Have you ever found yourself wondering if that crucial anti-cheat software, Riot Vanguard, is actually running on your system? Perhaps you're about to jump into a game of VALORANT or League of Legends, and you want to ensure everything is set up for a smooth, cheat-free experience. Well, you've come to the right place! This comprehensive guide will walk you through multiple ways to confirm if Vanguard is indeed installed and active on your Windows PC.
How to Know if Riot Vanguard is Installed: A Step-by-Step Guide
Riot Vanguard is Riot Games' proprietary anti-cheat software, designed to maintain competitive integrity in their games like VALORANT and League of Legends. It's a kernel-mode driver, meaning it runs at a deep level of your operating system, which is why verifying its installation and proper functioning is important.
Step 1: Let's Start with the Most Obvious – The System Tray Icon
First things first, let's look for the most immediate visual indicator.
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A. The Red Shield: Take a peek at your system tray. This is the area on the right side of your Windows taskbar, usually near the clock and other background icons. Do you see a red shield icon? That's Riot Vanguard! If it's there, congratulations, Vanguard is most likely installed and running.
- Tip: If you don't see it immediately, you might need to click the small up arrow (^) to "Show hidden icons."
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B. Interacting with the Icon: If you find the icon, right-click on it. You should see options like "Exit Vanguard" or information about the version. This further confirms its presence.
- Note: Choosing "Exit Vanguard" will temporarily disable it, and you won't be able to play Vanguard-protected games until you restart your PC or the Riot Client (which will typically restart Vanguard).
Step 2: Peeking into Your Programs and Features
If the system tray icon is elusive, don't fret! We can dive into your installed programs to verify Vanguard's presence.
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A. Accessing "Add or Remove Programs" (Windows 10/11):
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Click on "Apps", then select "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features" on older Windows 10 versions).
- In the search bar provided, type "Riot Vanguard".
- If it's installed, you should see "Riot Vanguard" listed in the results.
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B. Accessing "Programs and Features" (Older Windows Versions or via Control Panel):
- Press the Windows key + R, type
control panel, and press Enter. - In the Control Panel, click on "Programs", then select "Programs and Features".
- Scroll through the list of installed programs. Look for "Riot Vanguard".
- Press the Windows key + R, type
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C. What to Look For: If "Riot Vanguard" is present in either of these lists, it means the software has been successfully installed on your system. You'll also typically see the installation date and the size of the program.
Step 3: Verifying Services and Processes
Riot Vanguard operates as a Windows service and has associated processes running in the background. Checking these can give you a deeper confirmation.
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A. Checking Services:
- Press Windows key + R, type
services.msc, and press Enter. This will open the Services management console. - In the list of services, look for a service named "vgc" (Vanguard Anti-Cheat).
- Check its "Status". It should ideally show as "Running".
- Also, check its "Startup Type". It's usually set to "Automatic". If it's disabled, Vanguard might not launch correctly.
- Press Windows key + R, type
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B. Checking Task Manager Processes:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Go to the "Processes" tab.
- Look for processes related to Vanguard. You might see:
- vgc.exe (Vanguard User Mode Service)
- vgtray.exe (Vanguard Tray Icon, if it's running)
- vanguard.exe (the main Vanguard executable)
- If these processes are listed, especially
vgc.exe, it's a strong indicator that Vanguard is active.
Step 4: Exploring the Installation Directory
Riot Vanguard installs its files in a specific location on your hard drive. Checking for this folder confirms its physical presence.
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A. Navigating to the Folder:
- Open File Explorer (you can press Windows key + E).
- Navigate to the following directory:
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard
- Note: "C:" is the default drive where Windows is installed. If you installed your games on a different drive, adjust the drive letter accordingly.
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B. What to Find Inside: Inside this folder, you should see files related to Vanguard, such as
vgc.exe,vgk.sys(the kernel mode driver), and other supporting files. The presence of these files confirms Vanguard's installation.
Step 5: Launching a Riot Game (The Ultimate Test!)
