Of course! Let's get you through the process of uninstalling Riot Vanguard. It can be a little tricky because of how deeply it integrates with your system, but don't worry, we'll go through it step-by-step.
A Comprehensive Guide to Completely Uninstalling Riot Vanguard
Hello there! So, you've decided to uninstall Riot Vanguard. Whether you're making space on your PC, you're done with VALORANT for a while, or you're just troubleshooting an issue, this guide will walk you through the entire process. Let's make sure it's gone for good!
Step 1: Engage with the System Tray - The Crucial First Move
Before you even think about hitting the "Uninstall" button, you need to tell Riot Vanguard to stand down. Riot Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat, which means it runs at a very deep level of your operating system. If you try to uninstall it while it's still active, you'll likely run into error messages and the process will fail.
So, let's start with the most important part: disabling the anti-cheat.
Look for the system tray in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar. It's usually a small cluster of icons, sometimes hidden behind a small upward-facing arrow (caret).
Find the Riot Vanguard icon. It's a red icon, often shaped like a shield or a 'V'.
Right-click on the icon. A small menu will pop up.
Select the option that says "Exit Vanguard".
A confirmation pop-up will appear asking if you're sure. Click on "Yes" to confirm.
You have now successfully closed the Vanguard service. Now, you can proceed with the actual uninstallation.
Step 2: The Standard Uninstallation Process
With Vanguard exited, you can now remove it like any other program. We'll cover the two most common ways to do this on a Windows PC.
Sub-heading 2.1: Uninstalling via Windows Settings (Windows 10 & 11)
This is the most straightforward and recommended method for most users.
Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
In the Settings window, navigate to Apps and then click on Installed apps (or Apps & features on older versions of Windows).
Scroll down the list of installed programs until you find Riot Vanguard. You can also use the search bar at the top to find it quickly.
Click on the three dots next to Riot Vanguard and select Uninstall.
A confirmation window will appear. Click Uninstall again.
You may be prompted to allow the application to make changes to your device. Click Yes.
Follow any on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation.
Sub-heading 2.2: Uninstalling via the Control Panel (Classic Method)
If you prefer the classic Windows experience, you can use the Control Panel.
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type "Control Panel" and press Enter.
In the Control Panel, find and click on Programs, and then select Uninstall a program.
Find Riot Vanguard in the list of programs.
Right-click on it and select Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.
Important Note: After uninstalling Riot Vanguard using either of these methods, it is highly recommended that you restart your computer. This helps to ensure that all the changes take effect and any remaining processes are properly terminated.
Step 3: The Deep Clean - Removing Leftover Files
Even after a successful uninstallation, some residual files and folders might be left behind. To ensure a complete and thorough removal of Vanguard, it's a good idea to manually check for and delete these remnants.
Remove the Riot Vanguard folder:
Open File Explorer (you can do this by pressing the Windows key + E).
Navigate to your local disk, usually the C: drive.
Go to
C:\Program Files.Look for a folder named
Riot Vanguard.If you find it, right-click on the folder and select Delete.
Check for Riot Games application data:
Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type
%appdata%and press Enter. This will open the Roaming folder. Look for and delete anyRiot GamesorRiot Vanguardfolders.Repeat the process by typing
%localappdata%in the Run dialog.Again, check for and delete any related folders in the
Localdirectory.You might also want to check the
%programdata%folder using the same method.
Step 4: The Command Line Approach (For Stubborn Cases)
If the standard uninstallation methods fail and you're getting error messages that prevent you from removing Vanguard, you can use the Command Prompt. This is a more advanced method, but it's very effective.
Open the Start menu and search for "CMD".
Right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator". This is a critical step as you need administrative privileges to run these commands.
In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
sc delete vgcsc delete vgk
You should see a success message after each command.
Now, it's time for another restart! Reboot your computer.
After restarting, manually go to
C:\Program Files\and delete theRiot Vanguardfolder if it still exists.
This command line method directly removes the Vanguard services from your system, which can often solve uninstallation issues.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to completely uninstall VALORANT and Riot Vanguard?
You must uninstall Riot Vanguard separately from VALORANT. First, exit Vanguard from the system tray, then uninstall Riot Vanguard from Windows Settings or Control Panel, and finally, uninstall VALORANT. Don't forget to delete any leftover files and folders from the Riot Games directory.
How to exit Riot Vanguard from the system tray?
Find the red Vanguard icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar), right-click on it, and select "Exit Vanguard." Confirm your choice in the pop-up window.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard using the Command Prompt?
Open Command Prompt as an administrator, then type sc delete vgc and press Enter, followed by sc delete vgk and Enter. Restart your PC and then manually delete the Riot Vanguard folder from the Program Files directory.
How to find the Riot Vanguard folder after uninstalling?
Even after uninstallation, some files might remain. The primary folder is located at C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard. You should also check the %appdata% and %localappdata% directories for any leftover folders named "Riot Games" or "Riot Vanguard."
How to fix "Riot Vanguard is preventing uninstallation"?
This is a common error. The primary solution is to first exit Vanguard from the system tray before attempting to uninstall. If that doesn't work, use the Command Prompt method described in this guide.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard from Windows 11?
Press Windows key + I to open Settings, go to Apps > Installed apps, find Riot Vanguard, click the three dots next to it, and select Uninstall.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard from Windows 10?
Press Windows key + I to open Settings, go to Apps > Apps & features, find Riot Vanguard, click on it, and select Uninstall.
How to remove Riot Vanguard's registry entries?
While not recommended for novice users, you can use a registry cleaner tool like CCleaner or manually search and delete entries in the Registry Editor (regedit) under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Riot Games and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Riot Games. Exercise extreme caution!
How to uninstall VALORANT without uninstalling Vanguard?
You can uninstall VALORANT through Windows Settings or the Control Panel without touching Vanguard. However, Vanguard will remain on your system and run in the background. If you want to play other Riot Games, you might want to keep it.
How to check if Riot Vanguard is completely uninstalled?
After following all the steps, restart your PC. Check your system tray for the Vanguard icon. Go to your C:\Program Files directory to see if the "Riot Vanguard" folder is gone. Finally, search for "Riot Vanguard" in Windows search to confirm that no application shortcuts or programs appear.