To disable Secure Boot in Windows 11, it is necessary to access the UEFI firmware settings (commonly known as BIOS) on your PC and make the changes there because Secure Boot cannot be disabled directly from within Windows. Here are the general steps to disable Secure Boot on a Windows 11 PC:
- Open the Windows Settings by clicking the Windows icon.
- Go to Update & Security and select Recovery.
- Under Advanced startup, click Restart now to boot into recovery mode.
- In recovery mode, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings, then click Restart to enter BIOS/UEFI.
- Within the BIOS/UEFI interface, navigate to the Boot or Security tab (location varies by manufacturer).
- Find the Secure Boot option and change the setting to Disabled. Sometimes this involves selecting "OS Type" and changing it to "Other OS" to disable Secure Boot.
- Save the changes and exit BIOS/UEFI (often by pressing F10).
- Your PC will reboot with Secure Boot disabled.
Note: The exact key to enter BIOS (such as F2, F10, Del) and menu names may vary depending on the PC manufacturer. After disabling Secure Boot, changes like clearing Secure Boot keys may be required. Disabling Secure Boot may be necessary for installing certain hardware or operating systems incompatible with Secure Boot, but it is recommended to re-enable it later for protection against low-level malware. This process has been detailed by multiple sources including Microsoft and PC manufacturers like ASUS, with minor variations depending on the PC model and BIOS/UEFI layout.
