Riot Games' Vanguard anti-cheat is a powerful and persistent system designed to prevent cheating in games like Valorant and League of Legends. While its effectiveness in combating cheaters is undeniable, its kernel-level access and continuous background operation can raise concerns for some users regarding privacy, system resources, and potential conflicts with other software.
If you've found yourself wanting to disable Vanguard, whether temporarily to troubleshoot an issue or permanently to remove it from your system, you're in the right place. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring you understand each action and its implications.
The Complete Guide: How to Disable Riot Vanguard Anti-Cheat
Step 1: Understand Why You're Here!
Before we dive into the technicalities, let's pause for a moment. Why do you want to disable Vanguard? Are you experiencing performance issues, blue screen errors (BSODs), or conflicts with other software? Or perhaps you simply don't play Valorant or League of Legends anymore and want to reclaim your system's resources and privacy. Understanding your motivation will help you decide whether a temporary disable or a full uninstallation is the best course of action.
Keep in mind: Disabling or uninstalling Vanguard will prevent you from playing Valorant (and potentially League of Legends, depending on its integration). Vanguard is a core requirement for these games, and they will not launch without it active.
Step 2: Temporarily Disabling Vanguard (for troubleshooting or a quick break)
This method allows you to stop Vanguard from running without completely uninstalling it. It's useful for troubleshooting conflicts or if you just want it off for a short period.
Sub-heading: Via the System Tray (Easiest Method)
- Locate the Vanguard Icon: Look for the small, red Vanguard icon in your Windows system tray. This is usually in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar, near the clock. You might need to click the "^" (Show hidden icons) arrow to reveal it.
- Right-Click the Icon: Once you find the red shield icon, right-click on it.
- Select "Exit Vanguard": A small menu will pop up. Choose the option that says "Exit Vanguard."
- Confirm Your Action: A prompt will appear asking if you're sure you want to exit. Click "Yes" to confirm.
Result: Vanguard will now be temporarily shut down. You will not be able to launch Valorant until you restart your computer or manually re-enable Vanguard (which Valorant will usually prompt you to do).
Sub-heading: Via Windows Services (More Advanced)
This method stops the Vanguard services from running, but Vanguard might still attempt to re-enable itself upon game launch or system reboot.
- Open Services Manager:
- Press
Windows Key + Rto open the Run dialog. - Type
services.mscand press Enter.
- Press
- Locate Vanguard Services: In the Services window, scroll down and look for services related to "Vanguard" or "vgc" and "vgk."
- Stop the Services:
- Right-click on "vgc" (Vanguard Game Controller) and select "Stop."
- Right-click on "vgk" (Vanguard Kernel) and select "Stop."
- Note: You might not find "vgk" listed as it's a kernel-level driver and can be hidden.
- Change Startup Type (Optional): To prevent them from starting automatically with Windows, you can right-click each service, go to Properties, and change the "Startup type" to "Manual" or "Disabled." However, be aware that setting it to disabled might require you to manually enable it before playing Valorant, or Valorant might try to reinstall/repair it.
Result: The Vanguard services will cease running. Again, Valorant will not work until Vanguard is active again.
Step 3: Fully Uninstalling Vanguard and Valorant
If you're done with Valorant or simply want Vanguard completely off your system, a full uninstallation is necessary. It's crucial to uninstall Vanguard before Valorant, as Vanguard often prevents the game from being uninstalled if it's still running.
Sub-heading: Step-by-Step Uninstallation via Windows Settings
- Close Vanguard (if running): Follow the steps in "Step 2: Temporarily Disabling Vanguard" (System Tray method) to ensure Vanguard is not actively running. This is a critical first step to avoid uninstallation errors.
- Open Windows Settings:
- Press
Windows Key + Ito open the Settings app. - Click on "Apps" then "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features" on older Windows versions).
- Press
- Uninstall Riot Vanguard:
- Scroll down or use the search bar to find "Riot Vanguard" in the list of installed applications.
- Click on "Riot Vanguard" and then click the "Uninstall" button.
- Follow any on-screen prompts and confirmations. You might need to click "Uninstall" again.
- Restart your computer after Vanguard is uninstalled. This is important to ensure all related processes are terminated and files are released.
- Uninstall Valorant:
- After restarting, go back to the "Installed apps" list in Windows Settings.
- Find "Valorant" in the list.
- Click on "Valorant" and then click the "Uninstall" button.
- Follow the prompts to complete the uninstallation.
- Uninstall Riot Client (Optional but Recommended): If you don't play any other Riot Games titles, you can also uninstall the "Riot Client" from the same "Installed apps" list.
Result: Valorant and Riot Vanguard will be removed from your system.
Sub-heading: Manual Uninstallation via Command Prompt (for stubborn cases)
Sometimes, the standard uninstallation might fail or leave remnants. This method uses the Command Prompt to forcefully delete Vanguard services and then manually remove leftover files.
- Close Vanguard: Ensure Vanguard is exited from the system tray (as in Step 2).
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
- Click the Windows Start button.
- Type
CMD. - Right-click on "Command Prompt" in the search results and select "Run as administrator."
