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Dell BIOS Downgrade Step-by-Step Guide for System Rollback

Summary: Learn how to downgrade your Dell system BIOS safely. Step-by-step instructions for downloading and downgrading to a previous BIOS version Resolve issues with ease.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Table of Contents:

  1. Downgrading the System BIOS
  2. Downloading and Downgrading the System BIOS

1. Downgrading the System BIOS

Generally, while Dell does not recommend downgrading the system BIOS due to the enhancements and fixes provided in BIOS updates. Users may choose to downgrade a BIOS for various reasons, more common reasons including custom Operating System (OS) image support or enhancement requirements. Dell has made downgrading the system BIOS as simple as downloading the BIOS version wanted and following the on-screen installation wizard.

Caution: The system BIOS may get corrupted if the BIOS downgrade procedure is not completed successfully.
A corrupt BIOS is one of the possible causes of your personal computer being unable to complete POST or sometimes even boot into the operating system.
If your Dell PC supports BIOS recovery, you can recover the corrupt BIOS by using the BIOS recovery method on your Dell personal computer or tablet. See the Dell knowledge-base article BIOS Recovery options on a Dell PC or Tablet for more information.

 

Note: If troubleshooting is required to resolve a system issue, Dell Technical Support may instruct users to download and install the latest functional version of the system BIOS which will overwrite any changes that are made by the instructions set out in this article.

 

Note: System BIOS revision that addresses an Intel Security Advisory is locked to prevent rolling back to a previous version of the system BIOS.

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2. How to Download and Downgrade the System BIOS

Follow the instructions below:

  1. Browse to the Drivers & Downloads page.

  2. If you are asked to "Identify your product," then either enter your Service tag, or select "Browse for a product" to select manually.

  3. If the system shown is incorrect, click "View a different product" and again either enter your Service tag or Browse manually.

  4. If the correct system is already selected, then in the drop-down menus, choose the BIOS Category.

  5. If a different version of the BIOS is required from the one shown, click Other versions available, a box opens below.

  6. Select the required BIOS version then click Download File.

  7. Save the file to the Desktop for or a preferred location.

  8. When ready, right-click the downloaded file and select "Run as administrator," follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: If you are unable to locate the older BIOS version using this method, you can also try to find the download by navigating through the links that are located at: https://downloads.dell.com

 

Note: There are some occasions when the BIOS downgrade will not be allowed due to BIOS dependency. If you are unable to downgrade your BIOS, contact Dell Technical Support for further advice, or learn more about BIOS in our articles Flashing the BIOS from the F12 One-Time Boot Menu, or How to Recover the BIOS on a Dell Computer or Tablet, and Dell BIOS Updates

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Affected Products

Chromebox, Alienware, Dell All-in-One, Dell Pro Max Micro, Dell Pro Max Slim, Dell Pro Max Tower, Dell Pro Micro, Dell Pro Slim, Dell Pro Tower, Dell Slim, Dell Tower, Inspiron, Legacy Desktop Models, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, Chromebook , G Series, Alienware, Dell Plus, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max, Dell Pro Plus, Dell Pro Premium, Inspiron, Latitude, Dell Pro Rugged, Vostro, XPS, Legacy Laptop Models ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000130652
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 13 May 2025
Version:  11
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