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How to Check If Your PC Has a TPM Chip (Trusted Platform Module)

Not sure if you meet the requirements for Windows 11? We show you four ways to check if you have a TPM chip that don't rely on Microsoft's compatibility tool.

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If you've been keeping up with Windows news, you will have heard a lot about TPM, in particularly TPM 2.0, which listed as a requirement for . But what is a TPM chip, and how can you tell if you have one? We're going to explore that today.

What is TPM?

TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module, which may not mean much to you alone. Essentially, TPM is a security module typically soldered onto the motherboard in the form of a chip. It acts as a cryptographic processor and offers a hardware-based approach to generating hashes and storing cryptographic keys, biometric data, user data, and more.

Rooting the cryptography in hardware makes it all but impossible for attackers to tamper with and access this data, protecting against malware, ransomware, and sophisticated nation-state attacks. It's also instrumental in two key Windows tools – Windows Hello and BitLocker.

So, how can you check if your PC has a TPM chip? By following one of the sections below:

How to Check if Your PC has TPM with the TPM Management Tool

Though it's rarely seen by the average user, a TPM tool is included in the OS. This will quickly tell you whether you have a TPM chip, if it's enabled, and what version it is. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open the TPM management app
     

    Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, then type “tpm.msc” into the “Open” box. Press “OK” to open the app.

    Windows 10 - Run - Tpm.msc

  2. Check the status column for “The TPM is ready for use”
     

    If you see this text, it means that you have a TPM chip and it's enabled on your device. Under the “Specification Version” text you'll see your TPM version, which in our case is 2.0.

    Windows 10 - Run - Tpm.msc - Evidence

  3. If you see the text “Compatible TPM cannot be found…”
     

    The TPM cannot be found error does not necessarily mean that you don't have a TPM chip in your PC. Quite often, TPM is disabled in BIOS out of the box, so you should check there to see if you have a toggle. It's also possible that your TPM version is below 1.2, in which case it won't show up in the TPM Management tool.

    Windows 10 - Run - Tpm.msc - Not Installed

How to Check if Your PC has TPM Chip with Device Manager

Another way to check if TPM is enabled and its version is the trusty Windows 10 driver too, Device Manager:

  1. Open Device Manager
     

    In your Start menu, type “Device Manger”, then click the top result.

  2. Expand the “Security devices” section and look for a TPM device
     

    If you have a TPM chip and it's turned on, it will show up in this list, with its version noted at the end. Bear in mind that TPM must be enabled in your BIOS for it to show up here, so check there using the guide below before buying any additional hardware.

How to Check if Your PC has TPM Using Command Prompt

If you're using a GUI-less Windows Server install or just prefer the command-line, you can find your TMP information with wmic in . As a bonus, you'll get a little more information.

  1. Open Command Prompt
     

    Press the Start button and type “Command Prompt”, then click “Run as administrator” with the app selected.

    Windows 10 - Open Elevated Command Prompt

  2. Run the TPM command
     

    In your Command Prompt window, paste the following by right-clicking:

    wmic /namespace:\\root\cimv2\security\microsofttpm path win32_tpm get * /format:textvaluelist.xsl

    If you have a TPM chip, the command will tell you whether TPM is activated, enabled, and owned with three initial TRUE of FALSE statements. You'll also see information such as the manufacturer ID and version, and, importantly, the Spec version, which is in this case 2.0.

    If you do not have TPM installed, you'll get the message No instance(s) available. We recommend you check in your BIOS anyway just to verify this.

    Windows 10 - Elevated Command Prompt - Enter the Command - Evidence

How to Tell If Your PC Has TPM in BIOS/UEFI

If you can't find your TPM status with any of the above methods, you may have TPM disabled in your BIOS. Unfortunately, the process to enable TPM in BIOS will differ depending on your manufacturer, but here's an idea of what it'll look like:

  1. Check your UEFI/BIOS for a TPM toggle
     

    TPM is almost always in the Advanced or Security section of BIOS. If it's not turned on, it should be marked as “Disabled or Not Configured”. It will say TPM Enabled if it's on.

    Windows 10 - UEFI-BIOS Screen - Advanced Tab - TPM Support - Enabled

    That rounds up this TPM tutorial, but you may want to make some other tweaks while you're in BIOS anyway. You can follow our guides to learn how to enable Fast Startup or Core Isolation Memory Integrity with a BIOS tweak. 

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.