Secure Boot is a core technology in your systems BIOS that ensures only trusted operating systems can boot on the device. Secure Boot is enabled by default on most PCs, but could have been turned off accidentally. Secure Boot is also a requirement to run and install Windows 11 and likely future versions of Windows. You’ll find the Secure Boot settings in your BIOS and we’ll show you how to get there, but the steps within the BIOS will vary depending on your manufacturer.
How to Check if Secure Boot is Enabled in Windows 11
- Click Start and type System Information into the search bar and hit Enter
- Search through the list of system data to find Secure Boot like the image above and check the status
How to Enable Secure Boot for Windows 11
You can boot into your BIOS a couple of ways, so we’ll show you two options.
CAUTION: Don’t change any BIOS settings unless you know what they do!
Option 1:
- Restart the PC and wait for the BIOS splash screen to appear (usually the logo of your motherboard or PC manufacturer)
- Press the button that opens the BIOS window which is usually Delete or F12
- You’ll need to find your security settings or boot settings in your BIOS, this will vary by manufacturer
- Search for the Secure Boot option and enable it. It could be a toggle or dropdown box
- Exit BIOS and save the settings
- Restart the system
Option 2:
- Open the Start menu
- Hold Shift on your keyboard, click the Power button and then Restart
- When your computer restarts, click Troubleshoot
- Choose Advanced options, then UEFI Firmware settings and then Restart
- You’ll need to find your security settings or boot settings in your BIOS, this will vary by manufacturer
- Search for the Secure Boot option and enable it. It could be a toggle or dropdown box
- Exit BIOS and save the settings
- Restart the system
After restarting, Secure Boot should be enabled and you can open System Information again from the Start Menu to verify the status. If you dual boot your system with Windows and Linux, then you may need to disable Secure Boot for Linux, but most well-known and popular Linux distros should support Secure Boot.
