Unlocking Acer Laptop BIOS Hidden Settings

Fra, skip the life story, just tell us how to unlock the advanced BIOS!

Ok, here’s the TL;DR (for an Acer laptop):

1. Power off your laptop
2. Power on while holding fn+tab
3. Release, then spam F2 to enter BIOS You may need to set a BIOS password first

Hello again, cave dwellers!

Lately I’ve been trying this thing where, instead of doomscrolling on Reddit or Twitter before sleep, I just do something I actually like, with the goal of relaxing and getting that cozy feeling I need. It’s honestly been super good for me.

During one of these pre-sleep activities, I decided to spend time writing the second article for this blog. I had barely opened my text editor when the laptop fan, that during the day I never noticed, sounded like a jet engine in the middle of the night, instantly ruining the whole vibe.

Okay, fine, let’s fix it. Shouldn’t be a big deal, right… right?

My plan was simple: head into the BIOS and create a custom fan profile. Instead of the sudden jump from silence to full blast, I wanted a gentle increase, letting the fan start slow and gradually increase as temperatures rise.

I rebooted, pressed F2 and entered the BIOS. Time to find those fan controls.

But that’s when I discovered something unexpected…

Where is everything?

The BIOS was hiding something from me. The fan settings I was looking for? They weren’t there. USB ports, HDD, PCI boards, and other usual options were missing too…

But as any good wizard knows, just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. So let’s use some magic:

REVELIO!!!

Revelio is a Harry Potter spell that allows you to see hidden objects or information.

My first thought was that it’s impossible for a BIOS not to have these options. Maybe manufacturers just define different access levels, it already happened with something similar in the past. Usually this is unlocked by a combination of keys. So I tried googling a bit and discovered that for some Acer laptops, it’s possible to enter an advanced mode by doing:

1. Power off the laptop
2. Power on while keeping fn+tab pressed
3. As soon as it receives power, release and spam F2 to enter the BIOS

I don’t remember if this was everything required, but I believe I also had to define a BIOS password to unlock this process. The password could be whatever, it’s just maybe a required step. Can’t guarantee it though.

So, back to the process: I learned the spell, entered the BIOS, and BOOOM everything was there. All the options I wanted, except for the fan profiles. Yes, I just needed one thing, and of course it’s the only thing that’s missing.

Never mind, that was part of the fan fun (cough cough).

Time passed. It was midnight, and I needed to work the day after, but who cares? Now it’s a personal challenge, and I was eager to solve it!

Next step? Well, if I can’t control it from the BIOS, it’s OS time. But let me tell you about this part in another post, actually, we’ll need two.

Why? Because I use Linux and spoiler alert: it’s never as easy as you wish. In fact, I had to fight with Secure Boot and MOK to make it work.

But little dwellers, this is a story for tomorrow. Back to sleep now! ;)