How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

Overwhelming majority of Dell computers are set up the internal hard disk drive or SSD as the first boot drive today, but sometimes you may need to boot from CD in Dell laptop, or a DVD/USB flash drive, to troubleshoot your computer, run offline programs or upgrade Windows operating system. Before you do that, it’s essential to change the boot order to CD/USB on Dell first, so here we will show you how to set boot priority in Dell Inspiron, Latitude, OptiPlex, XPS and others.

The BIOS setup utility is where you can manage Dell boot sequences. The access to BIOS varies from Legacy BIOS and UEFI BIOS or both on your PC. To check the BIOS mode you are using in Dell computer, a quick tip is to press Win + R and type msinfo32 to open System Summary.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

Part 1: How to Change Dell Boot Order with Legacy BIOS on Windows 7/8/8.1/10
Part 2: How to Set Boot Order in Dell Laptop with UEFI BIOS on Preinstalled Windows 8/8.1/10

Part 1: How to Change Dell Boot Order with Legacy BIOS on Windows 7/8/8.1/10

This method applies to all Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1/10 upgraded from Windows 7.

1. Restart your Dell computer and press the setup key to run BIOS setup as soon as manufacturer logo appearing. Do it quickly or you will miss the chance to change boot sequences in Dell laptop/desktop. The common keys are F2, F12, Del, ESC, but you may expect a slight difference between Dell series. Just follow the on-screen instructions.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

2. Wait for a while to enter Legacy BIOS setup utility. Similarly, the layout differs from Dell Inspiron, Latitude, XPS, etc., but the operations are much the same. Use the Arrow key to select Boot from the menu bar and hit Enter to open sub-menu.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

3. All bootable devices supported by you Dell computer will be listed when scrolling down Boot Device Priority. Check the specific deice you want boot Dell from and use +/- to stick it to the first place.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

4. Press F10 to save and exit BISO setup utility. Restart your Dell and it will automatically choose to boot up from the device you selected.

Part 2: How to Set Boot Order in Dell Laptop with UEFI BIOS on Preinstalled Windows 8/8.1/10

With Windows 8 and later, Dell and other computers are gradually replacing the traditional BIOS with advanced UEFI firmware. Unlike the method in part 1, UEFI BIOS can’t be accessed by pressing key. You have to restart Windows 8/8.1/10 Dell in a special way. Here is what you need to do to enable boot from USB option with UEFI Boot Mode on Dell.

1. Go to Settings > General on your Windows 8/8.1/10 Dell computer. Select Restart now under Advanced startup.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

2. Choose Troubleshoot on advanced recovery options screen. Then hit UEFI Firmware Settings.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

3. Click Restart to get into UEFI Setup Utility.

4. Disable Secure Boot in the Boot Options screen and change UEFI boot order on Dell Motherboard.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

5. Press F10 to save and exit.

6. Shut down your computer and start it again to boot Dell from CD/DVD/USB drive.

Tip: 1. You can hold the Shift button and click Restart to quickly enter Advanced Options.
2. If your boot mode is set to Legacy and UEFI BIOS at the same time, you will be given Legacy Options and UEFI Options. Just pick one to change Dell laptop BIOS boot order as you like.

The Bottom Line

Wrongly changing the boot order in Dell may lead to malfunction of your computer, such as Dell can’t boot with blue/black screen of death, computer keeps restarting process and can’t find the bootable device you just selected. You won’t worry too much if you have Windows Boot Genius on hand. With it you can easily repair Dell computer crashes by yourself even if you have zero knowledge about computers. Go to check how to rescue computer blue/black screen, freeze, and crashes now.

How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?

Your system supports both UEFI Boot Mode and Legacy BIOS Boot Mode.


Note -  The operating system can only boot with the boot mode property value that was initially set at installation. If you change the boot mode property value after installing the operating system, the operating system will become inoperable (will not boot). To resolve this issue, you must change the boot mode property value back to its initial setting.

To view or set the target boot mode on your server using the BIOS Setup Utility, follow these steps:

  1. Access the BIOS Setup Utility.
    1. Boot the system.

      Boot messages scroll across the console screen.

    2. Press the F2 key (or Ctrl +E from a serial terminal) continuously.

      The BIOS Setup Utility main screen appears.

  2. From the BIOS Main menu screen, select Boot.
  3. From the Boot screen, select UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode, and press Enter.

    The UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode dialog box appears.


    Note -  You cannot configure the boot order list after switching the boot mode. A system reboot is required to properly populate the boot order list with devices that support the chosen boot mode.

    How do I change my Dell boot mode from Legacy to UEFI?
  4. Use the up and down arrows to select Legacy BIOS Boot Mode or UEFI Boot Mode, and then press Enter.
  5. To save the changes and exit the screen, press F10.

See Also

Why can't I change from Legacy to UEFI?

UEFI is supported only on 64-bit Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10 Editions and since the Windows 10 version 1607 you cannot use the UEFI advantages (if your mainboard supports it), without having to reinstall Windows from scratch, because the UEFI uses the GUID Partition table (GPT), instead of the Legacy BIOS which uses the MBR ...

What happens if I change Legacy to UEFI?

With UEFI, you get faster boot times (ostensibly), higher drive capacities, better update methods and driver support, and a 64-bit mode (where BIOS is only 16-bit). In other words, switching to UEFI is a bit of an upgrade and worth doing.

How to convert Legacy to UEFI Windows 10?

Windows 10 Creators Update x64 (Version 1703, Build 10.0. 15063) or later. A computer able to boot UEFI. In the BIOS setup..
Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges..
Issue the following command: mbr2gpt.exe /convert /allowfullOS..
Shut down and boot into your BIOS..
Change your settings to UEFI mode..

Does Dell use UEFI or BIOS?

Modern Dell computers are shipped with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). BIOS or UEFI acts as an interface between the computer's hardware and the operating system.