What is CSM Support in BIOS? How to enable/disable it?

Ever come across CSM support when tinkering around with the BIOS and wondered what it is? CSM option is available inside the BIOS of every PC, but what exactly is the work of it?

If you are having questions about CSM support in BIOS, what it does, and whether you should enable it or not, then you are at the right place. This article will tell you everything about the CSM support option and even how you can enable or disable it.

What is CSM Support?

CSM option is available in the BIOS. The full form of CSM is the Compatibility Support Module. The main task of the CSM is to allow legacy BIOS compatibility. Now what does it mean? In simple words, if UEFI was not supported on your system when it was manufactured, CSM will allow your system to support it. 

But should you enable it or not? Windows 10 and Windows 11 require UEFI to run on a system, and if your system is already running on either of these two Windows, then it supports UEFI. In that case, you need not enable CSM.

If you have an old PC with Windows 7, Windows XP, or any other legacy OS, then probably your system doesn’t support UEFI. If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 from these legacy systems, then your system needs to support UEFI, for which you will have to enable CSM. 

How to Enable or Disable CSM in BIOS?

CSM option is available in BIOS and you can enable or disable by going to the BIOS menu of your system. However, the steps to do so may vary for different motherboards or laptops from different brands. Nothing to worry about; we will be guiding you with how you can do so on a a laptop or PC with motherboards from some popular brands. 

1. On MSI Laptop or Motherboard

If you have a laptop or desktop from MSI or using a custom rig with an MSI motherboard, then you can continue with the steps given below to change CSM support settings-

1. First, turn off your laptop/PC. 
2. Now, press the Power button and then press the Delete key to open the BIOS menu. 
3. Head to the Boot tab in the BIOS. 
4. Now, select the Boot Mode option and select UEFI. This will disable the CSM support. Do the opposite to enable CSM support.
5. After this, press the F10 key on your keyboard; this will save the changes and exit the BIOS mode. 

2. On an Asus PC or Motherboard

If you are using a PC, AIO, or laptop from a motherboard, or if your PC has a motherboard from Asus, then you can continue with the steps given below to enable or disable CSM-

1. Ensure your system is turned off. 
2. Press the Power button, and then quickly press and hold the F2 key to open BIOS. 
3. Once in BIOS, head to the Advanced Mode by pressing the F7 key. 
4. Head to the Boot tab here, and select Secure Boot. 
5. Now, click on the drop-down menu next to Launch CSM, and select Enabled to enable it or Disabled to disable it. 
6. Once done, press F10 to save and exit, or click on Exit and then on Saved Changes & Reset. 

3. On Gigabyte Motherboard

Users with a Gigabyte motherboard can follow the steps given below to turn on/off the CSM support option from the BIOS menu-

1. Turn off your PC first. 
2. Now press the Power button and then press the Delete key to launch BIOS. 
3. Head to the BIOS tab in the BIOS. If you don’t see the BIOS tab, then head to the Security tab instead. 
4. Now, select the CSM support option.
5. Select Enabled to enable CSM or Disabled to disable CSM. 
6. Click the Save & Exit option to save the changes and exit the BIOS menu. 

4. On ASRock Motherboard

If you have an ASRock motherboard, then the steps given below will guide you on how you can enable or disable CSM-

1. The first step is to turn off your PC. 
2. Press the Power button, and then launch BIOS by pressing the F2 key. 
3. Navigate to the Boot tab using the arrows key. 
4. Select the CSM option, and then select Enabled or Disabled to turn on or turn off the CSM. 
5. Head to the Exit tab, and select Save & Exit option. 

Bottom Line

CSM support is available on old systems that don’t have UEFI support. It enables UEFI support on an old PC that didn’t have it by default. The above article guides you on what CSM is and how you can disable or enable it on your system.