How to Turn on Secure Boot for Valorant

If VALORANT says you need Secure Boot (and often TPM 2.0) and you’re not sure what to change first, don’t start flipping switches in BIOS right away. The safest approach is to check what Windows already reports, confirm you’re booting in UEFI mode, check your disk layout, and only then enable Secure Boot. This is a decision tree, so you’ll know what to verify when enabling Secure Boot doesn’t fix the launch error.

Before you start: firmware changes can affect booting. Back up anything important, and make sure your PC won’t lose power while you’re in the BIOS/UEFI menus.

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Check whether Secure Boot is already enabled in Windows

Start with the simple question: is Secure Boot already on? If it is, you’re probably dealing with TPM 2.0, UEFI mode, or disk layout instead.

1. Press Windows Key + R.
2. Type msinfo32 and press Enter.
3. Look for:

• Secure Boot State
• and, on the same page, whether Windows shows you anything about boot mode

If Secure Boot State says On, skip the “enable” part and go to the UEFI mode / TPM 2.0 / disk partition style checks.

If Secure Boot State says Off, continue. You’ll likely need to turn it on in UEFI/BIOS.

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Confirm your PC is using UEFI mode

Secure Boot depends on UEFI (not legacy/CSM). If your PC is set to legacy mode, you usually won’t get the setup VALORANT expects.

In the same System Information (msinfo32) window:

• Find BIOS Mode
• You want it to show UEFI

Decision point

• If BIOS Mode = UEFI

✅ Go to the system disk partition style check.

• If BIOS Mode = Legacy (or you see legacy/CSM wording)

⚠️ Secure Boot typically can’t be enabled in the way you need until you switch to UEFI mode.

Before changing BIOS anything, check your disk partition style (next section). That detail matters.

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Check the system disk partition style before changing BIOS settings

A lot of guides skip this, and it’s where things can go sideways.

In Windows, check whether your system disk uses:

• GPT (often what you want for UEFI)
• MBR (a legacy partition style that can cause Secure Boot/UEFI issues)

Use PowerShell to check PartitionStyle

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) (or “Terminal (Admin)”).
3. Run:

```powershell

Get-Disk | Select Number, PartitionStyle

```

Check the disk that holds your Windows install (usually Disk 0, but don’t guess—use what the output shows).

Decision point

• If PartitionStyle = GPT

✅ You’re in a good spot. You can usually enable UEFI Secure Boot without extra workarounds.

• If PartitionStyle = MBR

⚠️ This is a common reason Secure Boot/UEFI requirements don’t line up cleanly. You may need additional changes (for example, moving to a GPT-based setup), and doing that the wrong way can leave Windows unbootable.

Since this is about low-risk steps, treat this as a “pause and plan” moment. You can still check TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot options first, but don’t assume turning on Secure Boot by itself will make VALORANT launch.

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Check TPM 2.0 in Windows

VALORANT requirements often include TPM 2.0. TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module. TPM 2.0 is the newer version.

1. Press Windows Key + R.
2. Type tpm.msc and press Enter.
3. Look for:

• TPM Version
• Status (Ready/Not ready)

Decision point

• If TPM is not detected, not ready, or not 2.0

⚠️ Secure Boot alone may not fix the error.

• If TPM shows 2.0 and status is ready

✅ Now you can focus on enabling Secure Boot and making sure you’re in UEFI mode.

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Enter your motherboard or laptop UEFI/BIOS settings

Next, open your firmware settings. The exact key and menu names vary by brand, so don’t look for identical wording—look for the same options.

Common ways to enter BIOS/UEFI:

• Restart and use a startup key like Del, F2, F10, Esc (varies by manufacturer)
• Or use Windows “Advanced Startup” to access firmware settings

Quick heads-up (important)

• Don’t change storage mode, disk controllers, or boot order unless this guide tells you to.
• When you find the Secure Boot screen, read what it says before you switch anything.

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Enable UEFI mode and Secure Boot

In UEFI/BIOS, you’re looking for two things:

1. UEFI boot mode (if you’re not already using it)
2. Secure Boot set to Enabled

Where to look (menu names vary)

You may see options under:

• Boot
• Security
• Authentication
• UEFI/BIOS Features
• Advanced

Typical setup steps

1. Find Boot Mode or UEFI/Legacy
2. Set it to UEFI
3. Find Secure Boot
4. Set Secure Boot to Enabled

If you see options like “OS Type” or “Secure Boot Mode,” choose the secure/UEFI-compatible option your firmware describes.

If you see “User Mode” related wording

Some systems show “User Mode” after setup changes. If your error mentions Secure Boot isn’t in the right mode (or references a “Secure Boot State”/mode message), confirm the official Secure Boot State in Windows after restarting (next section).

Save and exit, and let your PC restart.

