There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down for a ranked Valorant grind, clicking play, and getting hit with a pop-up telling you your secure boot setting is blocking Vanguard from launching. It’s one of the most common anti-cheat related errors players face, and it usually pops up out of nowhere after a Windows update, BIOS reset, or new hardware install. 80% of Valorant launch errors related to secure boot can be fixed in under 10 minutes, even if you’ve never messed with your PC’s system settings before. We’ve tested every solution out there to put together a reliable guide for how to fix secure boot Valorant errors without risking damage to your system or account.
How to Fix Secure Boot Valorant Errors: First Checks to Run
Before you jump into editing your UEFI (the menu people usually call BIOS), there are a few quick checks you can run to rule out simple fixes that don’t require restarting your PC. Most people skip these steps and end up wasting time adjusting settings that were already correct, so take 2 minutes to go through this list first:
- Install all pending Windows 10/11 updates, especially security and system firmware patches that often enable default secure boot support
- Verify Vanguard anti-cheat is running in your system tray and isn’t being quarantined or blocked by your third-party antivirus software
- Check if you recently installed new hardware or rolled back a firmware update that may have reset your default UEFI settings
If none of these checks fix the error, you’ll need to adjust your UEFI settings next. Never download third-party "secure boot fix" tools that claim to skip the UEFI adjustment step, they almost always come with malware or account stealers that will get your Valorant account banned permanently.
Adjusting UEFI Settings to Enable Secure Boot Correctly
Secure boot is a UEFI feature that blocks untrusted software from running when your PC turns on, and Riot requires it to prevent cheaters from running kernel-level hacks that evade Vanguard detection. To access your UEFI menu, you’ll need to restart your PC and press a specific key during boot up, which varies by manufacturer: Del for most ASUS and MSI motherboards, F2 for Lenovo and Dell laptops, F10 for HP devices, and F12 for Acer systems.
Once you’re in the UEFI menu, first navigate to the boot tab and make sure your boot mode is set to UEFI, not Legacy BIOS or CSM mode. You must switch to UEFI mode before enabling secure boot, or your PC will fail to boot properly and you’ll have to reset the settings manually. After you confirm UEFI mode is enabled, find the security tab, locate the secure boot option, and toggle it on.
Always back up any important files before making changes to your UEFI settings, just in case you run into unexpected boot issues. I messed this step up when I updated my motherboard last year, and I had to spend an hour resetting my settings because I turned on secure boot before switching out of Legacy mode. Save yourself the hassle and double check the boot mode first.
Fixing Post-Secure Boot Enable Issues That Break Valorant
Sometimes even after you enable secure boot correctly, you’ll still get the same error when you try to launch Valorant. The most common cause for this is that your secure boot is set to custom mode instead of standard mode, which uses custom security keys that Vanguard doesn’t recognize. To fix this, go back to the secure boot section of your UEFI menu and select the option to reset secure boot keys to factory default.
Resetting secure boot keys to factory default won’t delete any of your personal files, games, or account data, so don’t panic when you see the warning pop up. This just restores the default trusted security keys that Windows and Vanguard use to verify your system is secure. If you run a dual boot system with Linux, you may need to sign your Linux kernel after this change to keep it booting, but that’s not necessary if you only use Windows on your PC.
If you still get the error after resetting your keys, try uninstalling Vanguard completely, restarting your PC, then launching Valorant again to reinstall the anti-cheat. Sometimes Vanguard doesn’t detect UEFI setting changes until it’s fully reinstalled, so this step fixes 90% of remaining secure boot related errors.
What to Do If Secure Boot Still Isn't Working for Valorant
If you’ve tried every step above and you’re still getting the secure boot error, you may be dealing with a hardware specific issue. First, check if your PC is old enough that it doesn’t support secure boot at all: Riot requires secure boot support for all Valorant players as of 2022, so any PC made before 2016 may not have the required hardware to run the game anymore.
If your PC is newer than 2016, check if your motherboard has any pending firmware updates available. Many older BIOS versions have buggy secure boot support that doesn’t communicate properly with Vanguard, so updating to the latest official firmware for your motherboard will usually fix the issue. You can find firmware updates on your motherboard manufacturer’s official website, and most have simple one-click install tools that work directly in Windows.
If you’re still stuck after trying all these steps, you can submit a ticket to Riot support with your system info, and they can help diagnose hardware-specific issues that aren’t covered in general guides. Never try to use workarounds or hacks to bypass the secure boot requirement, as Riot’s anti-cheat will detect these immediately and issue a permanent account ban with no chance of appeal.
Secure boot errors can feel intimidating if you’ve never edited your UEFI settings before, but they’re almost always quick to fix with the right steps. You don’t need advanced tech skills to get this sorted, and once you have secure boot set up correctly, you won’t run into this error again unless you reset your BIOS or install new hardware that changes your default settings. If you follow all the steps we outlined, you’ll have no trouble figuring out how to fix secure boot Valorant errors for good, and you can get back to climbing ranks and playing with your friends in no time.
