How to Enable Secure Boot in ASUS BIOS for Windows 11

If a game refuses to launch with a “Secure Boot is not enabled” or anti-cheat error, your ASUS board probably just needs Secure Boot turned on. Modern anti-cheats — Valorant (Vanguard), Fortnite, Call of Duty / Warzone (Ricochet), and Faceit — now require Secure Boot on Windows 11. This guide walks you through enabling it on ASUS (ROG, TUF, PRIME, ProArt) boards without breaking your existing setup.

This guide is written for ASUS motherboards using modern UEFI BIOS. If you have MSI, Gigabyte, or ASRock, use those brand-specific guides instead. Secure Boot pairs with TPM 2.0 — if you haven’t enabled that yet, see How to Enable TPM in ASUS BIOS for Windows 11.

Quick checklist before you touch BIOS

• Back up important data. Enabling Secure Boot is usually safe, but always assume something can go wrong.
• Confirm your drive is GPT, not MBR. Secure Boot requires UEFI + GPT. Converting MBR to GPT later is easy with mbr2gpt, but it’s better to know first.
• Connect a keyboard and monitor directly (no remote access).
• Update Windows so anti-cheat services pick up the change after reboot.

Step 1 – Check whether Secure Boot is already on

1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.
2. In System Information, look at two lines:
   • BIOS Mode should read UEFI (not Legacy).
   • Secure Boot State should read On.

If BIOS Mode says Legacy, you must convert to UEFI/GPT before Secure Boot will work. If Secure Boot State says Off but BIOS Mode is UEFI, you only need to flip the BIOS setting below.

Step 2 – Enter the ASUS UEFI BIOS

1. Fully shut down your PC.
2. Power it on and repeatedly tap Del (sometimes F2) as soon as you see the ASUS logo.
3. Press F7 to switch from EZ Mode into Advanced Mode.

Step 3 – Make sure CSM is disabled

Secure Boot will not turn on while CSM (Compatibility Support Module) is enabled.

1. Go to the Boot tab.
2. Open CSM (Compatibility Support Module).
3. Set Launch CSM to Disabled.

If disabling CSM stops Windows from booting, your drive is still using MBR. Boot back into Windows, run mbr2gpt /validate then mbr2gpt /convert from an elevated command prompt, and try again.

Step 4 – Enable Secure Boot on ASUS

1. Still on the Boot tab, open Secure Boot.
2. Set OS Type to Windows UEFI mode.
3. Set Secure Boot to Enabled.
4. If Secure Boot stays greyed out, open Key Management and select Install default Secure Boot keys (sometimes shown as “Restore Factory keys”), then set it to Enabled.

Step 5 – Save and reboot correctly

1. Press F10 to bring up Save & Exit.
2. Confirm your changes include Secure Boot = Enabled and Launch CSM = Disabled.
3. Select OK and let the board reboot into Windows.

Step 6 – Verify Secure Boot in Windows 11

1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.
2. Confirm Secure Boot State: On and BIOS Mode: UEFI.

Now restart your game. Vanguard, Ricochet, and EAC checks should pass.

Troubleshooting on specific ASUS lineups

ROG Strix / ROG Crosshair / ROG Maximus

These expose all options by default. Use Boot → Secure Boot → OS Type: Windows UEFI mode, then Secure Boot Enabled. If keys are missing, use Key Management → Install default Secure Boot keys.

ASUS TUF Gaming

Security options are grouped under Boot. Disable CSM first, then enable Secure Boot — TUF boards often refuse to show the Secure Boot toggle until CSM is off.

ASUS PRIME / ProArt

These sometimes ship with CSM enabled for legacy compatibility. Disable CSM, convert your drive to GPT if needed, then enable Secure Boot.

Does Secure Boot affect gaming performance?

No. Secure Boot only validates your boot chain at startup — it has zero impact on FPS or input latency in games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Warzone. The only thing it changes is letting modern anti-cheats run.

If you’re tuning your whole rig for competitive play, combine this with:

• How to Enable TPM in ASUS BIOS for Windows 11
• How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming
• The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming + Tier1Timer

Summary – ASUS Secure Boot for Windows 11

• Disable Launch CSM under Boot → CSM.
• Set OS Type to Windows UEFI mode and Secure Boot to Enabled.
• Install default Secure Boot keys if the toggle is greyed out.
• Verify with msinfo32 → Secure Boot State: On.

Once this is set, your ASUS gaming PC will pass the Secure Boot checks that Valorant, Fortnite, and Call of Duty now require — without losing any performance.