[Step-by-step Guide] How to Enable and Disable Secure Boot

杰里updated on Feb 22, 2023 |Home>Computer Instruction

What Is Secure Boot & How It Works

Secure Boot is a safety feature developed by PC manufacturers to boot computers only with trusted software. It was initially introduced in Windows 8, followed by all the latest versions.

The fundamental purpose of a secure boot is to protect your computer from all types of malware. During secure boot, when a system restarts, thefirmware检查启动的每个部分的签名oftware (firmware drivers, operating system, EFI Application, etc.). If the signatures are satisfactory, the firmware controls the operating system, and the computer reboots.

What Happens If I Enable/Disable Secure Boot

Since the Secure Boot is a protection mechanism, enabling a Secure Boot keeps your PC safe from all malware attacks. Somemalwarepacks load as soon as you start your PC. They are called Rootkits. Rootkits can save passwords, login details, and keystrokes, transfer sensitive files, and capture cryptographic data. For data security, optimal speed, and smooth operation, it is vital to enable the secure boot.

However, if you want to use previous Windows, certaingraphic cards, and unauthorized software, the secure boot should be disabled. After disabling secure boot, the PC doesn't check the digital signature of the operating system. So, you can perform the following actions:

  • Booting Windows with an external hard drive or USB.
  • Dual Booting like Windows with Linux or Fedora.
  • Booting with Windows password recovery tools.
  • Operating previous Windows Versions.

secure boot

In short, enabling and disabling secure boot depends upon your requirement. If you want maximum security, you should allow it to. If you wish to use extravagant third-party apps, you can disable Secure Boot.

How to Enable/Disable Secure Boot on your Computer

So far, we have explained what Secure Boot is and what happens when you enable/disable it. This section presents a step-by-step guide to enable/disable secure boot on your computer.

How to Enable Secure Boot

Before enabling Secure Boot, ensure your system has a Windows 8 or above operating system, the latest UFI, and necessary firmware options.

After that, follow these steps to enable Secure Boot on your PC.

Step 1.Remove operating systems, software, and graphic cards incompatible with Secure Boot.

Step2.Go to the PC BIOS Menu. For that, Press and hold the shift key and select "Restart."After that, go toTroubleshoot > Advanced Options.

enable secure boot-1

Step3.In the advanced options menu, select"UEFI Firmware Settings."

enable secure boot-2

Step 4.Go to the "Secure Boot Settings" option and set it to "Enabled." The choice is usually available in either the Boot Tab or the Security tab.

enable secure boot-3

Step5.Exit themenuafter saving these changes. You can now boot to any media supporting secure boot. You can also install a new operating system. However, the Windows partition storage type will beGPT Partitionsinstead ofmbr.

Step6.After installing the operating system, you can cross-check the enabling of Secure Boot. To do that, type "msinfo32.exe"in the open box and check the status of the Secure Boot state. It says "On,"which means the Secure Boot is enabled.

How to Disable Secure Boot

If your PC doesn't allow third-party software, that means Secure Boot mode is functional. You can follow these steps to disable it.

Step 1.Before disabling, check the latest updates of the Secure Boot system. It will show an updated list of software, graphic cards, etc., compatible with your computer. This will let you know whether disabling is required or not.

Step2.Once again, open the BIOS Menu. From Windows, hold the Shift key while selecting Restart. Go toTroubleshoot > Advanced Options.

disable secure boot-1

Step3.From the advanced options, go to"UEFI Firmware Settings."

disable secure boot-2

Step 4.Locate the "Secure Boot"option in the available menu. After that, set it to "Disabled."In some systems, it is available in the Boot or Security tab.

disable secure boot-3

Step5.Savechanges andrebootyour PC.

Step 6.Installany unauthorized operating system or graphic card in your system. If it runs successfully, the disabling is successful.

Using Professional Backup Software to Protect Computer Data

Secure Boot is an important security feature that keeps malicious software from loading when your PC starts up (boots). Most computers are capable of Secure Boot, but in some cases, settings may cause the computer to appear incapable of Secure Boot.

At this time, to protect your data on the computer from malicious software, you can turn to professionalbackup software, such as EaseUS Todo Backup, for help. It can provide a safe and reliable backup of your data.

Free Download

Support Windows 11/10/8/7

EaseUS Todo Backup Homeis a practical backup utility for Windows 11/10/8/7. It lets you automatically back up systems, disks, partitions, files, etc., and create varioustypes of backups. Besides you can also use it tocreate an iso image from your operating systemor hard drive. The award-winning software preserves your data from all malicious attacks. With this protection in place, you don't have to worry about losing your data during any system startup.

You can perform the following steps to create a system backup of your computer.

Step 1.Launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer, and clickCreate Backupon the home screen and then hit the big question mark toselect backup contents.

backup outlook mail step1

Step 2.To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to begin the backup task.

backup outlook mail step2

Step 3.Your Windows operating system information and all system related files and partitions will be automatically selected so you don't need to do any manual selection at this step. Next, you'll need to choose a location to save the system image backup by clicking the illustrated area.

system backup

Step 4.The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud or NAS. Generally, we recommend you use an external physical drive or cloud to preserve the system backup files.

backup outlook mail step4

Step 5.Customiztion settings like enabling an automatic backup schedule in daily, weekly, monthly, or upon an event, and making a differential and incremental backup are available in theOptionsbutton if you're interested. Click "Backup Now", and the Windows system backup process will begin. The completed backup task will display on the left side in a card style.

backup outlook mail step 5

The Bottom Line

SecureBoot is an advanced security feature that works as a wall against malware. It helps improve the speed, performance, and efficiency of your PC. The system works for Windows 8 or above. However, when you need to run previous Windows or unauthorized apps and graphic cards, you must disable them.

This article provides a step-by-step guide onhow to enable and disable Secure Boot. So that you can use the feature as per your requirement, give it a read and let us know your views about this software.

Free Download

Support Windows 11/10/8/7

FAQs

1. What is the disadvantage of Secure Boot?

Since Secure Boot is only compatible with Windows 8 or above, you can't use previous Windows versions with this. Plus, it blocks unlicensed software, which sometimes is required to get the job done. It also stops the system from accepting certain graphic cards, which can hinder running professional software and games.

2. Is Secure Boot UEFI or legacy?

Secure boot only supports the operating system with the latest UFI native boot. The legacy boot is a fundamental input/output system (BIOS) firmware. It doesn't support a Secure Boot.

3.Windows 10需要UEFI安全引导吗?

Microsoft wants PC Manufacturers to enable Secure Boot in the latest systems if they want an official Windows sticker and certification. However, old systems can upgrade to Windows 10 without UEFI Secure Boot.

4. Is Secure Boot mandatory?

Nope, it's a choice. You can enable or disable it as per your requirement. The operating system will work fine without it.

Was This Page Helpful?

Updated byDaisy

Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working in EaseUS for over ten years, starting from a technical writer to a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over 10 years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

Read full bio

Written by杰里

"I hope my articles can help solve your technical problems. If you are interested in other articles, you can check the articles at the bottom of this page, and you can also check my Facebook to get additional help."

Read full bio

EaseUS Data Recovery Services

Request a free evaluation >>

EaseUS data recovery experts have uneaqualed expertise to repair disks/systems and salvage data from all devices like RAID, HDD, SSD, USB, etc.