Greetings, gamer! Ever found yourself wondering how to take a break from the intense world of VALORANT or League of Legends and noticed that Riot Vanguard is still running in the background, keeping an eye on things? You're not alone. While Vanguard is a crucial part of Riot Games' anti-cheat system, designed to ensure fair play, you might not want it running all the time, especially if you're not playing a Riot game.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods of closing Riot Vanguard, from the quick and easy to the more permanent. Let's dive in!
Step 1: The Easiest Way - Exiting from the System Tray
Let's start with the most straightforward and recommended method. This is the quickest and safest way to temporarily disable Vanguard without uninstalling it. This method is perfect for when you want to run another program that might conflict with Vanguard or simply want to free up system resources.
1.1. Locate the System Tray: First things first, look at the bottom right corner of your Windows taskbar. You'll see a small upward-pointing arrow (the "Show hidden icons" arrow). Click on it to expand your system tray.
1.2. Find the Vanguard Icon: In the expanded menu, you should see a red shield icon with a "V" on it. This is the Riot Vanguard icon.
1.3. Right-Click and Exit: Right-click on the Vanguard icon. A small menu will pop up. From this menu, simply select "Exit Vanguard".
1.4. Confirm Your Action: A pop-up window will appear, warning you that you won't be able to play Riot Games titles until you restart your computer and Vanguard is running again. Click "Yes" to confirm that you want to exit.
Congratulations! You have successfully closed Riot Vanguard. Remember, to play any Riot game again, you will need to restart your computer, as Vanguard needs to be active at boot-up.
Step 2: A More Permanent Solution - Uninstalling Riot Vanguard
If you've decided to take a longer break from Riot Games or have uninstalled all their games, you might want to completely remove Riot Vanguard from your system. Keep in mind, this is a more permanent step, and you will need to reinstall it to play Riot Games titles in the future.
2.1. Uninstalling from Windows Settings (Recommended)
This is the standard and safest way to uninstall any program on Windows.
2.1.1. Open "Add or Remove Programs": Press the Windows Key on your keyboard, and start typing
"Add or remove programs". Click on the result that appears.2.1.2. Find and Select Riot Vanguard: In the list of installed applications, scroll down or use the search bar to find "Riot Vanguard".
2.1.3. Initiate the Uninstall: Click on "Riot Vanguard" and then click the "Uninstall" button that appears. You may be prompted to confirm your choice in a new pop-up window. Click "Uninstall" again.
2.1.4. Grant Administrator Privileges: A pop-up from User Account Control (UAC) will likely appear, asking for permission for the program to make changes to your device. Click "Yes".
2.1.5. Complete the Process: Follow any on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation. Once done, Riot Vanguard will be removed from your system.
2.2. Uninstalling using the Control Panel (Alternative Method)
If you're on an older version of Windows or prefer the classic Control Panel, you can use this method.
2.2.1. Open the Control Panel: Press the Windows Key and type
"Control Panel". Click on the Control Panel app.2.2.2. Navigate to "Uninstall a program": Under the "Programs" heading, click on "Uninstall a program".
2.2.3. Find and Uninstall: Find "Riot Vanguard" in the list of programs, right-click on it, and select "Uninstall". Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Step 3: Advanced Troubleshooting - Using Command Prompt
In some rare cases, Riot Vanguard might not close or uninstall properly. If you encounter issues with the methods above, you can try using Command Prompt with administrator privileges to manually delete the Vanguard services. Be cautious with this method, as incorrect commands can affect your system.
3.1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Press the Windows Key, type
"cmd", right-click on "Command Prompt" in the search results, and select "Run as administrator".3.2. Stop the Services: In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each one:
sc delete vgcsc delete vgk
These commands are used to delete the Vanguard services from your system.
3.3. Reboot Your Computer: This is a critical step. You MUST restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
3.4. Manually Delete the Folder (Optional): After rebooting, you can navigate to the following location and manually delete the "Riot Vanguard" folder:
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard
Right-click on the folder and select "Delete".
Important Notes:
Restart is Key: After exiting or uninstalling Vanguard, you will always need to restart your computer to play a Riot game again. This is because Vanguard is a kernel-mode driver that starts with your system to ensure a secure environment.
Uninstalling Games: Remember that uninstalling VALORANT or League of Legends does NOT automatically uninstall Riot Vanguard. You need to uninstall it separately.
Why is it a kernel-mode driver? Riot Vanguard operates at a deep level of your operating system to detect and prevent cheats effectively. This is why it requires a restart to be re-enabled after being closed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to check if Riot Vanguard is running?
You can check if Riot Vanguard is running by looking for its red shield icon in your system tray (the hidden icons area next to your clock). You can also check in your Task Manager under the "Startup" tab or "Services" tab.
How to disable Riot Vanguard from running on startup?
While you can disable it from the Task Manager's Startup tab, this may cause issues. The best way is to exit it from the system tray when you don't need it. To play a Riot game again, you'll need to restart your PC to re-enable it.
How to fix Riot Vanguard not closing from the system tray?
If it's not closing, try restarting your computer first. If the issue persists, you may need to end the vgtray.exe process from the Task Manager (under the "Details" tab) and then try uninstalling it from the Windows settings.
How to get Riot Vanguard to start again after closing it?
To re-enable Riot Vanguard, simply restart your computer. When you launch a Riot game, it will automatically check for Vanguard's presence and prompt you to restart if it's not running.
How to completely remove Riot Vanguard from my PC?
To completely remove it, you should first uninstall it from "Add or remove programs" in Windows settings, then restart your PC, and finally, manually delete any remaining "Riot Vanguard" folders in your Program Files directory.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard if it's not showing in "Add or remove programs"?
If it's not listed, you can try using the Command Prompt method described in this post to manually delete the services. You can also try a third-party uninstaller tool.
How to fix a "Vanguard not initialized" error?
This error often means Vanguard is not running. The most common fix is to simply restart your computer. If that doesn't work, try reinstalling both Vanguard and the game.
How to re-enable Vanguard after disabling it?
After disabling or exiting Vanguard, you will need to restart your computer to re-enable it. There is no other way to manually re-enable the kernel-mode driver without a reboot.
How to check for Vanguard-related issues?
Riot Games has a support page with a list of Vanguard error codes (e.g., VAN 9001, VAN 1067) and their corresponding solutions. You can also check your system's Event Viewer for related logs.
How to contact Riot Games support for Vanguard issues?
If you're still having trouble, you can submit a support ticket to Riot Games. They have a dedicated support team that can help you with technical issues and errors related to Riot Vanguard.
