How to Get BIOS Information Using PowerShell

To get BIOS information using PowerShell, query the Win32_BIOS class with Get-CimInstance. It shows the manufacturer, BIOS version, release date and serial number without a restart:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS

It works without admin rights in PowerShell 7 and 5.1. Below I pick the useful properties, check UEFI and Secure Boot, query remote PCs and build an inventory report.

Get the BIOS version and serial number

Format-List with the four properties most people need gives a clean view:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS |
    Format-List -Property Manufacturer, SMBIOSBIOSVersion, ReleaseDate, SerialNumber

Output:

Manufacturer      : (manufacturer)
SMBIOSBIOSVersion : (BIOS version)
ReleaseDate       : (release date)
SerialNumber      : (serial number)

I hid my own values, because a serial number and BIOS version identify a specific computer. On your PC you’ll see the real ones. SMBIOSBIOSVersion is the number to compare with your manufacturer’s latest BIOS release.

SerialNumber is the same serial that’s on the sticker, so it’s handy for warranty lookups. Be careful where you paste it.

See every BIOS property

Win32_BIOS has more than those four. Get-Member lists them all:

$bios = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS
($bios | Get-Member -MemberType Property |
    Where-Object Name -notlike '__*' | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name) -join ', '

Output:

BiosCharacteristics, BIOSVersion, BuildNumber, Caption, CodeSet, CurrentLanguage, Description, EmbeddedControllerMajorVersion, EmbeddedControllerMinorVersion, IdentificationCode, InstallableLanguages, InstallDate, LanguageEdition, ListOfLanguages, Manufacturer, Name, OtherTargetOS, PrimaryBIOS, PSComputerName, ReleaseDate, SerialNumber, SMBIOSBIOSVersion, SMBIOSMajorVersion, SMBIOSMinorVersion, SMBIOSPresent, SoftwareElementID, SoftwareElementState, Status, SystemBiosMajorVersion, SystemBiosMinorVersion, TargetOperatingSystem, Version

BIOSVersion, SMBIOSMajorVersion and EmbeddedControllerMajorVersion help with deeper troubleshooting. For a general way to explore objects, see getting all properties of an object.

Check if the PC uses UEFI or legacy BIOS

Windows 11 requires UEFI. Two quick ways to check, and neither needs admin rights:

"Firmware type (environment): $env:firmware_type"
"Firmware type (ComputerInfo): $((Get-ComputerInfo -Property BiosFirmwareType).BiosFirmwareType)"

Output:

Firmware type (environment): UEFI
Firmware type (ComputerInfo): Uefi

A legacy PC shows Legacy or Bios instead. Get-ComputerInfo collects a lot of data, so it takes a few seconds.

Check Secure Boot

Confirm-SecureBootUEFI returns True when Secure Boot is on. It needs an elevated window, and this is what you get without one:

try { Confirm-SecureBootUEFI -ErrorAction Stop }
catch { "Failed. $($_.Exception.Message)" }

Output:

Failed. Unable to set proper privileges. Access was denied.

Run it again as administrator to get True or False. On a legacy BIOS PC it reports that the platform isn’t supported.

Get BIOS information from remote computers

Get-CimInstance accepts -ComputerName, so one command checks a whole list of PCs:

Get-CimInstance -ComputerName 'NYC-PC01', 'DAL-PC02' -ClassName Win32_BIOS |
    Select-Object -Property PSComputerName, Manufacturer, SMBIOSBIOSVersion, ReleaseDate

WinRM must be enabled on the remote PCs. Older scripts use Get-WmiObject, which only works in PowerShell 7 through Windows PowerShell compatibility, so use Get-CimInstance.

Build a BIOS inventory report

For an audit, add the model from Win32_ComputerSystem and export everything to CSV:

$computers = 'NYC-PC01', 'DAL-PC02', 'SEA-PC03'
$report = foreach ($pc in $computers) {
    $bios = Get-CimInstance -ComputerName $pc -ClassName Win32_BIOS
    $cs   = Get-CimInstance -ComputerName $pc -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem
    [pscustomobject]@{
        Computer    = $pc
        Model       = $cs.Model
        BIOSVersion = $bios.SMBIOSBIOSVersion
        ReleaseDate = $bios.ReleaseDate
    }
}
$report | Export-Csv -Path C:\Reports\bios-inventory-2026-10.csv -NoTypeInformation

Sort by ReleaseDate to find the PCs with the oldest firmware first. More export options are in PowerShell Export-Csv.

Frequently Asked Questions