How to Access BIOS on Lenovo Laptop

Your Lenovo laptop has a settings screen that runs before Windows, and sooner or later you will need it: to boot from a USB stick, change the startup order, check whether a drive is detected, or fix the way the function keys behave. That screen is the BIOS setup utility, called UEFI on newer machines, and Lenovo gives you more ways into it than most brands. The catch is that the right key depends on which Lenovo family you own, and the window to press it can close in a couple of seconds.

This guide covers every route Lenovo itself documents. There is the function key at startup, the small Novo button fitted to many IdeaPad and Yoga models, two routes that start inside Windows 10 or Windows 11, and a one line command for people who go into the BIOS often. Work through the methods in order and one of them will fit your machine and your situation, whether Windows still boots normally or will not start at all.

Quick Answer: On most Lenovo laptops, shut the machine down, turn it on, and tap F2 repeatedly as soon as the Lenovo logo appears (use Fn + F2 if hotkey mode is on). On a ThinkPad, tap F1 instead, or press Enter at the logo and then F1. If the key window keeps slipping past, use the Novo button if your model has one, or go through Windows: Settings > System > Recovery > Restart now, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart.

Which BIOS Method Should You Use?

The five methods below all end at the same setup screen. They differ in what they need: a working keyboard at the right second, a physical button, or a Windows desktop that still loads. Pick yours from this table before you start shutting things down.

First, Work Out Which Key Your Lenovo Uses

Lenovo sells several laptop families, and they do not all share one BIOS key. Getting this right first saves you several rounds of restarting and guessing.

IdeaPad, Yoga, Legion, and most consumer Lenovo laptops use F2. Lenovo’s own user guides for these machines, the Legion guides included, give the same instruction: turn on or restart the computer, and when the Lenovo logo appears, press F2 repeatedly. Most of these models also carry the Novo button covered in Method 2, which reaches the same place without any timing.

ThinkPad models use F1. Lenovo’s ThinkPad instructions say to power on and repeatedly tap F1 when the Lenovo or ThinkPad logo appears. ThinkPads add a second chance: pressing Enter at the logo can bring up the Startup Interrupt Menu, and pressing F1 at that menu opens the BIOS. If you are comparing brands on the same desk, note that other makers pick different keys entirely, which is why our guide to how to access BIOS on an ASUS laptop starts from a different key again.

The Fn question matters as much as the key itself. Many Lenovo laptops ship with hotkey mode turned on, which means the top row acts as media keys first: brightness, volume, and so on. On those machines the BIOS key is Fn + F2 (or Fn + F1 on a ThinkPad), because a plain F2 press only triggers the media function. Lenovo’s own guidance offers a visual clue: if the F1 to F12 labels on your keyboard are printed in orange or blue, the Fn key is needed to reach the function keys; if they are printed in white, it usually is not. Model details vary, so if one version of the key does nothing, try the other before you assume the method has failed.

Method 1: Press the Function Key at Startup

This is the route Lenovo calls the recommended one, and it works on every Lenovo laptop as long as you catch the right moment. The whole method is about the first few seconds after the power button.

1. Save your work and shut the laptop down completely. Use Start > Power > Shut down, not Sleep or Hibernate, because the key window only appears on a real startup.
2. Press the power button to turn the laptop on.
3. The moment the screen lights up and the Lenovo logo appears, start tapping your BIOS key repeatedly: F2 on IdeaPad, Yoga, Legion, and consumer models, Fn + F2 if hotkey mode is on, and F1 (or Fn + F1) on a ThinkPad. Tap it several times a second rather than holding it down.
4. On a ThinkPad, you can also press Enter when the logo shows. If a message about pressing Enter to interrupt normal startup appears, the Startup Interrupt Menu opens; press F1 there to enter the BIOS setup utility.
5. The BIOS setup screen opens. If Windows loads instead, you missed the window. Shut down and try again, tapping earlier and faster.

One variation is worth knowing if a normal shutdown keeps defeating you. On a ThinkPad, Lenovo suggests holding the Shift key while you select Shut Down in Windows. That forces a full shutdown rather than the hybrid shutdown Windows normally performs, and the Enter key interrupt then works at the next power on. Fast startup causes exactly this class of problem, and the troubleshooting section below deals with it in full.

Method 2: Use the Novo Button on IdeaPad and Yoga Models

Many IdeaPad and Yoga laptops have a second, much smaller power button that most owners never notice. Lenovo calls it the Novo button, and it exists to open a startup menu without any key timing at all. It is a small button or a pinhole marked with a backwards arrow icon that looks like an upside down U. Lenovo places it on the side of the machine or next to the power button, and the exact spot changes from model to model.

1. Shut the laptop down completely.
2. Find the Novo button. Check both side edges and the area around the power button for the small arrow icon. If it is a pinhole type, you will need the tip of an unfolded paper clip or a similar thin object.
3. With the laptop still off, press the Novo button once. For a pinhole, press gently with the paper clip until you feel a click.
4. The laptop turns on by itself and shows the Novo Button Menu instead of starting Windows.
5. Use the arrow keys to select BIOS Setup and press Enter. The BIOS setup utility opens.

