Microsoft Warns Unpatched Windows 11 PCs Face June 2026 Secure Boot Block

Secure Boot, a feature first launched in 2011 with Windows 8, included an initial wave of certificates that are set to expire starting on June 24th. We've covered this before, but Microsoft is renewing its warning with the deadline now less than a month away. While an expired Secure Boot certificate will not prevent the PC from functioning normally, it will open up the system to additional vulnerabilities and may cause Secure Boot-dependent software, hardware, and firmware to stop functioning.

For most users, applying the new Secure Boot updates should be as simple as running Windows Update. Windows 10 users that have not opted into the ESU, as well as a number of Windows 11 users not included in the initial Windows Update wave, may be required to manually apply a BIOS update in order to apply new Secure Boot certificates. Ahead of this looming deadline, Microsoft also hosted an hour-long AMA session on Secure Boot addressing various minutiae and concerns, which you can watch below.


Fixing Secure Boot isn't the only thing Microsoft is working on. The company has made several improvements to Windows over the past few months, including improvements to system performance and the restoration of classic functionality that was originally axed from Windows 11.

For those who have concerns or just want a rundown of the key takeaways from the extended Secure Boot AMA, the Windows Latest coverage will further detail what to expect if your certificates expire and what the update process will be like for various enterprise or legacy hardware scenarios.