- Delete Vanguard Services: In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one, pressing
Enterafter each:sc delete vgcsc delete vgk- You should see a "[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS" message for each command.
- Restart Your Computer: This is crucial for the changes to take effect and to release the Vanguard files.
- Delete Riot Vanguard Folder:
- After restarting, open File Explorer (
Windows Key + E). - Navigate to
C:\Program Files\ - Locate the folder named "Riot Vanguard."
- Right-click on this folder and select "Delete."
- After restarting, open File Explorer (
- Delete Valorant and Riot Games Folders:
- While in File Explorer, also navigate to
C:\Riot Games\(if it exists) and delete the entire "Riot Games" folder.
- While in File Explorer, also navigate to
- Clear AppData and ProgramData (for a complete sweep):
- Press
Windows Key + Rto open the Run dialog. - Type
%appdata%and press Enter. In the roaming folder that opens, look for a "Riot Games" folder and delete it. - Repeat the process for
%LocalAppData%(type it in the Run dialog) and%ProgramData%(type it in the Run dialog). Delete any "Riot Games" folders you find there.
- Press
- Empty Recycle Bin: Finally, empty your Recycle Bin to permanently remove all deleted files.
Result: This method provides a more thorough removal of Vanguard and Valorant from your system.
Step 4: Optional: Registry Cleanup (Use with Caution!)
For the most meticulous users, cleaning up leftover registry entries can be considered. However, proceed with extreme caution as incorrect registry edits can lead to system instability. If you're unsure, it's best to skip this step.
- Backup Your Registry (Highly Recommended):
- Press
Windows Key + R, typeregedit, and press Enter. - In the Registry Editor, go to
File > Export. - Choose a location and name for your backup, and select "All" for the Export range. Click "Save."
- Press
- Search for Riot/Vanguard Entries:
- In Registry Editor, press
Ctrl + Fto open the Find dialog. - Search for terms like "Riot Vanguard," "Valorant," "Riot Games," "vgc," and "vgk."
- Carefully delete any entries you are absolutely certain are related to Vanguard or Valorant. Do not delete anything you are unsure about.
- Press
F3to find the next occurrence.
- In Registry Editor, press
- Consider a Registry Cleaner: Alternatively, you can use a reputable third-party registry cleaner tool (like CCleaner) if you're comfortable with them. These tools can often identify and remove redundant registry entries more safely.
Result: A cleaner registry, potentially freeing up tiny bits of space and removing residual data.
Related FAQ Questions:
How to check if Vanguard is running? You can check for the small red shield icon in your system tray (bottom-right of your taskbar). If you see it, Vanguard is running. You can also check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for "vgc" or "vgtray.exe" processes, or the Services Manager (services.msc) for "vgc" and "vgk" services.
How to re-enable Vanguard after disabling it? If you temporarily disabled it, simply restarting your computer will usually re-enable it. If you uninstalled it, Valorant will prompt you to reinstall it the next time you try to launch the game.
How to fix "Vanguard not initialized" error? This error often means Vanguard isn't running or has encountered an issue. Try restarting your computer. If the problem persists, consider uninstalling and reinstalling both Vanguard and Valorant. Ensure Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are enabled in your BIOS/UEFI settings if you're on Windows 11.
How to stop Vanguard from running at startup? The most reliable way is to uninstall it. While you can change its service startup type to "Manual" or "Disabled" in Services (services.msc), Valorant will likely force it to re-enable or reinstall itself when you try to play.
How to troubleshoot Vanguard causing blue screen errors (BSODs)? BSODs can be complex. First, ensure your Windows and drivers are fully updated. Try temporarily disabling Vanguard to see if the BSODs stop. If they do, a full reinstallation of Valorant and Vanguard might resolve it. In some cases, it could be a conflict with other software or even hardware issues. Check your motherboard's BIOS/UEFI settings for Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, as these are increasingly required by Vanguard on Windows 11.
How to uninstall Valorant without uninstalling Vanguard? While technically possible via the Windows "Add or Remove Programs" utility, it's generally not recommended. Vanguard is designed to be tightly integrated. You might encounter issues or have Vanguard running needlessly in the background. It's always best to uninstall Vanguard first, then Valorant.
How to know if Valorant progress is saved after uninstalling? Your Valorant progress, skins, and unlocks are tied to your Riot Games account, not to your local installation. Uninstalling the game will not cause you to lose any progress.
How to free up disk space after uninstalling Valorant?
Beyond the uninstallation steps, ensure you've manually deleted the "Riot Games" and "Riot Vanguard" folders from "Program Files," and checked the %appdata%, %LocalAppData%, and %ProgramData% folders for any lingering Riot Games files. Empty your Recycle Bin.
How to reinstall Valorant and Vanguard? Simply visit the official Valorant website (playvalorant.com), download the game client, and run the installer. It will automatically download and install both Valorant and the latest version of Riot Vanguard.
How to contact Riot Games support for Vanguard issues? If you encounter persistent problems that these steps don't resolve, the best course of action is to submit a support ticket directly to Riot Games through their official support website. Provide as much detail as possible about your issue, including error messages and troubleshooting steps you've already tried.
