Internal Boot FAQ (7.3+)
This page contains frequently asked questions about internal boot in Unraid OS. For general licensing questions, see the Licensing FAQ. For TPM-based licensing questions, see the TPM Licensing FAQ (7.3+).
If you'd rather watch a step-by-step walkthrough, these videos cover both common internal boot paths.
New server setup
Existing server conversion
I switched from flash boot to internal boot, but the system still boots from flash. What should I do?
Unraid attempts to update the UEFI boot order automatically. If that does not take effect, manually move your internal boot device(s) to the top of your BIOS/UEFI boot order, save changes, and reboot.
What should I do if I see "prohibited by secure boot policy" after enabling internal boot?
Disable Secure Boot in your BIOS/UEFI settings, then reboot.
Does an internal boot SSD or NVMe device count toward my attached storage device limit?
Yes. Internal boot SSD/NVMe devices count toward your attached device limit.
Unraid does not currently exclude internal boot drives from the attached device count. If you use mirrored internal boot, both boot devices count.
Specifically, attached storage devices include all devices present before array start, except one eMMC device and one USB device. See Licensing FAQ.
Can I configure internal boot with two SSDs in a mirrored setup for redundancy?
Yes. Mirrored internal boot is supported by default.
Internal boot uses ZFS, and a mirrored setup uses a ZFS mirror for redundancy. If one boot drive fails, Unraid continues running in a degraded state. Replace the failed device through the normal Unraid drive assignment flow to restore the mirror.
Can I enable internal boot and still license from flash?
Yes. The licensing method is independent of the boot method.
For TPM-based licensing details, see the TPM Licensing FAQ (7.3+).
Comment fonctionne la sauvegarde flash si j’utilise le démarrage interne ?
Restaurez d’abord la sauvegarde sur une clé USB à l’aide du Unraid USB Flash Creator, puis démarrez à partir de ce périphérique USB restauré.
Après le démarrage du serveur, accédez à Settings → Onboarding Wizard, choisissez internal boot, puis terminez le basculement. Unraid copie la configuration de démarrage restaurée vers le ou les périphériques de démarrage interne sélectionnés au cours de ce processus.
Vous ne placez pas manuellement les fichiers de sauvegarde flash dans la partition de démarrage interne.
Pour connaître la procédure complète de sauvegarde et de restauration, consultez Automated flash backup.