- Laptops
- Laptop
Red bar and unlocked lock icon
Surface red bar and unlocked lock on laptop: Secure Boot off
Risk level
Medium
Proceed carefully and stop if the check is unclear.
Urgency
Medium
Quick answer
At startup Surface shows a red bar across the top with an unlocked lock icon: Microsoft says Secure Boot is turned off. Open Surface UEFI with volume up and power, go to Security and turn Secure Boot back on.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- If the UEFI asks for a password you do not know, do not look for ways around it: ask the device owner, your IT or Microsoft.
- With Secure Boot off, Surface loses a protection designed to stop malicious software from loading at startup: turn it back on soon unless someone needs it off.
Safe checks you can perform
- Open Surface UEFI with volume up
- Turn Secure Boot back on under Security
- Check whether someone needed the change
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Microsoft help if you cannot turn it back on
- Do not attempt this professional task: Your organization's IT for a managed Surface
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Microsoft help if you cannot turn it back on
What they doIf the Secure Boot option does not respond or the bar returns, Surface support can guide you or open a case.
They must show youthe Surface UEFI Security page with Secure Boot on and a restart without the red bar.
In writingthe case number, the UEFI version installed and whether anything had to be updated or reset.
Your organization's IT for a managed Surface
What they doOn work or school devices, the IT helpdesk controls the UEFI and decides how to restore the configuration.
They must show youthe restored Secure Boot setting and the policy that applies to the device.
In writingwhat was changed in the UEFI, who changed it and the ticket reference.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Open Surface UEFI with volume up
- Who:
- you, with Surface switched off.
- How:
- shut down Surface and wait about 10 seconds. Press and hold the volume-up button and, at the same time, press and release the power button. When the logo appears keep holding volume up until the UEFI screen shows.
- Result that matters:
- reaching the Surface UEFI screen without Windows starting.
- If you see the UEFI:
- go to the Security section.
- If Windows starts or a UEFI password you do not know is requested:
- do not try to get around it; talk to the device owner, your IT or Microsoft.
- Evidence to keep:
- a photo of the red bar and of the UEFI screen.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Turn Secure Boot back on under Security
- Who:
- you, inside Surface UEFI.
- How:
- select Security and, under Secure Boot, select Change Configuration. Pick a Secure Boot certificate keyset (for example, Microsoft only) and choose Exit, then Restart now, to save your changes.
- Result that matters:
- Surface restarts and the red bar with the unlocked lock no longer appears.
- If the bar is gone:
- Secure Boot is active again.
- If the option will not change or the bar remains:
- note what you see and contact Microsoft or your IT.
- Evidence to keep:
- which keyset you chose and a photo of the screen after restarting.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Check whether someone needed the change
- Who:
- you, before or after turning it back on.
- How:
- find out whether you or someone else turned Secure Boot off on purpose, for example to start another system or a USB tool. If the device belongs to an organization, ask IT before changing it.
- Result that matters:
- knowing whether turning it on will affect something installed on purpose.
- If nobody changed it on purpose:
- leave it on, which is what Microsoft recommends for security.
- If it was turned off for another system:
- discuss with whoever set it up before leaving the device without that protection.
- Evidence to keep:
- who uses the device and whether any other system or boot tool was installed.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Laptops
- Brand
- Microsoft Surface
- Product type
- Laptop
Known code variants
- arranque seguro desactivado
- barra roja
- barra roja y candado
- candado abierto
- candado desbloqueado
- pantalla roja Surface
- red bar
- red bar at top of screen
- red bar unlocked lock
- red screen Surface
- Secure Boot desactivado
- Secure Boot disabled
- Secure Boot off
- unlocked lock icon
What it means
Microsoft's page "Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon" (Surface Pro, Laptop, Go, Studio and Book) explains that this screen means Secure Boot is turned off. Secure Boot is a security feature designed to stop malicious software from loading when the PC starts. It is a configuration warning: on its own it never proves that a part is faulty. Other models or UEFI versions may show slightly different menus.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Mediumeditorial warning
If the UEFI asks for a password you do not know, do not look for ways around it: ask the device owner, your IT or Microsoft.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
- Mediumsource verified
With Secure Boot off, Surface loses a protection designed to stop malicious software from loading at startup: turn it back on soon unless someone needs it off.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Secure Boot turned off in Surface UEFICommon
This is what Microsoft states: when the red bar with the unlocked lock appears, the Secure Boot option is off in the firmware settings.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
- Earlier change to the boot settingsPossible
The option is switched off from the UEFI itself; if someone changed it, for example to boot another system, the red bar stays until it is turned back on.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
- Managed device with its own policyLess common
On a business Surface the UEFI may be managed; if you cannot change it, the IT helpdesk decides how Secure Boot is restored.
Evidence: Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Virtual technician
Does Red bar and unlocked lock icon still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 1
Surface turns on but shows a red bar and an unlocked lock icon
Microsoft · 2026 · official_doc
- 2
Surface se enciende, pero muestra una barra roja y un icono de bloqueo desbloqueado
Microsoft · 2026 · official_doc
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