US Trends

asus bios secure boot

Secure Boot in the ASUS BIOS is a security feature that only allows trusted, signed bootloaders and drivers to run during startup, helping protect against rootkits and low-level malware. On ASUS motherboards, it usually lives under the Boot (or sometimes Security) section of the UEFI interface and depends on UEFI mode being active instead of Legacy/CSM.

What Secure Boot Does

  • Secure Boot checks the digital signatures of bootloaders and key system components during startup and blocks unknown or tampered code from running.
  • It uses a database of keys and certificates stored in firmware; ASUS boards typically provide “Install Default Secure Boot Keys” to load standard vendor and Microsoft keys.

Quick Steps on ASUS BIOS

Exact wording can vary by model, but the flow is generally:

  1. Enter UEFI BIOS
    • Power on and repeatedly press Delete (or sometimes F2 on laptops) to enter Advanced Mode.
  1. Disable CSM / Legacy Boot
    • Go to Boot → find CSM (Compatibility Support Module).
    • Set Launch CSM to Disabled so the system runs in pure UEFI mode, which Secure Boot requires.
  1. Find Secure Boot Menu
    • On many ASUS boards: Boot → Secure Boot.
 * On some recent models it can appear under a **Security** or **Authentication** section instead, with “Secure Boot Configuration” inside.
  1. Enable Secure Boot
    • Set Secure Boot State or similar option to Enabled.
 * In **Key Management** , choose **Install Default Secure Boot Keys** or equivalent, then save with **F10** and reboot.

Common Gotchas People Hit

  • Secure Boot option is greyed out
    • Usually means CSM is still enabled or the system disk/OS is set up for Legacy/MBR instead of UEFI/GPT; in some cases a clean UEFI reinstall of Windows is required.
  • Can’t boot after changing settings
    • Switching from Legacy/CSM to pure UEFI on an old install can make Windows unbootable until partitions and bootloader are converted or the OS is reinstalled in UEFI mode.
  • Windows 11 requirement
    • For Windows 11, Microsoft expects Secure Boot capability and UEFI; enabling it on ASUS boards is a common step in “Why can’t I upgrade?” threads and videos.

What Forums Are Saying Lately

  • Recent ASUS and ASUS ROG forum threads show many users confused when Secure Boot is not under the Boot tab but moved into Security-style menus on newer BIOS versions.
  • Other posts highlight new owners being nervous about disabling CSM, with community replies stressing the importance of backups before changing boot mode or reinstalling Windows in UEFI if needed.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.