How do I update the UEFI on a QNAP NAS with a USB drive?

Last modified date: 2024-10-14

Applicable products:

TS-473A
TS-673A
TS-873A
TS-h973AX

QNAP allow you to update the UEFI of a NAS with a USB drive that contains a UEFI file.

Warning: Applying the wrong UEFI file to your NAS or powering off/restarting the NAS during the update process may cause your NAS to become unusable. It is not recommended to update your UEFI unless it is necessary. Only install UEFI updates obtained from the QNAP Download Center or from QNAP Customer Support

Important: Back up the contents of your NAS before attempting to update the UEFI.

To update the UEFI on your QNAP NAS, you need the following items:

An empty USB drive
A Windows-based computer

Prepare a USB drive.
1. Connect the USB drive to your Windows-based computer.
2. Open File Explorer.
3. Go to This PC.
4. Right-click on the USB drive and select Format… A screen for formatting the drive appears. Warning: Ensure this is the correct drive before proceeding. All files and data on the drive will be erased.
5. Select FAT32 under File system.
6. Enable Quick Format.
7. Click Start.
  A warning message appears.
8. Click OK.
  Another message appears when the formatting is complete.
9. Click OK.
Download the latest UEFI file.
1. Go to download.qnap.com, and download the compressed NAS UEFI file.
2. Extract the compressed file contents.
3. Copy the extracted files to the root or a folder of the USB drive.
  Note: Ensure that the files inside the folder System Volume information should be extracted on the root folder of the USB as well.
Prepare the NAS for updating the UEFI.
1. Power off your NAS and remove all the drives. Important: Take note of your drive order, as you must put them back in in the same order later.
2. Plug in the USB drive to your NAS.
Update the UEFI
1. Power on the NAS.
2. After hearing a continuous long beep, remove the USB drive and disconnect the power cable.
  Note: The beep will not stop unless the USB device is removed.
Wait 30 seconds.
Reconnect the power cable to the electrical outlet.
Reinsert the drives in their original order.
Power on the NAS.
Note: You can use this tutorial to check the current version of the NAS BIOS and confirm the update was successful.