[Solved] Secure Boot Enabled But Not Active in Windows 11

Scenario: Secure boot enabled but Windows says not active

Some Windows 11 users reported that after installing Windows 11, the Secure Boot feature state shows disabled and not active on their device, but the Secure Boot is already enabled from BIOS. Is it possible to find a way to overcome this problem? Definitely sure, you are landed in the right place. From this page, you could learn the most effective way to get yourself out of this trouble within a few clicks if you can’t activate Secure Boot. Now here we go.

Why is Windows 11 secure boot enabled but not active?

Secure Boot is a feature that is used to verify the authenticity of the system's software, especially the operating system's files. It is one of the minimum requirements to install Windows 11.  Some of the common reasons behind this error can be listed as follows:

• If the Secure Boot option is set to disabled in UEFI firmware settings, the feature will not work, even if it is technically enabled.
• If CSM is enabled in UEFI settings then you might face the error. You need to disable this setting to fix it.
• If BIOS is out of date, it may not support the secure boot feature. You need to update BIOS to get the feature enabled.
• If BIOS mode is set to Legacy instead of UEFI, you'll also encounter the error.

How do I fix Secure Boot enabled not active?

The steps to fix Windows 11 Secure Boot enabled but not active task is not so complicated. If you follow each of the presented steps carefully, I believe this problem can be addressed effortlessly and rapidly. The task of how to active Secure Boot can be divided into 3 parts.

• Part 1. Boot without CSM
• Part 2. Change platform
• Part 3. Enable Secure Boot properly

Part 1. Boot without CSM

Before change Secure Boot settings, make sure you are booting OK with CSM disabled.

1. Disabling CSM is different for each of the motherboard brands. Press the specific key to enter BIOS. Normally, it should be DEL, F2, F10, F12.

2. Navigate to the Boot or Security tab. Look for a menu labeled Secure Boot, and there should be an option called CSM.

3. Once you have Launch CSM disabled, select Save Changes & Reset, and your computer will be ready to launch without CSM.

Part 2. Change platform

You might be in Setup Mode because you have deleted the Platform Key in your BIOS. Enabling Secure Boot in this state enables your OS to write a new Platform Key. But if you don't do that, you remain in Setup Mode and the Secure Boot State, indicating the Platform Key has been used to secure the system, will remain off.

1. In BIOS settings, if it says Mode: User you should be able to simply enable Secure Boot. Otherwise (if it says Mode: Setup) disable Secure Boot if it says Enabled.

2. If the Secure Boot Mode says Standard, change to Custom. Then change Custom to Standard and accept Factory Defaults.

Part 3. Enable Secure Boot properly

1. Open start and go to Settings and then click on Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now.

2. It will open a blue screen with advance menus, then click on Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings.

3. Find Secure Boot setting in this menu in Security, Boot, or Authentication tab to enable it and make sure save changes and restart.

4. Then you can check if Secure Boot not active in Windows 11 problem has been moved away.

Helpful tip: backup Windows 11 files for ongoing data protection

We couldn't have predicted what would happen when you tried the above fix, so if there are critical files on your computer, backup the files and store in a safe place. To protect your system and data, it is strongly recommended to use the best free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard.

As for operation, AOMEI Backupper Standard has a comprehensive but simple interface even for users who are not familiar with computer. With it, you can easily backup your system, disk, partition, file and folder on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP to local disk, NAS, cloud drive, external hard drive, USB drive, etc. And with its VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) technology, even open or locked files can be backed up.

Then you can download this freeware and follow the graphic tutorial below. If you are a Windows Server user, you can pick AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then click Backup tab on the left side of the main interface, and select File Backup.

Tip: You can also use the Cloud Backup feature to backup files. It supports backing up files to AOMEI Cloud, a cloud drive integrated in this software, and enjoy 1TB of free cloud storage in 15 days after you register an AOMEI account.

Step 2. Click Add Folder or Add File to set the files you want to backup as the source data.

Step 3. Choose a backup destination path to save your files. You can backup files to Google Drive or other storage devices.

Step 4. Tap Start Backup to begin the backup process and wait until it completes.

✍ Notes:

♨ Options: You can write a comment for this backup operation to distinguish it from other backup tasks, enable email notifications to get timely notification of backup results, and can choose Enable encryption for backups (in Professional edition) to set password protection here.
♨ Schedule Backup: You can choose a frequency for the backup task from Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers, USB plug in.
♨ Backup Scheme: You can choose the backup method - full backup, incremental backup and differential backup. Here, you are allowed to automatically delete old backup images to free up storage space. Differential backup and automatic deletion of old backups are available in the Pro version.

Final thoughts

Now you know how to fix secure boot enabled but not active in Windows 11 from this page. When you follow the tutorial to solve your issue, Please take care to follow each step of the instructions carefully to avoid errors that could lead to unnecessary data loss. Therefore, you can rely on the best free file backup software to continuously protect your critical data.

If you want to keep the original state of a file and use it flexibly, you may consider using its file sync feature. It will sync files in Windows 11 directly from one place to another, you don't need to restore the file and be able to view or modify it. Come and try it out!