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

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A step-by-step guide to disabling Secure Boot on Mac
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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

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  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.
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  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.
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Community Q&A

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  • 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.
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    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
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      Warnings

      • Under normal circumstances, you should not turn off Secure Boot. This makes your computer more vulnerable to rootkits or bootkits.
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      References

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

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