A Comprehensive Guide to Disabling Riot Vanguard on Startup
Hey there, gamer! Are you tired of seeing the Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray every time you boot up your computer, even when you're not planning on playing Valorant or any other Riot game? Do you feel like it's an unnecessary process running in the background, consuming resources, and potentially causing conflicts with other software? If so, you're not alone. Many players are looking for a way to manage Riot Vanguard's startup behavior. While it's a powerful and essential anti-cheat system for maintaining competitive integrity in games like Valorant, its kernel-level access and always-on nature can be a concern for some users.
Let's dive into the step-by-step process of disabling Riot Vanguard on startup. But before we begin, a crucial heads-up: disabling Vanguard will prevent you from launching and playing any Riot game that requires it until you restart your computer. So, if you want to play a game, you'll need to re-enable it and reboot.
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| How To Disable Riot Vanguard On Startup |
Step 1: Engage with the System Tray Icon
Let's start with the most straightforward and temporary method. This is perfect for those times when you're done gaming for the day and want to free up system resources without completely uninstalling the anti-cheat.
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First, look for the System Tray in your Windows taskbar. It's usually located in the bottom-right corner, near the clock. You might need to click the small upward-pointing arrow (
^) to see all the hidden icons. -
Once you find it, locate the Riot Vanguard icon. It's a distinct red icon, often a stylized "V".
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Right-click on the Vanguard icon. A small menu will appear.
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From the menu, select "Exit Vanguard".
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A confirmation pop-up will appear, asking if you are sure you want to exit. Click Yes.
Congratulations! You have now temporarily disabled Riot Vanguard. It will no longer be running in the background until the next time you restart your computer. This is a quick and easy way to stop it from running without having to make any permanent changes to your system.
Tip: Read at your own pace, not too fast.
Step 2: Manage Startup Behavior through Windows Services
This method is a bit more advanced and involves modifying system services. It's a great way to prevent Vanguard from starting automatically with Windows without completely uninstalling it.
Sub-heading: Accessing the Services Window
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Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
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Type
services.mscand press Enter. This will open the Windows Services window, which lists all the services running on your computer.
Sub-heading: Finding and Modifying the Vanguard Service
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In the Services window, scroll down the list and look for a service named "vgc" (Vanguard user-mode service).
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Double-click on the "vgc" service to open its properties.
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In the properties window, look for the "Startup type" dropdown menu. It's likely set to "Automatic" or "Automatic (Delayed Start)".
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Change the "Startup type" to "Manual".
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Click Apply and then OK.
You might also want to look for the kernel-mode driver service, often named "vgk". While this service is more deeply integrated, changing the "vgc" service to "Manual" is usually enough to prevent the user-facing client from starting up with Windows.
QuickTip: A short pause boosts comprehension.
Step 3: Consider a More Permanent Solution - Uninstallation
If you've decided that you no longer want to play any Riot games, or you are simply fed up with Vanguard's persistent nature, the most definitive solution is to uninstall it completely.
Sub-heading: Using Windows' Built-in Uninstaller
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Press the Windows key, type
Add or remove programs, and press Enter. This will open the "Apps & features" or "Installed apps" settings page. -
In the search bar at the top, type
Riot Vanguard. -
Locate Riot Vanguard in the list of applications.
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Click on the three dots (or the entry itself) and select Uninstall.
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A confirmation prompt will appear. Click Uninstall again.
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You may receive a pop-up from Riot Vanguard asking for confirmation. Click Yes to proceed.
The uninstallation process will begin. After it's complete, you will need to restart your computer to fully remove the kernel-level driver.
QuickTip: Reflect before moving to the next part.
Sub-heading: A Deeper Removal with Command Prompt
For a more thorough removal, especially if you encounter issues, you can use Command Prompt. This is a powerful method, so proceed with caution.
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Open the Start menu or press the Windows key.
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Type
CMD. -
Right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator".
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In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
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sc delete vgc -
sc delete vgk
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You should see a message confirming that the service has been deleted.
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Restart your computer. This is a crucial step to ensure the changes take effect and the kernel-level driver is removed from memory.
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After the restart, you can manually delete the Riot Vanguard folder from your system. Navigate to
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguardand delete the entire folder.
Note: If you try to run any Riot game after uninstalling Vanguard, the Riot Client will detect its absence and automatically begin reinstalling it, requiring another system reboot. This is a security measure to ensure the anti-cheat is always active when you play.
10 Related FAQs
Here are some quick answers to common questions about Riot Vanguard.
How to check if Riot Vanguard is running? You can check for the Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar). If you see the red "V" icon, it is running. You can also open the Task Manager and look for "vgtray.exe" in the Processes tab.
QuickTip: Short pauses improve understanding.
How to re-enable Riot Vanguard after disabling it? To re-enable it, you simply need to launch a Riot game that requires it (like Valorant or League of Legends). The Riot client will detect that Vanguard is not running and will prompt you to restart your computer to enable it.
How to prevent Riot Vanguard from reinstalling automatically? You cannot prevent it from reinstalling if you want to play a Riot game. It is a mandatory anti-cheat system required for game integrity. If you uninstall it and try to play, the game client will automatically re-download and install it.
How to solve the Riot Vanguard "system restart required" error? This error typically occurs after you've disabled or uninstalled Vanguard and then tried to launch a Riot game. The solution is simple: restart your computer as prompted by the Riot client.
How to fix Riot Vanguard compatibility issues with other software? Riot Vanguard's kernel-level access can sometimes cause conflicts. Check the Riot Games support website for a list of known incompatible software. You may need to update, disable, or uninstall the conflicting software.
How to check the status of Vanguard services via Command Prompt? You can check the status of the "vgk" and "vgc" services by running the following commands as an administrator in Command Prompt:
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sc query vgk -
sc query vgc
How to know if Vanguard is blocking a program? Vanguard is designed to give you a Windows notification if it blocks a program it deems as a potential threat or cheat. Clicking on the notification will provide more details.
How to disable the Riot Client from starting on startup? You can disable the Riot Client from starting with your computer from within the Riot Client settings itself. Look for an option related to "Startup Behavior" or "Open Riot Client on startup" and uncheck it.
How to tell the difference between Vanguard and the Riot Client? Riot Vanguard is the anti-cheat software, while the Riot Client is the game launcher. Vanguard runs in the background at a kernel level, while the Riot Client is a standard application you launch to play games.
How to ensure a clean uninstall of Riot Vanguard? The best way to ensure a clean uninstall is to follow the uninstallation steps in this guide, including deleting the services via Command Prompt and manually removing the Riot Vanguard folder after a restart.
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