How to check if your PC has a trusted platform module (TPM)
If you plan to upgrade to Windows 11 or want to use encryption on Windows 10, you need to make sure that TPM is present and enabled, and here’s how.
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A trusted platform module (TPM) is a security chip embedded in most systems to provide a hardware-based tamper-resistant environment to generate, store, and protect encryption keys. On Windows 10, you would typically need this module to use features likeBitLockerto encrypt and decrypt the hard drive, but installing the operating system is not a requirement. However, this is changing withWindows 11.
On Windows 11, Microsoft is updating theminimum system requirements, making the trusted platform module (version 2.0) a prerequisite to configuring security features and installing the operating system on a computer.
If your device does not have a TPM 2.0 chip, when you run theWindows PC Health Check toolor another utility, you will get an error, and you won’t be able to install Windows 11 even though the rest of the hardware meets the minimum requirements.
Whether you plan to make the leap to Windows 11 or want to configure security features like BitLocker, you have multiple ways to check if your computer has a trusted platform module configured and enabled.
Thisguidewill show you the steps to check whether your computer includes a TPM chip to install Windows 11.
How to check if a TPM is present on your computer
On Windows 10, there are many ways to determine if the system has a trusted platform module, including Settings, Device Manager, and the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) settings.
Confirm TPM 2.0 with Settings
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To check whether your device has a TPM chip and is enabled, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you will have confirmed whether or not the computer includes the hardware-based security module.
Confirm TPM 2.0 with Device Manager
To check if a TPM chip is present and enabled with Device Manager, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, similar to using the Settings experience, you would have confirmed whether the device enabled a TPM chip.
Confirm TPM 2.0 with UEFI
Although the two methods outlined above can help quickly determine whether you have a trusted platform module, they do not confirm whether the computer doesn’t support the security feature since it could be present but disabled on the UEFI settings.
To confirm and enable a trusted platform module via the UEFI settings, use these steps:
Warning:Changing the incorrect firmware settings can prevent your device from starting correctly. You should access the motherboard settings only when you have a good reason. It’s assumed that you know what you’re doing.
Once you complete the steps, you will know whether the device has a trusted platform module to install Windows 11. You can alsofollow this guideto access the motherboard settings during the boot sequence.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
