Have you ever sat down to queue for a Valorant ranked match with your friends, only to be hit with a bright red Vanguard error saying your system doesn’t meet anti-cheat requirements? It’s one of the most frustrating launch issues players face, and 9 times out of 10, the fix comes down to adjusting a hidden setting in your PC’s BIOS. If you’ve run into this exact problem, learning how to enable UEFI Secure Boot for Valorant will get you back into matches in less than 15 minutes, no expensive upgrades required.
What UEFI Secure Boot Does for Valorant’s Vanguard Anti-Cheat
A lot of players assume Riot added the secure boot requirement just to be annoying, but there’s a very good reason for the rule. Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat protection tool, which means it runs at the deepest level of your operating system to catch even the most well-hidden cheats. UEFI Secure Boot blocks any unsigned, untrusted code from running before your Windows operating system loads, so cheats that try to hide in your boot process can’t avoid being detected by Vanguard.
I’ve spoken to dozens of players who got temporary account bans because they had old, forgotten cheat software for single-player games running in their boot sequence, and enabling secure boot would have prevented that entire headache. It also adds an extra layer of protection for your PC against malware that targets your boot sector, so it’s a useful change even if you only play Valorant occasionally. The most common error tied to missing secure boot is Vanguard error code 57, so if you’ve seen that pop up, this guide is exactly what you need.
How to Enable UEFI Secure Boot for Valorant: Tested Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Before you make any changes to your BIOS, back up all critical files to an external drive or cloud storage. BIOS changes rarely cause issues if you follow instructions, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’ve never edited these settings before. First, check if your system is already running UEFI mode: press Win + R, type “msinfo32” into the run box, and hit enter. Look for the “BIOS Mode” line in the system summary tab. If it says “UEFI”, you can skip the next step. If it says “Legacy”, you’ll need to convert your boot drive from MBR to GPT first. You can do this without reinstalling Windows using the built-in mbr2gpt tool, just follow official Microsoft instructions to avoid issues.
Next, you’ll need to restart your PC and enter your BIOS menu. The access key varies by manufacturer, so reference this list to find the right one for your device:
Once you’re in the BIOS, navigate to the Boot tab. First, disable Legacy Boot or Compatibility Support Module (CSM), if that option is available. Next, find the Secure Boot option, usually located under the Boot or Security tab, and toggle it on. Some motherboards will require you to set a supervisor password first before you can enable secure boot, so don’t panic if the option is greyed out until you add a password. Once you’ve made the changes, save your settings and exit the BIOS. Your PC will restart normally, and you can check if secure boot is enabled by going back to the msinfo32 menu we used earlier.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Enabling Secure Boot for Valorant
Even if you follow the steps perfectly, small oversights can leave you with a non-booting PC or still stuck with Vanguard errors. The most common mistake I see is players forgetting to disable Compatibility Support Module (CSM) before turning on secure boot. Most motherboards won’t let you run secure boot with CSM enabled, so the option will stay greyed out until you turn CSM off. Another big mistake is skipping the MBR to GPT conversion step if your system is running Legacy BIOS mode. If you enable UEFI without converting your drive, your PC won’t be able to find your Windows install and will get stuck on a black boot screen.
You should also avoid downloading third-party BIOS editing tools to make these changes, as unvetted tools can corrupt your BIOS entirely and leave you with a bricked PC. Finally, don’t forget to check for unsigned third-party drivers after you enable secure boot. Drivers for old RGB controllers, custom fan software, or even old modded game clients can be blocked by secure boot, and will trigger Vanguard errors even if the setting is enabled correctly.
What to Do If Enabling Secure Boot Doesn’t Fix Your Valorant Launch Error
In rare cases, you might follow all the steps correctly and still get the same Vanguard error when you try to launch Valorant. First, double check your Secure Boot State verification in the msinfo32 menu. If it still says “Off”, your motherboard might need a BIOS update to support secure boot properly. Most older motherboards released before 2018 have buggy secure boot support, so updating to the latest official BIOS version from your manufacturer’s website will usually fix the issue.
If secure boot is on but you still get the error, run the Riot Vanguard repair tool to fix any corrupted Vanguard files. You can find this by going to Add/Remove Programs in Windows settings, searching for Riot Vanguard, clicking Modify, and selecting the Repair option. If that still doesn’t work, check for any old cheat software, game mod tools, or even VPNs that use unsigned drivers. Uninstall those tools, restart your PC, and try launching Valorant again. As a last resort, if you’re running a custom, stripped-down version of Windows, you might need to install an official Windows 10 or 11 build to get secure boot working properly, as many custom Windows builds disable secure boot support by default.
At the end of the day, messing with BIOS settings can feel intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but the process is far simpler than most players think. Taking 10 minutes to learn how to enable UEFI Secure Boot for Valorant doesn’t just fix your launch errors – it also makes your entire PC more secure against common malware that targets boot sectors. Just take the time to back up your files first, double check your system’s current BIOS mode, and follow the steps carefully, and you’ll be back to clutching ranked matches before you know it. If you run into any weird edge cases with your specific motherboard model, a quick search of your manufacturer’s support forum will almost always turn up a fix tailored to your device.
