What is Black Ops 7 Secure Boot and how to enable it

If you want to find out more about Black Ops 7 Secure Boot, then you've either heard about this upcoming requirement or have run into an error message when the beta goes live on PC. This is important because enabling Secure Boot is mandatory if you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on PC, in both its beta form and the full launch in November, so it's something that you'll need to resolve if you want to access the Black Ops 7 beta. To find out more, here's the lowdown on Secure Boot for Black Ops 7.

We've also got details on the Black Ops 7 beta times and dates, along with an explanation of all the Black Ops 7 rewards you can receive.

What does Black Ops 7 Secure Boot do?

Secure Boot is not specific to Black Ops 7, as it is a security feature that's built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 to check that only safe software is loaded when your PC first starts up. While Secure Boot is optional for Windows 10, it's a mandatory requirement for Windows 11, so you may already have it enabled depending on your operating system. Secure Boot works in conjunction with other software such as Richochet Anti-Cheat to detect background programs players could be using to gain an unfair advantage online.

How to enable Secure Boot for Black Ops 7

If you've been hit by an error message saying that you need to enable Secure Boot for Black Ops 7, then you first need to check some requirements for it. You must be running either Windows 10 or Windows 11, you need to have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) version 2.0 installed on your motherboard, and the drive Windows is installed on has to be in the GPT (GUID Partition Table) format rather than MBR (Master Boot Record).

With all of those requirements met, you may also need to manually enable Secure Boot through the BIOS settings of your PC. This process differs between motherboard manufacturers and setting the configuration of your BIOS incorrectly can significantly impact the functionality of your machine, so we highly recommend you read this Secure Boot for Call of Duty guide from Activision and carefully follow its instructions.

What if I can't enable Secure Boot on my PC?

The bad news is if you can't enable Secure Boot on your PC then you won't be able to play Black Ops 7, either the beta or the full game. You'll also be locked out of other upcoming games including Battlefield 6, as an increasing number of developers build Secure Boot into their requirements to keep cheaters at bay. If your PC is incompatible or you have the choice but would prefer not to activate this feature on your system, then it's likely that the only option you have to access these games is via a streaming service such as GeForce NOW, which will link to a remote computer with the required capabilities to let them run.

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