How To Enable TPM 2.0 And Secure Boot And What To Do If It’s Not Working

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7

Credit: Activision

There’s a new security requirement for PC players hoping to play Black Ops 7 – including the Black Ops 7 beta this week – and the next iteration of Warzone. Like a number of other multiplayer games, Call Of Duty will now require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to be enabled. This is a pretty major step in the endless war against cheaters, which is something fans have been asking for, but it’s sure to cause an enormous number of headaches in the process. It’s also controversial, though we’ll leave that commentary for another time. Windows 11 PCs are required to have TPM 2.0 enabled, so if your machine is running Windows 11 you should be all set, but it’s entirely possible that an out-of-date BIOS could cause issues.

What Is TPM 2.0?

TPM 2.0 – or Trusted Platform Module version 2.0) is a tiny chip on your system that basically acts as a security vault for your computer at a very low level. Without getting too nitty-gritty, this provides hardware-level security that makes your computer more secure and helps prevent kernel level cheats, enabling anti-cheat systems to verify system integrity. Basically, this should make it easier for Call Of Duty’s Ricochet system to tell when cheaters are gaming the system. Kernel level cheats will have a much harder time hiding from Ricochet, plugging a major security hole in the process.

How To Enable TPM 2.0

For now, if you’re preparing to play in the beta or trying to play but getting a message telling you that TPM 2.0 is required, I’m here to help. You may need to enable this feature in your system BIOS, but you also may have it enabled already and still run into this message. This happened to me. We’ll get to the (probable) fix for that in a minute. First of all, here is a video Activision provided explaining how to check if TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled and how to enable them if not:

To check if TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled:

Check TPM:

• Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, and press Enter.
• Under Status, it should say The TPM is ready for use.
• Under TPM Manufacturer Information, confirm Specification Version: 2.0.

Check Secure Boot:

• Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.
• In the System Summary, look for Secure Boot State. It should say On.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this on your machine:

Part 1: Entering the BIOS/UEFI

1. Restart your computer.
2. As it starts up, repeatedly press the setup key until the BIOS/UEFI screen appears.
3. Common keys: F2, F10, DEL, or ESC. (Check your PC’s manual if unsure.)
4. You are now in the BIOS/UEFI settings menu.

Part 2: Enabling TPM 2.0

1. In the BIOS, go to the Security, Advanced, or Trusted Computing tab.
   (On Intel systems, it may be listed as PTT (Platform Trust Technology). On AMD, it may appear as fTPM.)
2. Find the setting labeled TPM Device, Security Device, Intel PTT, or AMD fTPM.
3. Set it to Enabled.
4. Save your changes (usually F10) and continue to the next step.

Part 3: Enabling Secure Boot

1. In the BIOS/UEFI, look for a tab called Boot, Security, or Authentication.
2. Locate the Secure Boot option.
3. Change the setting to Enabled.

• If it’s greyed out, first set Boot Mode or UEFI/Legacy Boot to UEFI Only.

Save your changes.

Part 4: Save and Exit

1. Press the save key (usually F10) or select Save & Exit from the BIOS menu.
2. Your PC will restart with TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled.

I Have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot Enabled But Call Of Duty Still Says I Need To Enable Them. What Now?

If you’ve done all this or your machine shows TPM 2.0 on but you’re still getting a message when loading Call Of Duty instructing you to enable TPM 2.0 you are likely running an old BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) that is considered insecure. There could be other issues at play, but this is the likely culprit and updating my BIOS solved the issue for me.

You’ll want to press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. Now check for your motherboard model and go to the manufacturer’s website to download the latest BIOS. In order to update, or “flash”, your BIOS you’ll ideally want a USB thumb-drive, though you can also install from your internal drive. Download and extract the newer BIOS (many have recently been updated for TPM 2.0 fixes) to your thumb drive, then restart and go back into the BIOS.

At this point, your best bet is following instructions provided by your motherboard manufacturer, as there are different ways a BIOS is updated based on the board itself. I have an MSI motherboard and used the M-Flash system which was pretty easy, but I don’t want to lead you astray by giving instructions that may not apply to your manufacturer. Typically, there are instructions at the same page you get the BIOS. This worked for me, but it’s entirely possible it won’t work for you and you may have to troubleshoot further. It’s also possible that you could run into some real issues going through this whole process, as user error and other factors can complicate things. I’ve heard horror stories of bricked machines, so be sure to proceed with caution.

Privacy and other concerns.

I mentioned that this is all controversial above, and it’s with good reason. Granting anti-cheat software kernel level access to your machine is a risk. There are privacy concerns involved here, as well as the risk of an anti-cheat software being hijacked by hackers, potentially gaining kernel level access to thousands or millions of PCs at the root level.

It’s also going to bar older machines from playing, effectively limiting the PC install base while older consoles like the Xbox One and PS4 are still viable (remarkably, after all these years). Between distrust of publishers, privacy concerns and locking out older PCs, it’s understandable why some gamers might feel this is all a bridge too far. On the other hand, it’s incredibly difficult to actually combat cheaters without this kind of access. Ultimately, the choice is down to individuals now that Activision and Microsoft have decided to make this a requirement.

Read more about the Black Ops 7 beta here, and read my impressions of the game’s multiplayer here.

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