Secure Boot: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Disable It

PDF download Download Article
A step-by-step guide to disabling Secure Boot on Mac
PDF download Download Article

Mac computers equipped with a T2 chip have an added feature called secure boot. It prevents unsigned operating systems from running on your Mac. Secure Boot helps protect against bootkits, or malware that infects the master boot record (MBR) on your computer. While it is safest to not change these options, if you plan on installing an older operating system such as macOS Sierra and earlier or run operating systems that are unsigned such as some distributions of Linux, you may need to disable secure boot to be able to run these needed operating systems. This wikiHow will show you how to disable secure boot on Mac so you can boot a legacy version of Windows or macOS or an operating system that does not support secure boot. [1]

Quick Steps

  1. Boot up or restart your Mac.
  2. Press and hold Command + R when you see the Apple logo.
  3. Log in to an Administrative account.
  4. Select Utility > Startup Security Utility .
  5. Enter your macOS password.
  6. Select No Security .
  7. Select Allow booting from external or removable media .

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Boot up or restart your Mac. You can only access the Startup Security Utility while your Mac is booting up. If your Mac is powered on, go ahead and restart it. If it is powered off, go ahead and boot it up.
  2. Do so as soon as you see the Apple logo. Your Mac will boot into the macOS Recovery.
    Advertisement
  3. 3
    Log in to an administrative user account. You will be asked to select a user account. Select a user with administrative privileges and enter the password for that account. Then click Next .
  4. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click Utilities .
    • Click Startup Security Utility .
    • Click Enter macOS password .
    • Choose an Administrative account.
    • Enter the password for that account.
  5. This will disable secure boot and does not enforce any security measures for bootable operating systems.
    • Alternatively, you can choose "Medium security" which allows for pre-signed operating systems to run. This allows you to boot from any operating system that has ever been trusted by Apple, including previous versions of macOS.
    • The default "Full security" option requires signatures from Apple to run. This will require an internet connection at installation time.
  6. 6
    Set your allowed boot media preference. By default, the Startup Security Utility does not allow you to boot from an external drive. If you need to boot from an external drive (i.e. to install another operating system, a previous version of macOS, or repair macOS), click the radio option next to "Allow booting from external or removable media." It's the second option at the bottom.
  7. From the Apple menu, choose "Restart". You should now be able to run legacy versions of operating systems.
    • If you have trouble, then make sure that there is no firmware password and that you are an administrator on your Mac.
    8. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I check if it is enabled or disabled via Terminal Command?
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    Unfortunately, you cannot check the status of Secure Boot with Terminal or Command Prompt. Because Secure Boot is a firmware setting that you have to change in the Mac recovery environment, you need to boot into the recovery environment to view that setting.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 11 Helpful 18
  • Question
    Why can't I log in after turning off secure boot?
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    On newer operating systems, including Windows 10, secure boot is mandatory, and the operating system will not start if it is disabled.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 17 Helpful 9
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      Warnings

      • Under normal circumstances, you should not turn off Secure Boot. This makes your computer more vulnerable to rootkits or bootkits.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Automatically Shut Down Your Computer at a Specified Time
      How to
      Force Shut Down or Restart a Frozen Mac
      Can You Change Your Apple ID Without Losing Everything? Learn How to Keep What You Need
      How to
      Install MacOS on a Virtual Machine Using VirtualBox
      6 Quick Steps to Download & Install Spotify on macOS
      How to
      Install AltStore on an iPhone or iPad
      How to
      Tell if Your Mac Is Too Old to Update
      How to
      Open Executable Files on Mac: Virtual Machine, Boot Camp, or Wine
      How to
      Change the Scroll Direction on a Mac
      How to
      Find Your Internal & External IP Address on a Mac
      How to
      Disable Password Login on Mac (Plus Troubleshooting)
      How to
      Create a TXT File on Mac
      5 Ways to Turn On a Mac Computer - wikiHow
      How to
      Quickly Open the Launchpad on a Mac
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208330

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 215,862 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement