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CARTOO

Checking for TPM 2.0

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Cartoo requires a TPM 2.0 module on the machine it runs on. Without it the app will not start. Check this before you go out to a vehicle — not after.

Most laptops made since 2016 have TPM 2.0, but on many of them it ships disabled in the UEFI firmware, so “not found” usually means “switched off”, not “absent”.

Fastest check

Section titled “Fastest check”

Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, press Enter.

Windows Run dialog with tpm.msc typed in the Open field

The TPM Management console opens. Two places matter: Status near the top, and Specification Version in the bottom row.

TPM Management console: Status reads “The TPM is ready for use”, Specification Version reads 2.0

  • “The TPM is ready for use” and, under TPM Manufacturer Information, Specification Version: 2.0 — you’re fine.
  • Specification Version: 1.2 — the module is too old. It cannot be upgraded.
  • “Compatible TPM cannot be found” — either disabled in the UEFI, or absent. Go to Turning it on.

From a terminal

Section titled “From a terminal”

Useful when you need the answer in a script or over a remote session.

tpmtool ships with Windows and prints everything in one go:

Terminal window
tpmtool getdeviceinformation

tpmtool getdeviceinformation output showing TPM Present: True and TPM Version: 2.0

The two lines that matter are TPM Present: True and TPM Version: 2.0. (TPM Spec Version further down is a different number — the revision of the 2.0 specification the chip implements. Ignore it.)

PowerShell has its own cmdlet:

Terminal window
Get-Tpm

Look at three fields: TpmPresent : True, TpmReady : True, and ManufacturerVersion. To read the spec version directly:

Terminal window
Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/cimv2/security/microsofttpm -ClassName Win32_Tpm |
  Select-Object -ExpandProperty SpecVersion

The output starts with 2.0 on a good machine.

From the Windows UI

Section titled “From the Windows UI”

Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Device security → Security processor → Security processor details. Specification version must read 2.0.

If the Security processor section is missing from that page entirely, the TPM is disabled in firmware.

Turning it on

Section titled “Turning it on”

The setting lives in the UEFI, and vendors all name it differently:

  • Intel — Intel Platform Trust Technology, or Intel PTT
  • AMD — AMD fTPM, or AMD Platform Security Processor
  • Generic — Security Device Support, TPM Device, Trusted Computing

Reboot, enter the UEFI (usually F2, Del, or F10 during startup — the vendor’s splash screen names the key), find the setting under a Security or Advanced tab, enable it, save and exit.

Then re-run the tpm.msc check above. If it still finds nothing, the laptop has no TPM 2.0 and cannot be used to run Cartoo.