The menu also offers Normal Startup, Boot Menu, and System Recovery. Boot Menu is the one to pick when you only want to start from a USB drive once, without changing any settings. System Recovery starts Lenovo’s OneKey Recovery environment, which is the road to a factory reset; if you ever go down that road, it helps to know beforehand how long a factory reset takes so you can plan around it.

Not every Lenovo has this button. Lenovo’s own support pages note that the location varies and that some models do not have one at all, and the button has become less common on the newest thin models. If a careful look along both edges and around the power button finds nothing, your model almost certainly does not have one. The troubleshooting section explains what to do in that case, and Methods 3 to 5 below need nothing but Windows.

Method 3: Enter BIOS From Windows Settings (Advanced Startup)

Modern Lenovo laptops start so quickly that the logo can be gone before your finger reaches the key. This method removes the timing problem entirely, because Windows itself restarts the machine straight into the firmware settings. It is Lenovo’s documented route for both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and it works on any Lenovo that boots to a desktop.

1. Open Settings. In Windows 11, go to System > Recovery. In Windows 10, go to Update & Security > Recovery.
2. Find the Advanced startup section and click Restart now. Save anything you are working on first, because the laptop restarts immediately.
3. The laptop reboots to a blue screen titled Choose an option. Click Troubleshoot.
4. Click Advanced options.
5. Click UEFI Firmware Settings.
6. Click Restart. The laptop reboots directly into the BIOS setup utility, with no key pressing at all.

If UEFI Firmware Settings is missing from the Advanced options list, the machine is most likely starting in the older legacy boot mode rather than UEFI mode, and there is no firmware entry for Windows to hand over to. Lenovo makes the same point in its own instructions: a computer without UEFI boot will not show the option, and the function key at startup is the way in instead. Very old Lenovo laptops can behave this way, so treat a missing option as information, not a fault.

Method 4: Hold Shift and Click Restart

This is the shortcut version of Method 3. It reaches the same blue recovery screen without opening Settings first, and it has one extra advantage: it works from the Windows sign in screen, so it still works when you cannot actually sign in.

1. Open the Start menu and click the Power icon. On the sign in screen, click the Power icon in the bottom corner instead.
2. Hold down the Shift key and, while still holding it, click Restart.
3. Keep holding Shift until the blue Choose an option screen appears, then let go.
4. Click Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then UEFI Firmware Settings.
5. Click Restart and the BIOS setup utility opens.

Lenovo documents this route in its desktop and laptop BIOS instructions, and it is often the quickest fix for a laptop that boots too fast for Method 1. It is also the method to talk a family member through over the phone, because every step is a click rather than a split second key press.

Method 5: Use the Command Prompt Shortcut

If you open the BIOS regularly, or you are setting up several machines, one command gets you there faster than any menu clicking. Microsoft documents a switch for the Windows shutdown command that sends the next restart straight to the firmware interface.

1. Click Start, type cmd, right click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator. The command needs administrator rights, so this step is not optional.
2. Type shutdown /r /fw /t 0 and press Enter.
3. Windows restarts right away and opens the BIOS setup utility instead of loading Windows.

The parts of the command are simple: /r restarts the machine, /fw tells it to boot into the firmware user interface, and /t 0 removes the usual waiting period. Run shutdown /a in a fresh Command Prompt window during the countdown if you set a longer timer and then change your mind. Just like the Settings route, this relies on UEFI firmware, so a legacy mode machine will not respond to it the same way.

What You Can Change Once You Are in the BIOS

Reaching the setup screen is only half the job, so here is a short orientation before the troubleshooting section. Lenovo describes the BIOS as the place to adjust the date and time, review the hardware configuration, set wireless and hotkey functions, and adjust the power on startup process. In practice, most visits are for one of four things: checking that a drive or memory is recognised, changing the boot order so the laptop starts from a USB drive or a different disk, turning a device such as the wireless card on or off, and changing how the function keys behave.

To move around, use the arrow keys to switch tabs and select items, and Enter to open a setting. Two keys are worth memorising before you change anything. F9 restores the default settings in most Lenovo setup utilities, which is your safety net if a change causes a problem. F10 saves your changes and exits, and the laptop then restarts with the new settings in place. Choosing to exit without saving discards whatever you touched, which is the right choice when you only went in to look.

The hotkey mode setting lives here, on the Configuration tab of most IdeaPad, Yoga, and Legion models: look for Hotkey Mode and set it to Enabled or Disabled. With hotkey mode disabled, the top row works as standard F1 to F12 keys, which also means a plain F2 press opens the BIOS at startup from then on. ThinkPads manage the same choice from their own Config menus, and the wording can differ a little by model. Brand differences like this are normal rather than a fault in your machine; Dell, for instance, buries its version of the setting in a different place again, as our walkthrough of how to enable function keys on a Dell laptop shows.

