Editing BIOS (section)

== Alternatives and successors ==
{{Hatnote|For comparable software on other computer systems, see [[booting]].}}

[[UEFI|Unified Extensible Firmware Interface]] (UEFI) supplements the BIOS in many new machines. Initially written for the [[Intel Itanium architecture]], UEFI is now available for [[x86]] and [[ARM architecture family|Arm]] platforms; the specification development is driven by the [[Unified EFI Forum]], an industry [[special interest group]]. EFI booting has been supported in only [[Microsoft Windows]] versions supporting [[GUID Partition Table|GPT]],<ref name="windows-gpt"/> the [[Linux kernel]] 2.6.1 and later, and [[macOS]] on [[Apple–Intel architecture|Intel-based Macs]].<ref name="intel-uefi"/> {{as of|2014}}, new PC hardware predominantly ships with UEFI firmware. The architecture of the rootkit safeguard can also prevent the system from running the user's own software changes, which makes UEFI controversial as a legacy BIOS replacement in the [[open hardware]] community. Also, [[Windows 11]] requires UEFI to boot,<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications | title = Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements {{pipe}} Microsoft | publisher=[[Microsoft]] | access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref> with the exception of IoT Enterprise editions of Windows 11.<ref name=11_IoT_req></ref> UEFI is required for devices shipping with Windows 8<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/738394/microsoft-subnet-next-gen-boot-spec-could-forever-lock-linux-off-windows-8-pcs.html | title=Next-gen boot spec could forever lock Linux off Windows 8 PCS }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2011/09/windows-8-secure-boot-will-complicate-linux-installs/ | title=Windows 8 secure boot could complicate Linux installs | date=21 September 2011 }}</ref> and above.

After the popularity of UEFI in 2010s, the older BIOS that supported [[BIOS interrupt call]]s was renamed to "legacy BIOS".{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Other alternatives to the functionality of the "Legacy BIOS" in the x86 world include [[coreboot]] and [[libreboot]].

Some servers and workstations use a platform-independent [[Open Firmware]] (IEEE-1275) based on the [[Forth (programming language)|Forth]] programming language; it is included with Sun's [[SPARC]] computers, IBM's [[RS/6000]] line, and other [[PowerPC]] systems such as the [[Common Hardware Reference Platform|CHRP]] motherboards, along with the x86-based [[OLPC XO-1]].

As of at least 2015, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] has removed legacy BIOS support from the UEFI monitor in [[Apple-Intel architecture|Intel-based Macs]]. As such, the BIOS utility no longer supports the legacy option, and prints "Legacy mode not supported on this system".

In 2017, Intel announced that it would remove legacy BIOS support by 2020. Since 2019, new Intel platform OEM PCs no longer support the legacy option.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-were-ending-all-legacy-bios-support-by-2020/ |title=Intel: We're ending all legacy BIOS support by 2020 |first=Liam |last=Tung |date=20 November 2017 |website=[[ZDNET]]}}</ref>