When it comes to booting an operating system on a computer, one of the most essential pieces of software you can use is the UEFI. In fact, a lot of users now prefer to use UEFI instead of BIOS. It also depends on whether the UEFI or the BIOS is supported on the motherboard. Recently, a number of users reported an issue with UEFI where they were unable to find it under the Advanced Options screen where it’s supposed to be located.
The missing UEFI Firmware settings in the Advanced Options could be caused by several reasons. It is possible that the access to the UEFI menu is blocked or it could also be due to the Extra Fast Startup feature being enabled. It is also possible that the operating system is installed in Legacy mode.
There are several options to try to fix this issue. You need to check if your computer supports UEFI or you could also try to disable Fast Startup or bypass the Extra Fast Startup feature. You can also use a boot to UEFI shortcut as well as check the CMOS battery.
Option 1 – Try checking if your computer supports UEFI
The first thing you have to do is to verify if your computer supports UEFI. If your computer does not support UEFI, then it’s no wonder why you don’t see the UEFI Firmware settings in the Advanced Options.
Option 2 – Try turning off Fast Startup
- First, boot your computer in Safe Mode.
- Once your computer is booted in Safe Mode, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type in “control” to open the Control Panel.
- Next, click on the Hardware and Sound section and click on Power Options.
- Afterward, select the “Choose what the power buttons do” option from the left side menu pane.
- Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck the entry that says, “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)”.
- Then click on Save Changes and restart your computer and see if it has fixed the problem or not.
Option 3 – Try bypassing the Extra Fast Startup feature
As mentioned, the missing UEFI Firmware settings could be due to the Extra Fast Startup feature. To fix it, you have to disable this feature. All you have to do is tap and hold the Shift key and click on the Shutdown button from the Start button. This will boot your PC with the UEFI booting from the beginning and then use the hotkey for your motherboard to boot into the UEFI setup.
Option 4 – Try using a boot to UEFI shortcut
- Right-click on any empty space on your Desktop and select New > Shortcut.
- This will open a new mini window. And here, you have to type this in the text field: shutdown /r /fw
- After that, click on Next and name the desktop shortcut and then click on Finish.
- Next, right-click on the newly created shortcut and select Properties.
- Click on the Advanced button and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- Now click OK to save the changes made. Each time you execute this shortcut, your computer will automatically be booted to the UEFI Firmware Settings.
Option 5 – Try to check the CMOS battery
Another thing you can do is check the CMOS battery physically on the motherboard and see if it has to be replaced since a damaged CMOS battery can also cause the issue with the missing UEFI Firmware settings.
Option 6 – Set your computer from Legacy to UEFI
If applicable, you can try to set your computer from Legacy to UEFI to resolve the problem.
- In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- After that, execute this command: mbr2gpt.exe /convert /allowfullOS
- Now, wait until the process is completed since you can track its process on your screen.
- Once it’s done, go to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Startup options and from there, click on Restart Now. This will restart your computer and give you advanced options.
- Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options where you will see further options including System Restore, Startup Repair, Go back to the previous version, Command Prompt, System Image Recovery, and UEFI Firmware Settings.
- Now select the UEFI Firmware Settings. This will take you to the BIOS. Boot Mode is typically available under Boot > Boot Configuration. Once you’re there, set it to UEFI and then save the changes you’ve made. After that, your computer will restart.