Secure Boot certificates start expiring next week.

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The deadline is almost here. After 15 years, Microsoft will start expiring Secure Boot certificates on most PCs in June. That’s next week. While users had been told to expect a one-time additional restart, that advice now is different. You will likely need to “restart multiple times” to ensure your PC is secure.

The Secure Boot certificates on all PCs from pre-2023 date back to 2011, when these were initially released. Microsoft is expiring certificates for the first time and issuing new ones. All this is wrapped into April and May security updates.

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Per Windows Latest, “Microsoft has revealed what happens to Windows 11 PCs if you ignore the Secure Boot deadline in June 2026.” TL;DR, the website says, “your system security will permanently degrade because Microsoft will stop sending boot-critical updates and malware blacklists (DBX revocation lists).”

Windows will likely "restart multiple times after updates and your PC isn’t broken." The process to apply updates at this scale is complex to say the least. Microsoft confirms it is gathering signals from PCs to govern those that can be updated and the order in which this will happen. It is a controlled process.

The Windows Security App has also been updated to report on the status of this update. You’re looking for amber or critical red warnings, with recommended actions in either case. What you need to see is confirmation Secure Boot is fine.

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Microsoft confirms that these multiple reboots are expected. The first happens when it “pushes data into the firmware,” then a second “to load the newly signed bootloader,” and a third reboot “for the firmware to apply them.” There may be more than three, as your PC downloads, installs and applies new certificates.

“The clock is ticking on one of the most fundamental security architectures inside your PC,” Windows Latest says. Make sure you check the status of your PC, and if you’re running Windows 10, that you’re enrolled for extended security updates (ESU). If not, your PC will not install new certificates and you will be exposed.