A motherboard’s Clear CMOS button or jumper resets stored firmware settings; it may also clear a forgotten BIOS/UEFI setup password, but that depends on the board and how the password was configured. Find your exact motherboard model, follow its manual’s power-disconnection and reset instructions, and contact the manufacturer or an authorized service center if the password remains. Do not treat a battery pull or jumper short as a universal password bypass.
What the Clear CMOS control actually resets
Clear CMOS is a way to restore stored motherboard firmware settings. Depending on the board, the control may be a dedicated button, a header or jumper, or—if the board has neither—a procedure involving removal of the CMOS battery. The available method and exact steps are model-specific.
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A firmware settings reset is not a promise that every password will be erased. ASUS recommends clearing CMOS for a forgotten password, while MSI says that whether CMOS clearing removes a password depends on an option selected when the password was set. If that setting makes the password persist, clearing CMOS will not remove it. The control’s presence alone does not establish how that board handles passwords.
Which firmware password are you trying to clear?
A BIOS/UEFI firmware setup password can protect access to firmware settings. ASUS distinguishes this administrator password from a user password, which it describes as an additional password required to enter the operating system. These are different protections, so identify which prompt you are seeing before choosing a recovery path.
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ASUS says its administrator password is “Not installed” by default. That describes a product default, not how many owners set passwords. There is no prevalence statistic here to substantiate the claim that almost nobody sets one.
Find your exact motherboard and its instructions
- Identify the motherboard’s full model name. Check the name printed on the board, your computer’s original documentation, or system information if available.
- Open the official support page for that exact model and consult its current manual. Find the Clear CMOS, CLR_CMOS, or Clear CMOS RTC RAM instructions and check whether the manufacturer says the procedure clears a forgotten password on that board.
- Follow that manual’s shutdown and power-disconnection sequence before touching a button, header, jumper, or battery. GIGABYTE’s general guidance specifically says to turn off the power and remove the power cord before clearing CMOS; the exact procedure should come from your model’s manual.
- Use only the control and pins identified by the manual. Do not short unidentified pins or substitute a generic procedure for the board’s documented instructions.
Choose only the reset method your board supports
| Method | When it applies | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated CMOS_SW button | The motherboard has a documented CMOS reset button. | Use the location and sequence specified in the exact model’s manual. A button does not by itself confirm that a password will be cleared. |
| CLR_CMOS jumper or header | The manual identifies a CLR_CMOS header or jumper for the board. | Confirm the correct pins and procedure in the manual; do not guess. GIGABYTE notes that a jumper cap may be used on some boards, but buy one only if the manual calls for it. |
| CMOS battery removal | The board lacks the documented button or jumper method, and its instructions specify battery removal. | Follow the manual’s procedure and power precautions. Removing the battery is not a guaranteed way to clear every firmware password. |
These are alternatives, not interchangeable universal steps. GIGABYTE’s 2012 FAQ describes all three routes in general terms, but its guidance should not replace a newer, model-specific manual.
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After clearing CMOS
Expect stored firmware settings to return to defaults. Review the settings that matter to your system, including boot configuration, and restore them as the manual directs. Do not assume that a reset leaves every setting unchanged or affects only the password.
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Stop trying generic reset variations and contact the motherboard manufacturer or its authorized service channel. MSI says that a password can remain after CMOS clearing depending on the option selected when it was created, and directs users to a service center when clearing CMOS does not resolve the issue. MSI also says it does not collect the user-set BIOS password, so support may need to handle the case through service rather than retrieve a stored password.
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Manufacturer guidance differs: ASUS recommends Clear CMOS for forgotten passwords, while MSI documents a condition under which clearing CMOS will not work. GIGABYTE’s FAQ says CMOS clearing may revoke a previous BIOS password, but it is dated August 1, 2012 and gives general methods. Consult the exact board’s current manual rather than assuming one manufacturer’s behavior applies to another.
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Official guidance
- MSI: “[Motherboard] I forgot my BIOS password, what should I do?” (August 30, 2023) explains the conditional CMOS-clear behavior and service-center escalation.
- ASUS: “[Motherboard] How to set BIOS password (Administrator Password and User Password)” (last updated August 20, 2024) defines the two password roles and recommends Clear CMOS for a forgotten password.
- GIGABYTE: “What should I do if I forgot the BIOS password?” (August 1, 2012) describes its general CMOS_SW, CLR_CMOS, and battery-removal paths.
- ASUS PRIME / PRO / TUF GAMING Intel 500 Series BIOS Manual gives model-family-specific Clear CMOS RTC RAM guidance.
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