If You Don’t Have a TPM, You Might Still Have a TPM

It could just be a BIOS/UEFI setting.

One of the more common complaints I see about upgrading to Windows 11 is the following:

I have a relatively new, powerful machine, but Microsoft tells me it’s not compatible with Windows 11!

Particularly if you have a newer machine — say within the last five years or so, perhaps even somewhat older — it’s possible your machine does include a TPM (Trusted Platform Module), but it’s just not enabled.

It’s worth a check.

Finding the hidden TPM

If Windows 11 setup says your PC doesn’t have a TPM, it might just be turned off. Check your UEFI (or BIOS) settings — often under “Advanced” or “Security” — and if it’s there, turn it on. Many machines have TPM that is disabled by default. Once enabled, you should be good to go.

Check your UEFI settings

Pictured above is a setting to turn TPM support on or off in the UEFI (formerly known as BIOS) settings for my current desktop machine.

Here’s the catch: it was originally turned off. Apparently, that’s often the default setting. I was unable to install Windows 11 until I turned it on. I’ve been running Windows 11 for years.

Finding the setting

I can’t really tell you where to look for the TPM setting in your UEFI. Unfortunately, there are several different UEFI interfaces. Even how to get into your UEFI settings (for me, it was pressing F12 as I rebooted) can be different from one machine manufacturer to the next.

The TPM setting is typically found in an Advanced or perhaps Security-related area.

Check your machine’s documentation or reach out to the machine’s manufacturer for the details specific to your situation.

Turning it on

If you do find the TPM setting in your UEFI, check for additional settings that might be required to ensure you’re using TPM 2.0, the Windows 11 required version.

Once you reboot into Windows, run tpm.msc ( + R) to confirm it’s available. Note that if tpm.msc reports no TPM, that does not mean you don’t have a TPM at all. You may still have one that has not been enabled, as described above.

Note that “Specification Version: 2.0” is the version we care about; version 2.0 of the TPM specification, as required by Windows 11.

At this point, you should be able to successfully install/upgrade to Windows 11 (unless your machine fails other requirements).

Podcast audio

Download (right-click, Save-As) (Duration: 3:28 — 3.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS