How to Update ASRock BIOS

BIOS/UEFI is your system firmware. It is a low-level software interface that facilitates communication between hardware and OS.

If your system does not detect some hardware components or a recently released BIOS update has added some new functionality, then you may want to update the BIOS version.

ASRock provides two ways to install those updates – utilities Instant Flash And UpdateCapsule to update from Windows.

Before You Begin

Before updating the BIOS, it is important to make sure that the upgrade is really necessary. Some valid reasons include:

If your system is running fine and there’s no real reason to update, then you should stick with the current BIOS version for now. There’s no point risking the potential problems a new version might cause.

But if you have a valid reason to update, keep a few things in mind before proceeding:

Make sure the BIOS update is not interrupted as it may damage your motherboard. A backup power source such as a UPS can help with this. Download the update file from the official source and use the official method to update the BIOS as we have done in this article. There is no guarantee that third party flashing tools are safe. It is also important to make sure the files download completely without interruption as corrupted files can result in failed updates, or even a damaged motherboard in the worst case.

Check Motherboard Model & BIOS Version

You will need the motherboard model name to search for available BIOS updates. It’s also a good idea to look at the current BIOS version for comparison.

Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. On the System Summary page, check the entries BIOS Version/Date And Baseboard product.

As you can see, I use Z370M-ITX/ac board. The firmware version is P1.50installed on 16/11/2017.

Check BIOS Versions Available Online

Open ASRock Support page and look for your motherboard model. Several versions of the model (game, pro, mini, etc.) may be listed there, so make sure you find an exact match.

On the motherboard product page, expand Support > BIOS.

Available BIOS updates for your motherboard will be listed here, sorted by version. If you’re not sure which update to install, read the description. Major changes such as additional features or compatibility improvements should be listed there.

Some updates are non-revertible, meaning you won’t be able to flash an old BIOS version after updating. Others may require a specific OS version (e.g., Windows 10 RS3 or earlier). Those warnings and instructions will be listed in the description section, so it’s important to read everything carefully.

Once you’ve selected an update to install, we recommend using it Instant Flash to update the BIOS. UpdateCapsule is a decent alternative if you want to update directly from Windows.

Either way, if you click the method hyperlink, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for your chosen method. If you find the steps there confusing, you can follow our guide instead.

Download files from hyperlinks Global and continue with the steps from the appropriate section below.

Method 1: Instant Flash

Instant Flash is ASRock’s proprietary BIOS flashing utility. You must move the update file to a USB and select this USB with Instant Flash to update the BIOS.

Connect the USB drive to your PC and format it as FAT32. Right click the downloaded zip file and select it Extract all. Move the extracted ROM file to USB. Reboot your PC and press F2 or Del as shown on the screen to enter BIOS Setup. On some motherboards, you can also press F6 to directly access Instant Flash. Choose Instant Flash from menus Tool. Instant Flash will list all compatible BIOS versions. Select the BIOS version to flash and click Yes. The system will flash the BIOS now. Make sure the process is not interrupted. When finished, press Ok to reboot the system. On reboot, press F2/Del to enter BIOS Setup again. Switch to the Exit menu and select Load UEFI DefaultsThen Save Changes and Exit. You will boot with the new BIOS when you restart.

Method 2: UpdateCapsule

Windows supports the firmware update service as a driver package using the UEFI UpdateCapsule function. The upside is that you can install updates directly from Windows, and the process is mostly automated.

The downside is that this method is only supported on certain boards and requires a certain OS version (Windows 10 Version 1709 or earlier in my case).

If your board and OS are supported, you can follow the steps listed below to update BIOS with this method:

Right click the downloaded zip file and select it Extract all > Extract. Launch the extracted ASROM application and accept the command to continue. The system will prompt you to reboot after loading the capsule into a secure memory buffer. Insert Y At the moment. After restarting, the BIOS update will start automatically. After the update is complete, the PC will restart again. Press F2/Del to enter BIOS Setup when this happens. Switch to the Exit menu and select Load UEFI DefaultsThen Save Changes and Exit. You will boot with an updated BIOS when you restart.