How to Find the Intel NUC BIOS Version and Model on Linux (and Where to Get NUC BIOS Updates Now)

Updated: 4 November 2026 · Applies to: Intel NUC 7 to NUC 13 mini PCs, kits and boards (BIOS and support facts according to Intel); commands tested with dmidecode 3.5 on Ubuntu 24.04 and systemd 252 on AlmaLinux 9

To see the BIOS version and the model of an Intel NUC on Linux without rebooting, run:

sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name
sudo dmidecode -s baseboard-product-name

The first line gives the BIOS ID string, the second the NUC kit or mini PC model and the third the board inside it. If you cannot use sudo, cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version shows the BIOS version as a normal user. BIOS updates for NUC 7 to NUC 13 now come from ASUS, not Intel (details below).

Step 1: install dmidecode if it is missing

Desktop installs usually have it. Minimal installs and containers often do not:

sudo apt install dmidecode     # Ubuntu, Debian
sudo dnf install dmidecode     # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Fedora

Step 2: read the BIOS and model details

Other useful -s keywords are bios-release-date, system-manufacturer and baseboard-version; dmidecode -s on its own lists them all. For the complete records, use the type names:

sudo dmidecode -t bios
sudo dmidecode -t system
sudo dmidecode -t baseboard

For a wider tour of what dmidecode can report (memory, CPU, chassis), see how to get hardware information with dmidecode.

Step 3 (no root): read /sys/class/dmi/id

The kernel exposes the same data as small files. One grep prints each file name with its value:

cd /sys/class/dmi/id
grep . bios_vendor bios_version bios_date sys_vendor product_name board_name

Serial numbers and the system UUID (product_serial, board_serial, product_uuid) are readable only by root. As a normal user you get cat: /sys/class/dmi/id/product_serial: Permission denied; use sudo cat. Do not post serial numbers in public forums.

Step 4 (optional): hostnamectl

On systemd distributions, hostnamectl shows the same data in its status output: Hardware Vendor, Hardware Model and Firmware Version, plus Firmware Date from systemd 253 onwards. Inside a container it hides the hardware lines and shows Chassis: container. For setting the host name with the same tool, see hostnamectl.

What the output looks like (tested on a KVM VPS)

We ran these commands on a KVM virtual server. A VPS reports the hypervisor's virtual firmware, not the physical machine, so you see SeaBIOS and KVM here instead of an Intel BIOS ID:

$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
1.16.3-5.el9.alma.1
$ sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name
KVM
$ sudo dmidecode -t system
# dmidecode 3.5
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 2.8 present.

Handle 0x0100, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
	Manufacturer: Red Hat
	Product Name: KVM
	Version: RHEL 7.6.0 PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996)
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	UUID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
	Wake-up Type: Power Switch
	SKU Number: Not Specified
	Family: Red Hat Enterprise Linux

This virtual machine has no baseboard record, so baseboard-product-name printed nothing and /sys/class/dmi/id/board_name did not exist. Physical PCs such as a NUC normally report their board here as well.

How to read the NUC BIOS version and model names

According to Intel, a NUC BIOS ID such as QCCFL357.0064.2020.0331.1625 breaks down like this:

• QCCFL357: the BIOS ID code, which identifies the NUC family. Some families add .86A after it (Intel's NUC 10 specification lists FNCML357.86A).
• 0064: the BIOS version. Compare this number with the latest release for your model.
• 2020.0331.1625: the release date and time of that version (31 March 2020, 16:25).

Intel names the kit and the board inside it differently. In Intel's product specifications, the NUC 10 kit NUC10i5FNH uses board NUC10i5FNB, and the NUC 13 Pro kit NUC13ANKi7 uses board NUC13ANBi7. system-product-name (DMI type 1, the system) gives the kit name and baseboard-product-name (DMI type 2, the board) gives the board name. Search for the kit name when you look for downloads.

Where NUC BIOS updates come from now

According to Intel's transition notice, technical and warranty support for NUC 7 through NUC 13 systems moved to ASUS on 16 January 2024, including software, firmware, BIOS support and security advisories. Download BIOS updates for these models from the ASUS support site (asus.com/support) by searching for your kit name.

You do not need Windows to install the update. Intel documents an F7 method that works from a USB stick (also read the notes that come with the ASUS download):

1. Download the recovery BIOS file (.BIO) for your model and copy it to a USB stick.
2. Plug the stick into the NUC and shut it down.
3. Power on and press F7 when the prompt appears.
4. Select the USB device, then the .BIO file, and confirm with Enter.
5. Wait for the update to finish (Intel says 2 to 5 minutes) and do not cut the power.
6. Remove the stick and restart. Intel then recommends F2 (BIOS Setup), F9 (load defaults), your own changes, and F10 (save and exit).

Intel notes that a few NUC 8 models (NUC8i5INH, NUC8i7INH, NUC8CCHKR and board NUC8CCHB) use a different update method. Note any BIOS settings you changed before updating, and confirm the new version afterwards with sudo dmidecode -s bios-version.

fwupd: fwupdmgr get-updates checks the LVFS firmware service, but our search of the LVFS found no Intel or ASUS NUC BIOS, so update the NUC BIOS by hand as above. For vendors that do publish there, see update a Lenovo BIOS from Linux with fwupd.

Common problems

• Permission denied or "Can't read memory from /dev/mem": you ran dmidecode as a normal user. In our test it printed /sys/firmware/dmi/tables/smbios_entry_point: Permission denied followed by Can't read memory from /dev/mem. Run it with sudo.
• The same error as root inside a container: Podman hides /sys/firmware from containers by default, so dmidecode fails there even as root. Read /sys/class/dmi/id instead, or run the command on the host.
• Empty board fields: normal on many virtual machines, as shown above.

Official documentation: Intel: identify the BIOS version on an Intel NUC, Intel: F7 BIOS flash update instructions, dmidecode manual.