Secure Boot enabled but not active in Windows 11: Causes and solutions

Dave W Shanahan
4 min readSep 20, 2024

Are you tired of dealing with the frustrating “Secure Boot enabled but not active” issue in Windows 11? This problem can prevent you from updating your operating system or running certain applications, leaving you feeling stuck and vulnerable to security risks. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered In this article, we’ll delve into the causes of this issue, provide step-by-step solutions to fix it, and offer tips on how to prevent it from happening in the future.

Causes of Secure Boot enabled but not active

Several reasons contribute to the Secure Boot enabled but not active issue in Windows 11:

  1. Secure Boot disabled in UEFI firmware settings: If Secure Boot is disabled in the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware settings, it may not be active even if it is enabled in the BIOS settings.
  2. CSM (Compatibility Support Module) enabled: CSM is a feature that allows legacy BIOS compatibility. However, it can interfere with Secure Boot and cause it to be inactive.
  3. Outdated BIOS: An outdated BIOS can cause compatibility issues with Secure Boot, leading to it being inactive.
  4. Virus or malware interference: Malware or viruses can interfere with Secure Boot and cause…

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Dave W Shanahan

OnMSFT.com. Tech Writer. I love to write about Microsoft and other stuff.