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Verify Secure Boot State after restarting

Once Windows loads, confirm the change actually stuck.

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Type msinfo32
3. Check Secure Boot State

You want it to say On.

Also re-check:

• BIOS Mode is still UEFI
• TPM is still TPM 2.0 and ready (from tpm.msc)

Decision point

• Secure Boot State = On and BIOS Mode = UEFI and TPM 2.0 = ready

✅ Try starting VALORANT again.

• Secure Boot State still shows Off

⚠️ Go back into BIOS settings. Sometimes Secure Boot won’t enable unless other settings are correct, like UEFI mode.

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Troubleshoot Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and User Mode errors

If VALORANT still won’t launch, don’t keep randomly changing toggles. Use this order, because it matches the checks most often responsible for launch failures.

1) Secure Boot State isn’t actually On

• Go back to msinfo32
• Confirm Secure Boot State = On
• If it’s still off, you didn’t reach the correct firmware state, or something is blocking the setup.

2) BIOS Mode isn’t UEFI

• In msinfo32, check BIOS Mode
• If it shows Legacy, Secure Boot may not be in the usable setup VALORANT expects.

3) TPM 2.0 isn’t ready (or isn’t 2.0)

• Open tpm.msc
• Verify:
• TPM Version 2.0
• Status: Ready

If TPM isn’t ready, you may need to enable TPM in BIOS (often called TPM, Intel PTT, or similar wording). Don’t change Secure Boot again yet—fix TPM first.

4) Messages like “Secure Boot can be enabled when system in User Mode”

Some systems require Secure Boot to be enabled only in a specific firmware mode. If you see language like this:

• Save changes
• Exit BIOS
• Boot back into Windows
• Then re-check Secure Boot State in msinfo32

If the message keeps coming back and Secure Boot won’t stay enabled, don’t keep toggling. Focus on aligning UEFI mode and TPM 2.0 first.

5) The system disk is MBR (the “disk layout” red flag)

If your PartitionStyle is MBR, you may hit a wall where UEFI/Secure Boot requirements don’t line up.

What to do here:

• First, confirm you turned on Secure Boot and that Windows shows it On.
• Also confirm BIOS Mode = UEFI.
• If VALORANT still errors, you may need to plan a move toward a GPT-based setup. That’s higher risk than flipping toggles, so treat it as the next step only if the simpler checks didn’t fix it.

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What to do if VALORANT still will not start

At this point, you’ve done the core setup work. If the launcher still complains, use this final checklist.

Verify the three “must be correct” items

After restarting:

1. msinfo32

• Secure Boot State = On
• BIOS Mode = UEFI

1. tpm.msc

• TPM Version = 2.0
• Status = Ready

Match the error to the likely cause

• If the game says Secure Boot is required → double-check Secure Boot State.
• If it mentions TPM 2.0 → double-check tpm.msc.
• If it mentions mode issues (like “User Mode” / Secure Boot State wording) → confirm the firmware changes actually stuck by re-checking msinfo32 after reboot.

If it still fails

• Go back to BIOS and re-check just the two core settings:
• UEFI mode
• Secure Boot = Enabled
• Avoid changing other unrelated BIOS settings unless you know what they do.
• If your disk partition style is MBR, assume that could be the reason you’re stuck, and don’t keep trying the Secure Boot toggle expecting a different outcome.

Once everything shows the expected values, restart once more and then try launching VALORANT again.

Before you attempt the game again, verify Secure Boot State, UEFI mode, and TPM 2.0 after restarting—those three checks are your real final confirmation that your setup matches what VALORANT requires.

Quick FAQ

Q: How do I turn on Secure Boot for VALORANT?

Check Secure Boot State in Windows using msinfo32. Then reboot into your PC’s UEFI/BIOS and set Secure Boot to Enabled. After that, confirm again in Windows that Secure Boot State shows On.

Q: What about Windows 11 vs Windows 10?

The Windows steps (msinfo32 for Secure Boot State, and tpm.msc for TPM 2.0) work the same. The BIOS/UEFI menu names can differ by PC brand, but you’re still aiming for UEFI + Secure Boot Enabled.

Q: Does VALORANT really require UEFI Secure Boot and TPM 2.0?

Many setup checks for VALORANT pair UEFI Secure Boot with TPM 2.0. If VALORANT shows an error about these requirements, treat them as connected and verify both.

Q: Why does VALORANT fail even after Secure Boot is enabled?

Common reasons include:

• Secure Boot State in Windows still isn’t On
• Your PC is not actually running in UEFI mode
• TPM 2.0 isn’t ready or isn’t 2.0
• Your system disk partition style is MBR, which can make the firmware setup mismatched

Q: What does “Secure Boot State” mean?

It’s the label in Windows System Information that tells you what the system is currently using. After you change BIOS/UEFI settings, you should confirm Secure Boot State again in msinfo32.