How to use Secure Boot on your PC

Updated 2 weeks ago1 min read

Overblik

Learn about Secure Boot, an important security feature required to play some EA games.

Table of Contents

What is Secure Boot?

Some EA games require Secure Boot, a Windows 10 and Windows 11 security feature that ensures your PC only loads safe software during startup. Secure Boot allows games supported by EA Javelin Anticheat to detect and remove bad actors, resulting in fewer cheaters and a better experience for players.

How to check if Secure Boot is enabled

Use these steps to enable Secure Boot on your PC.On Windows 10 and Windows 11: 
  1. 1
    Select the Windows Key + R. This will open the Run Window.
  2. 2
    Type msinfo32 and select the Enter Key or OK.
  3. 3
    From the System Information window that opens, select System Summary. 
  4. 4
    Scroll down to find these values:
    • BIOS Mode value should be UEFI
    • Secure Boot State value should be On.he System Information window showing the System Summary with the BIOS Mode as UEFI and the Secure Boot State as On.
  • If Secure Boot State is Off, we’ll need to check the BIOS Mode and then enable it. 
  • If Secure Boot State is Unsupported, check with your motherboard manufacturer’s specification sheet or manual to see if Secure Boot is supported. 
  • If BIOS Mode is UEFI, then you can move on to how to enable Secure Boot. 
  • If BIOS Mode is Legacy, you’ll need to check if your Windows disk is MBR or GPT. 
Heads up: Your Windows install drive must be set up correctly to support Secure Boot. Secure Boot needs to use GPT (GUID Partition Table) instead of MBR (Master Boot Record). 

Requirements to enable Secure Boot

Heads-up: This article is a general guide, but it might not follow the exact steps of your PC.If you’re not used to navigating to and updating  your BIOS settings, you should contact a professional or your manufacturer’s customer support. Incorrectly configuring BIOS settings can cause issues with your computer, including failure to start up.We highly recommend that you read your computer or motherboard manufacturer's support resources before updating any BIOS settings. EA doesn’t take responsibility for changes to your BIOS settings.
Let’s check if Secure Boot’s requirement, TPM 2.0 is turned on and make sure the Windows disk is GPT and not MBR. You can jump straight to enabling Secure Boot if you’ve already done these steps.

Refer back to your manufacturer for guidance

Remember—every manufacturer is different, and if at any point when following the steps in this article your PC doesn’t match our instructions, you should refer back to your manufacturer's support resources. Here are links to some of the various manufacturers' guides:

General support: Acer SupportSecure Boot, TPM 2.0, and UEFI BIOS: Acer Secure Boot Desktop / Acer Secure Boot Laptop 

General support: Dell SupportSecure Boot: Dell Secure BootTPM 2.0: Dell TPM 2.0UEFI BIOS: Dell UEFI BIOS 

General support: ASUS SupportSecure Boot: ASUS Secure BootTPM 2.0: ASUS TPM 2.0UEFI BIOS: ASUS UEFI BIOS 

General support: ASRock SupportSecure Boot, TPM 2.0, and UEFI BIOS: ASRock Secure Boot 

General support: Corsair SupportSecure Boot, TPM 2.0, and UEFI BIOS: How to Fix Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 

General support: Dell SupportSecure Boot: Dell Secure BootTPM 2.0: Dell TPM 2.0UEFI BIOS: Dell UEFI BIOS 

General support: GIGABYTE SupportSecure Boot: GIGABYTE Secure BootTPM 2.0 and UEFI BIOS: GIGABYTE Windows Security Features 

Search for Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, or UEFI BIOS: HP Support 

General support: Lenovo SupportSecure Boot: Lenovo Documentation CenterTPM 2.0: Lenovo TPM 2.0UEFI BIOS: Lenovo UEFI 

General support: MSI SupportSecure Boot: MSI Secure BootTPM 2.0: MSI TPM 2.0UEFI BIOS: MSI UEFI BIOS 

General support: HP SupportSecure Boot, TPM 2.0, and UEFI BIOS:HP PCs – OMEN BIOS setup utility information and menu options | HP® Support 

Check if TPM 2.0 is enabled

  1. 1
    Select the Windows key and R at the same time to bring up Run Windows.
  2. 2
    Type tpm.msc and select the Enter Key.
  3. 3
    Check the Status box to see if TPM is ready to use. If it’s ready to use, it’s time to check if your Windows disk is MBR or GPT.
  4. 4
    If TPM isn’t ready, refer to your manufacturer on how to correctly enable TPM on your device.
The TPM Management window showing the TPM Status as ready to use.

