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how to enable secure boot msi bios

To enable Secure Boot in an MSI BIOS, you first need your system running in pure UEFI mode (not Legacy/CSM), then turn Secure Boot on in the Windows OS Configuration / Security section of the BIOS.

Before you start

  • Backup important data in case you misconfigure boot options.
  • Make sure Windows is installed in UEFI/GPT mode; systems installed in Legacy/MBR mode may fail to boot if you switch to UEFI only.
  • Have a keyboard connected directly (not only via some wireless dongle) so you can tap the BIOS key reliably.

Entering MSI BIOS

  • Shut down your PC completely.
  • Power it on and repeatedly press the Delete key until the MSI BIOS screen appears.
  • If your board has “EZ Mode”, you can usually press F7 to switch to advanced mode on newer Click BIOS 5 boards.

Set UEFI mode (disable CSM/Legacy)

On most recent MSI boards (Click BIOS 5):

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Open Advanced → Windows OS Configuration.
  1. Find the boot mode option, often named:
    • CSM / Boot Mode Select / UEFI/Legacy.
  1. Change it so it is UEFI only (or disable CSM).
  1. Press F10 to Save & Reboot so the firmware reinitializes in UEFI mode.

If Windows no longer boots after switching to UEFI only, your drive is likely MBR; you would need to convert it to GPT (for example with Microsoft’s MBR2GPT tool) or reinstall Windows in UEFI mode before Secure Boot can be used.

Enable Secure Boot in MSI BIOS

After rebooting back into BIOS (press Delete again):

  1. Go again to Settings → Advanced → Windows OS Configuration.
  1. Enter the Secure Boot submenu.
  2. Make sure Secure Boot is set to Enabled. On some boards you may need to:
    • Set Secure Boot Mode to Standard or Custom, then
    • Choose an option like Install default Secure Boot keys (or similar wording) so the firmware loads factory keys.
  1. Press F10 to save changes and reboot.

On certain MSI gaming boards, Secure Boot may also appear under Settings → Security → Secure Boot instead of only under Windows OS Configuration, but the logic is the same: UEFI mode first, then enable Secure Boot and install default keys.

Optional: Enable TPM / fTPM (for Windows 11 & some anti‑cheat)

Many people turning on Secure Boot are doing it for Windows 11 or anti‑cheat in games:

  • In BIOS, go to Settings → Security → Trusted Computing.
  • Enable Security Device Support or fTPM (AMD) / PTT (Intel), depending on your CPU/platform.
  • Save and reboot.

Confirm Secure Boot is enabled in Windows

Once Windows loads:

  • Press Windows key , type “System Information” , open it.
  • In the System Summary , look for:
    • BIOS Mode: should say UEFI.
    • Secure Boot State: should say On.

If Secure Boot State shows Off or Unsupported, either the setting is still disabled in BIOS or the installation/partition style is not compatible with Secure Boot.

Quick HTML table for reference

[3][1] [8][3] [5][9] [1]
Step BIOS path (typical MSI) What to set
Enter BIOS Boot → press Delete at startup Open advanced mode if available (F7)
Switch to UEFI Settings → Advanced → Windows OS Configuration Set CSM / Boot Mode to UEFI only, save & reboot
Enable Secure Boot Settings → Advanced → Windows OS Configuration → Secure Boot Enable Secure Boot; set mode to Standard/Custom and install default keys if asked
Enable TPM (optional) Settings → Security → Trusted Computing Enable Security Device Support / fTPM / PTT
Verify in Windows System Information app BIOS Mode = UEFI, Secure Boot State = On
If you share your exact motherboard model (e.g., “MSI B550 Tomahawk”, “MSI Z790 Gaming Plus”), a more tailored click‑by‑click path can be outlined, since menu wording varies slightly between MSI generations.

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