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nickeast's avatar
nickeast
Copper Contributor
Jul 01, 2025

PC must support Secure Boot in order to download Windows 11

Hi guys,

I am someone that delays downloading things for the sake of being to lazy. 

So today I did the Windows PC Health Check in order to upgrade to Windows 11 for free (I'm still in 10). The only requirement I am missing is that my pc does not support Secure Boot. I checked the provided weblink (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-and-secure-boot-a8ff1202-c0d9-42f5-940f-843abef64fad) and rebooted my PC to change the PC boot mode to UEFI Only. To my surprise, the UEFI only option was already selected for 2 options.

How come I'm still not eligible for a free upgrade? 

 

Will I be able to download Windows 11 myself with a paid version instead? Or won't that work as well?

 

Thanks!

configuration
Update management

2 Replies

  • Barbarank's avatar
    Barbarank
    Iron Contributor
    Jul 03, 2025

    Secure Boot and UEFI are two different things. If your PC does not have Secure Boot, then it is not eligible for upgrade.

  • Matt-Apps4Rent's avatar
    Matt-Apps4Rent
    Iron Contributor
    Jul 02, 2025

    If Secure Boot is still showing as unsupported, it’s likely disabled in BIOS even though UEFI is on. Go into BIOS, find Secure Boot, and enable it. Also, make sure your drive is in GPT format.

    Yes, you can still install Windows 11 with a paid version, but Secure Boot must still be enabled.

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