Check if your Windows disk is MBR or GPT

  1. 1
    Select the Windows key and X at the same time, then choose Disk Management. 
  2. 2
    Find the disc that says OSDisk(C:), and right-click the left column, then select Properties.  The Disk Management window highlighting the Properties button in Step 2.
  3. 3
    In the resulting Properties Window, select the Volumes tab.The Volumes tab with GUID Partition Table (GPT) highlighted
  4. 4
    Find Partition style.
    • If it says GUID Partition Table (GPT), no action is required.  
    • If it says MBR, move on to the next step.

      Only move on to step 5 if Partition style says MBR. If it says GPT, you’re ready to enable Secure Boot. 
  5. 5
    Select Windows and R, then type powershell and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an administrative command prompt.An example of the administrative command prompt, showing the required commands described in Step 5.
    • Make sure the administrative command prompt says Administrator, then type mbr2gpt /validate /disk:0 /allowfullOS and select Enter. The disk:0 part of the command should match the number listed in the Disk Properties window under the Volume tab. 
  6. 6
    In the same administrative command prompt, type mbr2gpt /convert /disk:0 /allowfullOS and select Enter.
    • The disk:0 part of the command should match the number listed in the Disk Properties window under the Volume tab. 
An example of the administrative command prompt, showing the required commands described in Step 6.

Check if your BIOS is set to UEFI mode

You might be required to switch the Firmware to boot to UEFI mode. Usually, this can be done through the BIOS Settings. Refer to your computer’s brand or manufacturer’s support resources for detailed instructions if you need to switch your Firmware Settings.Now that your Windows disk is set to GPT and your BIOS is set to UEFI, you’re ready to enable Secure Boot.

How to enable Secure Boot

Watch on YouTube
Before following these steps, make sure both the TPM 2.0 and UEFI requirements have been successfully enabled.  
Remember—the BIOS menus for different brands and motherboard manufacturers can differ from those pictured here, so make sure to refer to your manufacturer’s support resources for specifics. 
  1. 1
    Select the Windows Key and search for Change Advanced Startup Options.
  2. 2
    Next to Advanced startup select Restart now. Your computer will restart into Advanced Startup. An example of the BIOS menu highlighting the Advanced startup button.
  3. 3
    Select Advanced options.The Advanced options selection highlighted in red.
  4. 4
    Select UEFI Firmware Settings.The Advanced options window, highlighting the UEFI Firmware Settings option.
  5. 5
    This will enter into your BIOS which should look similar to the following but often differs from one manufacturer to another. An example of the BIOS.
  6. 6
    Navigate to the Boot tab, if you are having difficulty finding the correct option, many BIOS have a search function that you can use to find the correct tab and setting Pictured above the search can be accessed by hitting F9. An example of the Boot tab in Advanced Mode of the UEFI BIOS Utility.
  7. 7
    Secure Boot state should be Enabled.
    • If it’s set to Disabled, change it to Enabled. 
    • Note: If you are unable to modify the setting you will need to refer to your manufacturer for guidance, it is not uncommon for some manufacturers to require that you reset the Secure Boot Keys to factory values or enable the admin password for your Bios before allowing settings to be changed.
  8. 8
    OS Type should be set to Window UEFI mode.
  9. 9
    Go to the Exit tab and select Save Changes & Reset. An example of the Exit tab in Advanced Mode of the UEFI BIOS Utility.
  10. 10
    On the resulting confirmation dialog, Select Ok. A confirmation page with the option to save and reset the BIOS settings.
  11. 11
    Your PC will restart with Secure Boot turned on. 
After enabling Secure Boot, try launching your game again. If you’ve successfully enabled Secure Boot and its dependencies you should no longer receive a warning asking you to enable the feature. On some versions of Windows an additional restart may be required for the feature to fully enable.
Still having issues?
Get in touch with our customer support team for more help.