# How Is BIOS Different from UEFI?

Table 1 Differences between the UEFI and BIOS boot modes
Boot Mode | Description | Highlight
--- | --- | ---
BIOS | Basic Input Output System (BIOS) stores important basic input/output programs of ECSs, system settings, self-test programs upon system startup, and automatic startup programs. | Provides basic settings and control for ECSs.
UEFI | Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a specification that defines a software interface between an OS and platform firmware. UEFI can be used to automatically load an OS from a pre-boot operating environment. | Boots up or recovers from sleep state faster.

Parent topic: OS