How to Fix: VALORANT Error VAN 9001

Quick Fix

VAN 9001 almost always means TPM 2.0 and/or Secure Boot are turned off in Windows. Try this first:

1. Press Windows key, type msinfo32, press Enter, and check that Secure Boot State says On in System Summary.
2. Press Windows key + R, type tpm.msc, and confirm a TPM chip is detected with Specification Version 2.0.
3. If either is off, reboot into your PC’s BIOS/UEFI (usually Del or F2 at startup) and enable Secure Boot and TPM/PTT/fTPM under the Security or Trusted Computing menu, then save and restart.

Relaunch VALORANT once Windows finishes rebooting.

Step-by-Step Guide

What VAN 9001 Means

VAN 9001 is thrown by Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat, not by VALORANT itself. Riot’s own support page states plainly: “The error appears when your system does not have TPM 2.0 enabled, which is required for Vanguard to run.” Riot’s Windows 11 troubleshooting article adds more detail: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Secure Boot are security technologies that allow Windows 11 to boot programs using a higher standard of trust and safety, and Vanguard requires these two features to be running before recognizing a system’s trusted state — if either is disabled, players will be greeted with a VAN9001 or VAN9003 error. In short: Vanguard runs at the kernel level to catch cheaters, and it refuses to load unless it can verify your PC’s boot process is secure and untampered.

This is a Windows-only issue tied to BIOS/UEFI firmware settings — it is not related to your Riot account, region, or VALORANT itself being broken. VALORANT is not available on macOS, and this specific TPM/Secure Boot check does not apply the same way on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, since those platforms use their own built-in security architecture.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Check your current Secure Boot and TPM status. Press the Windows key, type msinfo32, and press Enter. In the System Information window, click System Summary in the left panel, then scroll the right panel to find Secure Boot State — it should read On. If it’s Off, you can re-enable it. Separately, press Windows + R, type tpm.msc, and press Enter to confirm a TPM chip is present and reports Specification Version 2.0.
2. Enable TPM 2.0 in your BIOS/UEFI (if disabled). Restart your PC and enter BIOS/UEFI setup — this is commonly done by repeatedly pressing Del or F2 during boot, though some laptops use F10, F1, or Esc. Once inside, the setting is usually found under Security, Advanced, or Trusted Computing. On Intel systems look for Intel PTT (Platform Trust Technology); on AMD systems look for AMD CPU fTPM or AMD PSP fTPM. Toggle it to Enabled, then save and exit (commonly F10).
3. Enable Secure Boot in your BIOS/UEFI (if disabled). While still in BIOS/UEFI, find the Secure Boot option, usually under a Boot or Security tab, and set it to Enabled. Note that Secure Boot requires your drive to use a UEFI/GPT configuration rather than legacy BIOS/MBR — if your system is still on legacy MBR, you’ll need to convert it before Secure Boot can be turned on.
4. If Secure Boot won’t ‘stick’ or shows as unsupported, restore factory Secure Boot keys. Sometimes Secure Boot appears enabled but isn’t truly active because its cryptographic keys aren’t loaded — common on custom-built PCs or after a CMOS clear. Deep within the Secure Boot menu in your BIOS, look for an option like Key Management, Install default Secure Boot keys, or Restore Factory Keys, select it to load the default keys that came with your motherboard, then save — Secure Boot should become fully active. Also check for a CSM (Compatibility Support Module) setting — CSM allows newer UEFI systems to boot older legacy hardware, but Secure Boot cannot function when CSM is enabled, so disable CSM first if you see it.
5. Try the Group Policy workaround (alternate fix some users report success with). Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > BitLocker Drive Encryption > Operating System Drives, then double-click Require additional authentication at startup, set it to Enabled, and tick the box allowing BitLocker without a compatible TPM. Restart and relaunch VALORANT. This won’t fix an actually-disabled TPM, but some players have reported it resolves lingering VAN 9001 pop-ups.
6. Update your BIOS/UEFI firmware. If TPM or Secure Boot options are missing entirely, or won’t stay enabled after a restart, your motherboard manufacturer may have released a firmware update that adds or fixes these features. Check your PC or motherboard manufacturer’s support site for the latest BIOS version before proceeding further.
7. Repair or reinstall VALORANT/Vanguard as a secondary check. If TPM and Secure Boot both show as properly enabled but the error persists, open the Riot Client, click the gear/settings icon next to VALORANT, and choose Repair or Verify Files to rule out corrupted installation files as a contributing factor.
8. Confirm your hardware actually supports these features. If msinfo32 shows Secure Boot as Unsupported, your motherboard or CPU may be too old to meet Vanguard’s requirements. If it’s Unsupported, then it’s not supported by your hardware, and you should check with your hardware manufacturer to learn your options. In this case, the fix is genuinely a hardware limitation rather than a settings tweak, and no software workaround will resolve it.
9. When to contact official support. If you’ve confirmed Secure Boot is On and TPM 2.0 is active in tpm.msc, but VAN 9001 still appears, or if BIOS changes cause boot failures you’re not comfortable troubleshooting, stop and contact Riot Support directly or your PC/motherboard manufacturer’s support team. Changing UEFI/BIOS settings incorrectly can affect system stability, so if you’re not confident navigating your BIOS, it’s safer to get manufacturer-specific guidance rather than guessing.

Platform Notes

This entire TPM/Secure Boot requirement and fix path is specific to Windows 10/11 PCs. VALORANT does not have a native macOS client, and PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X|S versions of VALORANT do not use this same Vanguard TPM check, so VAN 9001 is not something console players will encounter in this form.