Change one thing at a time, write down what you altered, and leave settings you do not recognise alone. Most BIOS options are safe to look at and a few, such as anything under the Security tab involving passwords, deserve the caution covered in the last troubleshooting item below.

Troubleshooting: When the BIOS Will Not Open

If none of the methods above have worked yet, do not keep restarting at random. The failure almost always has one of four causes: the key press itself, Windows fast startup, a model without a Novo button, or a password standing guard. Match your symptom to the fixes below.

The BIOS key is not working

Work through these in order, because the first two solve most cases. First, check your timing and technique. The key must be tapped repeatedly from the moment the screen lights up, not pressed once and not held down, and a restart from inside Windows gives you a cleaner attempt than waking from sleep. If Windows has been sleeping or hibernating, shut it down fully before trying again.

Second, try the other form of the key. If you have been tapping F2, try Fn + F2; if you have been holding Fn, try the plain key. Hotkey mode decides which one the machine listens for, and it is the single most common reason a Lenovo ignores its BIOS key. The printed colour of the F1 to F12 labels is your clue, as explained earlier: orange or blue printing points to Fn being required, white printing points to it not being required.

Third, remember the model split. A ThinkPad wants F1, and it also accepts the two step route of Enter at the logo followed by F1 at the Startup Interrupt Menu, which gives you a longer moment to react than a single key window. Fourth, if the laptop has a Novo button, stop fighting the keyboard and use Method 2, which does not depend on the top row at all. And if the machine shows nothing on screen and does not power on in the first place, that is a different problem from BIOS access; start with our guide to a Lenovo laptop that won’t turn on before you worry about setup keys.

Fast startup is skipping the key window

Windows fast startup is the quiet culprit behind many failed attempts. With fast startup on, a Windows shutdown is really a hybrid shutdown: the user session closes, but the system kernel is saved to disk, and the next start is a partial resume rather than a cold boot. The startup sequence runs so quickly, and skips parts of the normal power on routine, that the BIOS key window can pass before the keyboard is even ready. Lenovo’s ThinkPad instructions acknowledge this directly and offer two workarounds.

The quick workaround is a full shutdown. Hold the Shift key while you click Shut down in Windows, which forces a complete shutdown for that one time. Then power on and use your key, or the Enter interrupt on a ThinkPad, as normal. The permanent fix is to turn fast startup off:

1. Open Settings and go to System, then Power & sleep, and click Additional power settings on the right. You can also open Control Panel and go straight to Power Options.
2. Click Choose what the power buttons do in the left column.
3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable at the top, so the greyed out options become editable.
4. Untick Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. Click Save changes, shut the laptop down, power it on, and tap your BIOS key at the logo.

Some Lenovo models also carry their own fast boot style option inside the BIOS that shortens the startup checks. Menu names for it vary by model and BIOS version, so if you go looking, check the Boot or Startup tab and treat anything you find there carefully, changing one setting at a time.

Your Lenovo has no Novo button

Plenty of Lenovos simply do not have one. The Novo button belongs mostly to the IdeaPad and Yoga lines, it never appears on ThinkPads, and Lenovo has dropped it from a number of newer slim models in favour of the Windows routes. Lenovo’s own advice, if you cannot find the button, is to check your model’s user guide on the Lenovo support site to confirm whether your machine has one at all, because hunting for a button that does not exist wastes everyone’s time.

The good news is that nothing about the BIOS itself is missing. A Lenovo without a Novo button still offers the function key at startup (Method 1) and, as long as Windows boots, the Settings, Shift + Restart, and command line routes in Methods 3 to 5. Between those four, the Novo button is a convenience you will rarely miss.

The BIOS asks for a password

Sometimes the method works perfectly and the BIOS still will not let you in, because a password prompt or a small padlock symbol appears instead. Lenovo’s own BIOS guidance is blunt about what that symbol means: if there is a padlock on the BIOS screen, you need the BIOS password to unlock it. On Lenovo machines this is usually a supervisor password, set by a previous owner, a school, or an employer to protect the setup utility. Typing the correct password is the only simple way through, so if the laptop came from an organisation, asking its IT department is the fastest legitimate step.

Be careful with the shortcuts you will find in search results. Lenovo states in its password documentation that if a supervisor password is forgotten, Lenovo cannot reset it. There is no backdoor code and no battery trick that clears it on modern machines, and the official remedy is to take the computer to a Lenovo service provider to have the system board replaced, which is charged work and normally needs proof of purchase. That is also why you should only set a BIOS password yourself if you are certain you will remember or safely record it.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Verdict

For most Lenovo owners, F2 at startup (or F1 on a ThinkPad) is the whole answer, and the only skill involved is tapping early and often. When the timing beats you, and it beats everyone sometimes, the Novo button is the most elegant fix on the IdeaPad and Yoga models that have one, and the Windows Advanced startup route is the most reliable fix everywhere else because it needs no timing at all. Keep fast startup in mind whenever a key seems to be ignored: on a modern Lenovo, the laptop is usually not broken, it is just starting too fast to be interrupted.