Ready to take a break from Valorant and want to know how to disable that persistent Riot Vanguard icon from your system tray? You've come to the right place! Let's get this done step-by-step.
A Quick Note on Vanguard
Riot Vanguard is Riot Games' kernel-level anti-cheat software that comes bundled with Valorant. It is designed to run at a deep level of your operating system to prevent cheating. This is why it's always running in the background, even when you're not playing the game. While it's great for maintaining game integrity, it can sometimes interfere with other programs or just be a little annoying. The good news is, you can disable it from the system tray without completely uninstalling it.
Step 1: Locate the Vanguard Icon in Your System Tray
First things first, let's find that icon. Do you see a small, red shield or "V" icon in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar? It might be hiding! If you can't see it immediately, click the small up arrow (^) to expand the system tray. This will reveal all the hidden icons.
Once you've spotted it, you're halfway there!
Step 2: Exit Vanguard from the System Tray
This is the most straightforward method and a great way to temporarily disable Vanguard without uninstalling it.
Right-click the Riot Vanguard icon.
A small menu will pop up. Look for the option that says "Exit Vanguard".
Click on it.
A confirmation pop-up will appear, asking if you are sure you want to exit. Click "Yes" to confirm.
That's it! The Vanguard icon should disappear from your system tray. Keep in mind, you will need to restart your computer to play Valorant again, as the game requires Vanguard to be running.
Step 3: For More Control, Manage Startup Settings
If you want to prevent Vanguard from launching with your computer every time you boot up, you can manage it through the startup settings. This will keep the icon from appearing in your system tray on startup, but you'll still need to enable it and restart your PC when you want to play Valorant.
Open Task Manager: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard.
Navigate to the "Startup apps" or "Startup" tab.
Scroll through the list of applications until you find "Riot Vanguard" or "Vanguard tray notification".
Right-click on it and select "Disable".
Note: Disabling it from here only prevents the tray icon from appearing on startup. The core Vanguard service might still be running in the background. To truly stop it from running, you need to use the "Exit Vanguard" option from the system tray as described in Step 2.
Step 4: Deeper Disabling with Command Prompt (For Advanced Users)
For a more permanent way to stop Vanguard from running its services without uninstalling the entire program, you can use the Command Prompt. Be careful with this method, as incorrect commands can affect your system.
Open Command Prompt as an administrator:
Click on the Windows Start Menu.
Type "cmd".
Right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator".
In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
sc config vgc start= disabledThen, type the next command and press Enter:
sc config vgk start= disabledRestart your computer.
These commands set the startup type of the Vanguard services (vgc and vgk) to disabled. To re-enable them, you would need to run the same commands but with start= demand or start= system instead of disabled.
Important Considerations
Uninstalling Valorant does not automatically uninstall Vanguard. If you want to completely remove Vanguard from your system, you need to uninstall it separately. You can do this through "Add or remove programs" in your Windows settings.
You must restart your PC to play Valorant after disabling or exiting Vanguard. The game will not launch unless Vanguard is active and running.
Vanguard is a crucial part of the anti-cheat system. It helps maintain a fair gaming environment. Disabling it should only be done when you are not playing Valorant.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to completely uninstall Vanguard from my PC?
You can uninstall Vanguard from your PC by going to "Add or remove programs" in your Windows settings, finding "Riot Vanguard" in the list of installed apps, and clicking "Uninstall."
How to hide the Vanguard tray icon?
You can hide the Vanguard tray icon by right-clicking it and selecting "Exit Vanguard." You can also prevent it from showing on startup by disabling "Vanguard tray notification" in the Startup apps section of Task Manager.
How to check if Vanguard is running on my system?
You can check if Vanguard is running by looking for its red shield or "V" icon in your system tray. Alternatively, you can open Command Prompt and type sc query vgk. If it's running, the status will show as RUNNING.
How to make Vanguard run at startup again?
If you've disabled it through the Command Prompt, you need to use the commands sc config vgc start= demand and sc config vgk start= system and then restart your PC. If you disabled it from Task Manager, simply re-enable it from the "Startup apps" tab and restart.
How to fix Vanguard not launching with Valorant?
If Vanguard is not launching, first try restarting your PC. If that doesn't work, ensure it's enabled in your startup apps. If the issue persists, you may need to reinstall Valorant and Vanguard.
How to know if Vanguard is interfering with another program?
You might notice that certain programs, especially those that interact with your system's kernel, stop working or give you errors when Vanguard is running. You can try exiting Vanguard from the system tray and then running the other program to see if it resolves the issue.
How to re-enable Vanguard without restarting my PC?
You cannot re-enable Vanguard without restarting your computer. Riot Vanguard is designed to be a kernel-level anti-cheat, which requires a system reboot to initialize its services properly.
How to uninstall Valorant without uninstalling Vanguard?
You can uninstall Valorant through "Add or remove programs" in Windows settings without uninstalling Vanguard. However, Riot Vanguard will remain on your system and continue to run in the background.
How to open Vanguard's settings?
Riot Vanguard does not have a separate settings menu. All interactions, such as exiting the program, are done through the system tray icon.
How to prevent Vanguard from being installed in the first place?
You cannot install and play Valorant without also installing Riot Vanguard. It is a mandatory anti-cheat component of the game.