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How to Enable Secure Boot on Your Dell Device

Summary: Information about enabling Secure Boot for Windows 11.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

What is Secure Boot?

Secure Boot protects the boot process against security attacks from malicious code like malware and ransomware. Secure Boot is firmware-dependent and requires that the computer BIOS is set to UEFI mode.

How to Verify that Secure Boot is Enabled.

  1. Click the Windows Button to the bottom left of the screen or press the Windows Key.
     
  2. In the Search Bar, type: msinfo32
     
  3. Press Enter.
     
  4. System Information opens, and System Summary should be selected by default.
     
  5. On the right side of this screen, look for BIOS Mode and Secure Boot State.
     
  6. If Secure Boot is enabled, the BIOS Mode shows "UEFI," and Secure Boot state shows "On" (Figure 1).
    Windows System Information
    Figure 1

If the BIOS Mode shows "Legacy" in the Boot setting in the computer BIOS, it must be switched from Legacy to UEFI mode.

Verify that your computer was tested for the upgrade to Windows 11 before you continue as older computers may not meet the Windows 11 system requirements.
Dell computers tested for upgrade to Windows 11

 
Note: Switching the Boot Mode from Legacy to UEFI makes the current Windows installation unbootable and requires the reinstallation of Windows. Ensure to backup your personal data before you proceed with this action.
 
Note: Dell BIOS Screens may vary by computer model. Below is a general example of how to switch to UEFI mode and Enabling Secure Boot.

Switching from Legacy to UEFI Mode

  1. Boot your computer.
     
  2. Tap the F2 key when the Dell logo appears to enter the BIOS.
     
  3. The following steps can vary based on your computer model:

Alienware, Inspiron, and Vostro

  • Go to Boot > Change Secure Boot List Option to UEFI.
  • Press the F10 key to Save and Exit.

OptiPlex, Precision, Wyse, and XPS

  • Go to General > Boot Sequence > Boot List Option - Change to UEFI.
  • Click Apply > click Exit - Save the Changes.

Enabling Secure Boot
Secure Boot is controlled by the computer firmware (BIOS) and can be enabled with a few simple steps:

  1. Boot your computer.
     
  2. Tap the F2 key when the Dell logo appears to enter the BIOS.
     
  3. The following steps can vary based on your computer model:

Alienware, Inspiron, and Vostro

  • Go to Secure Boot > Change Secure Boot to Enabled.
  • Press the F10 key to Save and Exit.

OptiPlex, Precision, Wyse, and XPS

  • Go to Secure Boot > Secure Boot Enable > Check Secure Boot Enable.
  • Click Apply > click Exit > Save the changes.

The computer restarts and boots back to the Windows desktop.

More Resources:

Windows 11 - Scope of Support and System Requirements

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Additional Information

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Affected Products

Alienware, Inspiron, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, G Series, Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS
Article Properties
Article Number: 000190116
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 05 Jan 2024
Version:  6
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