The most definitive way to know if Vanguard is installed and functional is to simply launch a Riot game that requires it.
- A. Open VALORANT or League of Legends: If Vanguard is not installed or not running correctly, the game will usually provide an error message (often a VAN error code like VAN 1067, VAN 57, VAN 9001, etc.) and prevent you from playing.
- B. Successful Launch: If the game launches without any Vanguard-related errors, you can be reasonably sure that Vanguard is installed and doing its job.
Troubleshooting: What if Vanguard isn't detected?
If you've gone through these steps and still can't confirm Vanguard's presence or functionality, here are a few things to consider:
- Reinstallation: The simplest fix for many Vanguard issues is to uninstall and then reinstall it. You can do this via "Add or Remove Programs" (Step 2). Once uninstalled, launch your Riot game, and it will typically prompt you to reinstall Vanguard automatically.
- Restart Your PC: Sometimes a simple restart is all that's needed for Vanguard to initialize properly, especially after an update.
- Check for Windows Updates: Ensure your Windows operating system is fully up to date. Vanguard often requires the latest security patches.
- System Requirements (TPM 2.0 & Secure Boot): For Windows 11 users, Vanguard often requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to be enabled in your BIOS/UEFI settings. If you're encountering VAN9001 or VAN9003 errors, this is likely the cause. Refer to Riot Games' support articles or your motherboard manual for steps on enabling these.
- Antivirus/Firewall Interference: Your antivirus software or Windows Firewall might be blocking Vanguard. Ensure that
vgc.exeandvalorant.exe(orleagueoflegends.exe) are whitelisted or allowed through your firewall. - Riot Games Support: If all else fails, don't hesitate to contact Riot Games Player Support. They have dedicated teams to help with these kinds of technical issues.
By following these detailed steps, you should be able to confidently determine whether Riot Vanguard is installed and ready to protect your gaming experience!
10 Related FAQ Questions:
How to check if Riot Vanguard is running in the background?
You can check for the red shield icon in your system tray, look for vgc.exe and vgtray.exe in Task Manager's Processes tab, or check the status of the "vgc" service in the Services console (services.msc).
How to enable Riot Vanguard if it's disabled?
Riot Vanguard usually starts automatically. If it's disabled, you can often re-enable it by restarting your PC or launching a Riot game (like VALORANT or League of Legends), which will prompt Vanguard to start. You can also manually set the "vgc" service to "Automatic" in services.msc.
How to verify Riot Vanguard's integrity?
While there isn't a direct "verify integrity" button for Vanguard itself, running a "repair" on the associated Riot game (e.g., VALORANT's game client) can sometimes re-download and verify Vanguard's components.
How to troubleshoot Vanguard if it's causing game errors?
First, try restarting your PC. If that doesn't work, uninstall and reinstall Vanguard. Check for Windows updates, ensure TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled (for Windows 11), and verify your antivirus/firewall settings.
How to find the Riot Vanguard installation folder?
The default installation folder for Riot Vanguard is C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard?
You can uninstall Riot Vanguard through Windows Settings by going to "Apps" -> "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features"), finding "Riot Vanguard," and selecting "Uninstall." You might need to restart your PC after uninstalling.
How to update Riot Vanguard?
Riot Vanguard updates automatically when you launch a Riot game that requires it. You typically don't need to manually update it.
How to fix "Vanguard Not Initialized" error?
This error (often VAN 57 or 128) can be fixed by restarting your PC, ensuring the "vgc" service is set to "Automatic" in services.msc, or by reinstalling Riot Vanguard.
How to check Vanguard's compatibility with my system?
Ensure your Windows operating system is up to date. For Windows 11, check if TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled in your BIOS/UEFI settings, as these are often required for Vanguard to function correctly.
How to prevent Vanguard from running on startup?
While you can disable the vgtray.exe process from starting with Windows (via Task Manager's Startup tab), the core vgc service (Vanguard Anti-Cheat) is designed to run at boot. Disabling it will prevent you from playing Riot games that require Vanguard.
