the Press DEL to enter SETUP message that appears right after turning on the computer.

Super Micro – c2sbx, c2sbm, pdsba, pdsm4, pdsmi, p8sc8, p4sbe, etc.

• Press the Del key at any time during the boot process.

TYAN – Tomcat, Trinity, Thunder, Tiger, Tempest, Tahoe, Tachyon, Transport and Bigby motherboards including K8WE, S1854, S2895, MP S2460, MPX S2466, K8W S2885, S2895, S2507, etc.

• After starting the system, press the Del or F4 key to start the BIOS setup utility.

XFX – nForce 500 Series, 600 Series, 700 Series, etc.

• Press Del during the boot process, immediately after the computer is turned on.

If you still can’t determine what the keyboard commands are to access BIOS for your motherboard, my BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Major BIOS Manufacturers list should come in handy.

Having trouble getting in to 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, trust me when I say you’re not alone.

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

This list of BIOS access keyboard commands is a work in progress – meaning I need your help! If you have any additional BIOS access information to pass on or if you find a mistake, please let me know.

Acer – Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos

• Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.
• 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 to access 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, 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 to enter BIOS.
• 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 screen.
• Other eMachine computers may use F2 to enter BIOS.

Fujitsu – LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower

• Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway – DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro

• Press the F1 key repeatedly after restarting the computer.
• Some older Gateway computers use F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) – Pavilion, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet

• Press the F1 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.

IBM – PC, XT, AT

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

Lenovo (formerly IBM) – ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

• Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.
• Older Lenovo products allow access to BIOS 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 to enter BIOS.

Sharp – Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

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

Shuttle – Glamor G-Series, D’vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini 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

• Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.

The following companies are either closed for business or no longer manufacture or support mainstream computers systems so verifying the following BIOS access information is nearly impossible. I have included what I could dig up for anyone who might be interested:

ARI / ALR / AST (Advantage) – Press the Ctrl+Alt+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del keys.

Cybermax – Press the Esc key.

Tandon – Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.