How to Enable Secure Boot In Windows 11

October 15, 2024 By Christine Margret No Comments 6 minutes

Have you ever heard about Secure Boot? I am sure you must have, but to add to your knowledge, let me tell you it is a security feature. It aims to stop unauthorized software from entering your PC during startup. Moreover, this feature also ensures that your computer boots up and only uses software that is trusted by its manufacturer. Security Boot is a requirement to upgrade your system to Windows 11. Read below to learn how to enable Secure Boot in your UEFI/BIOS to install Windows 11.

Understanding Secure Boot

Secure Boot is a security standard made by the UEFI Forum. Its main goal is to make sure that only trusted and signed code runs when your computer starts. This starts with the firmware and goes to the operating system. Secure Boot helps protect your computer from malware and unauthorized software. It checks the digital signatures of the bootloader and operating system. Only trusted and signed parts can run when your computer starts.

How to access BIOS or UEFI settings?

To access the BIOS or UEFI settings, restart your computer and press a specific key or a combination of keys when it starts up. The key varies based on your computer’s model and brand, but it’s usually one of these: F1, F2, F10, F12, Del, Esc, or Enter. You may also see a message on the screen telling you which key to press. If you’re not sure, check your computer’s manual or website for the right key. Once you press the key, you’ll enter the BIOS or UEFI settings menu.

How to Enable Secure Boot In Windows 11?

Enabling Secure Boot? The steps will differ slightly depending on your device since every BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is unique. But don’t worry; once you’re inside Windows, the process is identical across the board. The good news is that BIOS settings are pretty similar across different PCs, so you’ll likely recognize the options.

1. Open the Start Menu 
2. Hold down the Shift button, and click the power button, then press Restart.
3. Click on Troubleshoot when your PC restarts
4. Next, select Advanced options
5. Click UEFI Firmware settings and then Restart.
6. Look for a Boot option or Security tab to find the Secure Boot option.
7. Select Secure Boot and turn it on if it’s not already.

Note: You can also disable Secure Boot following the same method; just toggle it off instead of turning it on.

Once these steps are done, your computer will use Secure Boot to meet Windows/ 10 11 requirements.

Verifying Secure Boot Status

If you want to confirm that your Secure Boot is enabled, all you can do is simply open the Start menu and search for System Information. You will now see the System summary section. Just look at the right side for Secure Boot State, and you will see its status, such as on, off, or unsupported.

Why Secure Boot Is Unsupported in Windows 11/10- Troubleshooting Steps

Secure Boot is unsupported on your PC; when your system’s Secure Boot and TMP mode are turned off, it will show an unsupported error. Besides this, It also happens when your BIOS is set to the legacy mode instead of UEFI mode or when the boot disk is in MBR Mode because the disk should be in GPT mode. Moreover, the unsupported error may also appear in case when your system’s hardware does not support UEFI and Secure Boot Mode.

How to Fix Secure Boot State Unsupported in Windows 11/10

After looking into all possible causes, I have summarized four effective ways to fix the “Secure Boot is not available” issue. Let’s go through them until the problem is resolved.

1. Turn On Secure Boot In BIOS

You need to enable Secure Boot in the BIOS to install Windows 11 on your computer. Before doing that, check the current state of Secure Boot. Here’s how:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, type msinfo32, and press Enter to open the System Information window.
2. Click System Summary in the left panel.
3. Look for the Secure Boot State in the right pane.

If the Secure Boot status shows “Off,” you’ll need to enable it in the BIOS. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings menu by pressing Win + I, then go to System > Recovery.
2. Click Restart now next to Advanced Startup to restart your computer.
3. In Advanced startup mode, select Troubleshoot and then Advanced options.
4. Choose UEFI Firmware Settings and click Restart to boot directly into the Windows UEFI BIOS.
5. Select BIOS Setup.
6. Navigate to Secure Boot.
7. Check the box to enable Secure Boot.

2. Check and Enable TPM Support

If you wish to download Windows 11, a TPM chip installed on your system is required. In case you don’t have that, you can still install Windows 11, but you will see the “Secure Boot state unsupported” error. The same error will also appear when the TMP is turned off. Here’s how you can enable it:

• Open the Run dialog box.
• Type tpm.msc in the search bar and press Enter.
• In the TPM management window, click Actions at the top.
• Select Prepare the TPM from the menu.

• Restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed.

3.  Select UEFI as the BIOS Mode

Windows has two BIOS modes: UEFI and Legacy. The main difference is how the firmware locates the boot target. It is recommended to use UEFI mode while installing Windows because it is better in security than Legacy BIOS. To choose UEFI mode, follow these steps:

• Launch the computer BIOS.
• Select Boot Sequence from the left side panel
• Select UEFI from the Boot list options.

• Save changes and restart your computer.

4. Convert Your Boot Disk to GPT

If your computer is set to Legacy Boot mode with MBR partition style, you will see the “Secure Boot state unavailable/unsupported” issue. To fix this, you must convert your boot disk to GPT and enable UEFI.

1. Press Win + X to open the Power menu.
2. Select Disk Management.
3. Under Disk Management, right-click on the hard drive and choose Properties.

4. Head to the Volumes tab.

5. Check the Partition style. If it is an MBR,  convert it to GPT.

Here’s how you can convert the MBR partition style to GPT:

1. Press the Windows Key and open the Start Menu.
2. Type Command Prompt in the search bar, then click Run as administrator on the right.
3. Type mbr2gpt /validate /allowfullOS and press Enter. This command will check the partition.
4. After checking, type mbr2gpt /convert /allowfullOS and hit Enter.

Now, Windows will begin converting the partition style. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide helped you find how to enable Secure Boot in Windows 11. It is mainly a security feature that prevents harmful software from damaging your system when it starts.

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