How To Build OVMF

Custom bioses for QEMU & UEFI

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Updated 2025-09-18

Setup

Linux

!! NOTE !!: This assumes you are using an Ubuntu Linux host to build; I could not get EDKII to build on Alpine Linux.

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential git uuid-dev iasl nasm

$ git clone https://github.com/tianocore/edk2
$ cd edk2

$ git submodule update --init
$ source edksetup.sh
$ make -C BaseTools/

Windows

Git: https://git-scm.com/downloads/win
Python 3.7+: https://www.python.org/downloads/ e.g. https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3137/ for version 3.13.7, download links at bottom of page
Nasm (netwide assembler): https://www.nasm.us/ e.g. latest stable link for windows 64 bit, ca. ~2025: https://www.nasm.us/pub/nasm/releasebuilds/2.16.03/win64 Install to folder C:\nasm
IASL compiler: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/topic-technology/open/acpica/download.html windows download link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/774881/acpi-component-architecture-downloads-windows-binary-tools.html Unzip to folder C:\ASL
Visual Studio 2022 (or latest version), _NOT_ VS Code: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/ The Community edition is fine, they all setup and install required things for building C/C++ software and EDK2

Select Desktop Development with C++ workload
Select any optional components clang, UWP, etc. as wanted
Wait an hour or so to be done...

Get EDK2 & initial setup:
1. git clone https://github.com/tianocore/edk2
2. cd edk2
3. git submodule update --init
4. edksetup.bat Rebuild

Building

For X86_64: build -a X64 -t GCC5 -b RELEASE -p Ovmf/OvmfPkgX64.dsc

by editing file Conf/target.txt: change values for ACTIVE_PLATFORM = OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.dsc, TARGET = RELEASE, TARGET_ARCH = X64, TOOL_CHAIN_TAG = VS2022

then run build

Final output files should be under Build/OvmfX64/RELEASE_GCC5/FV/, or can use e.g. find Build -name OVMF.fd:

OVMF_CODE.fd
OVMF_VARS.fd
OVMF.fd // Combined CODE and VARS

Adding/Removing DXE drivers or other customizing

Edit files OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.dsc and OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.fdf

For example, to add USB Mouse drivers for "Simple Pointer Protocol" and/or "Absolute Pointer Protocol".

! NOTE !: While you can add both simple and absolute pointer protocols, building with both usually has the Simple Pointer protocol "overwrite" the absolute pointer protocol for USB mouse devices. I recommend using one or the other, or building 2 separate OVMF.fd files, 1 for Simple Pointer, and 1 for Absolute Pointer.

Simple Pointer Protocol:

Add line MdeModulePkg/Bus/Usb/UsbMouseDxe/UsbMouseDxe.inf to OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.dsc under the "Usb Support" section.
Add line INF MdeModulePkg/Bus/Usb/UsbMouseDxe/UsbMouseDxe.inf to OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.fdf under the "Usb Support" section.

Absolute Pointer Protocol:

Add line MdeModulePkg/Bus/Usb/UsbMouseAbsolutePointerDxe/UsbMouseAbsolutePointerDxe.inf to OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.dsc under the "Usb Support" section.
Add line INF MdeModulePkg/Bus/Usb/UsbMouseAbsolutePointerDxe/UsbMouseAbsolutePointerDxe.inf to OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.fdf under the "Usb Support" section.