How to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to play any PC game on Windows 10

To play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and other modern games on Windows 10, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot must be enabled as part of the game’s anti-cheat requirements.
On UEFI-based systems, you can enable these features through your PC’s firmware settings under the “Security” or “Boot” menu.
If your system uses legacy BIOS, you have to convert the drive from MBR to GPT, switch to UEFI mode, and then enable TPM and Secure Boot before launching the game.

If you have a gaming PC running Windows 10 and want to play the latest games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 or Battlefield 6, you must ensure that Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled. These features are becoming the norm because of the mandatory anti-cheat requirement, and without it, you’ll see the “SecureBoot is not enabled” or a similar error. In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to complete this configuration.

TPM is a piece of hardware, usually (but not always) integrated into the motherboard, that provides a secure environment to store and protect encryption keys when encrypting the hard drive using features like BitLocker. On the other hand, Secure Boot is a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware security feature that only allows trusted software to load during startup, protecting against boot-level malware (such as bootkits, rootkits, and, in this case, game cheat systems).

In rare cases, enabling Secure Boot might interfere with older hardware or non-Windows operating systems. You might need to disable it temporarily in such scenarios. However, for optimal security, it’s generally recommended to keep it enabled.

In this guide, I will teach you how to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to meet the system requirements for playing games on Windows 10.

Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 10 (UEFI)
Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 10 (BIOS)

Warning: Windows 10 has already reached the end of support. If you want to keep using the operating system, it’s recommended to enroll the device in the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. However, it’s recommended to upgrade to Windows 11 as soon as possible.

Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 10 (UEFI)

On Windows 10, enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot can be a little tricky to explain because the operating system can run on UEFI or legacy BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). If you’re using BIOS as the firmware, you’ll have to take extra steps to switch to UEFI (if the option is available) before you can enable Secure Boot.

Step 1: Check if Secure Boot is present

To check if your Windows 10 computer is using UEFI and Secure Boot, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for System Information and click the top result to open the app.
Click on System Summary on the left pane.
Check the “BIOS Mode” information and confirm it is set to UEFI. If it’s set to Legacy, the device is set to BIOS, which is not compatible with Secure Boot.
Check the “Secure Boot State” information and confirm the feature is turned “On.” (If not, you need to enable the option manually.)

After you complete the steps, if the system is using the UEFI firmware type, you can proceed to enable Secure Boot on the computer. If it’s using the legacy BIOS, you’ll have to convert the drive from MBR to GPT before you can switch from BIOS to UEFI and then enable Secure Boot.

Step 2: Check if TPM 2.0 is present

To determine if TPM is enabled for Windows 10, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for tpm.msc and click the top result to open the “Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Management” app.
In the “Status” and “TPM Manufacturer Information” sections, confirm that TPM and its version are present.

If the computer includes a TPM chip, you’ll notice the hardware information and its status. Otherwise, if it reads “Compatible TPM cannot be found,” the chip is disabled on the UEFI, or the device doesn’t have a compatible Trusted Platform Module.

Step 3: Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on UEFI

If the computer is using UEFI, you can use these steps to enable the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot security features:

Open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
Click the Recovery page.
Click the Restart now button under the “Advanced startup” section.
Click the Restart now button one more time.
Click on Troubleshoot.
Click on Advanced options.
Click the “UEFI Firmware settings” option.
Click the Restart button.
Open the advanced, security, or boot settings page, depending on the motherboard.
Select the “Secure Boot” option, then choose the “Enabled” option.
Select the “TPM 2.0″ option, then choose the “Enabled” option.

Once you complete the steps, you should now be able to run PC games (such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6) without issues.

If the motherboard doesn’t have a TPM chip, but you have an AMD-based system, the module may be built into the processor, and the option will appear as “fTPM” (firmware-based TPM 2.0) or “AMD fTPM switch.” On an Intel-based system, TPM 2.0 is available as Platform Trust Technology (PTT).

Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 10 (BIOS)

If it’s using the legacy BIOS, you’ll have to convert the drive partition style from Master Boot Record (MBR) to GPT (GUID Partition Table) before you can switch from BIOS to UEFI and enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 10.

When performing these steps, you’ll be modifying the storage structure. After switching to the GPT style, your computer will no longer boot unless you switch the firmware type to UEFI. If you’re unsure whether your device supports firmware type switching, it’s recommended to check your manufacturer’s support website (search online for your device brand and model) to confirm before proceeding.

Warning: Modifying the partition style can cause severe problems if improperly done. It is assumed that you know what you are doing and that you have created a system backup before proceeding.

Step 1: Check the drive partition style

To check the partition style of a drive on Windows 10, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the app.
Right-click the disk (not the partition), then select Properties.
Click the Volumes tab.
Check the “Partition style” field to confirm if the drive is formatted using the “Master Boot Record (MBR)” or “GUID Partition Table (GPT)” style.

After you complete the steps, you’ll confirm the partition style on your current setup.

It’s important to note that typically, you cannot use the GPT partition style on a system that uses a traditional legacy BIOS for booting. If your system is using the legacy firmware, chances are that the partition is already set to MBR, and conversion is needed.

Step 2: Convert an MBR partition to the GPT style

To convert the partition style from MBR to GPT on Windows 10, follow these steps:

Open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
Click on Recovery.
Click the Restart now button under the “Advanced startup” section.
Click on Troubleshoot.
Click on Advanced options.
Click the Command Prompt option.
Select your administrator account and sign in with your credentials (as necessary).
Type the following command to validate that the drive can be converted and press Enter:
```
mbr2gpt /validate
```
Type the following command to convert the system drive to GPT from MBR and press Enter:
```
mbr2gpt /convert
```
Type the following command to close the console and press Enter:
```
exit
```
Click the Turn off your PC option.

When using the mbr2gpt command-line tool, only the system drive will be converted to GPT unless you modify the command and specify which drives to convert.

Step 3: Switch from BIOS to UEFI

To switch from BIOS to UEFI on a Windows 10 gaming PC, follow these steps:

Power on and boot to the firmware.

Quick note: The steps to access and modify the firmware settings will vary per manufacturer and computer model. It’s recommended to consult your device manufacturer’s support website for more specific details. However, you can typically access the firmware during boot by pressing Delete, Esc, or one of the Function keys.
Navigate to the boot sequence, advanced, or boot settings page, depending on your motherboard.
Turn off the legacy BIOS and enable UEFI mode.
Save the settings
Power off the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the last step is to enable Secure Boot in the firmware.

Step 4: Enable Secure Boot in UEFI

To enable Secure Boot inside UEFI for Windows 10, follow these steps:

Power on and boot to the firmware (again).
Depending on the motherboard, navigate to the advanced, security, or boot options page.
Select the “Secure Boot” option, then choose the “Enabled” option.
Select the “TPM 2.0″ option, then choose the “Enabled” option.
Save the settings
Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the computer should boot correctly with TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled, meeting the anti-cheat requirements to play PC games on Windows 10.