How To Move Riot Vanguard To Another Drive

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Alright, ever been in that frustrating situation where your C: drive is screaming for mercy, and you've got a massive game like Valorant hogging precious space, all thanks to Riot Vanguard? You're not alone! It's a common dilemma, and thankfully, there's a way to shift that stubborn Riot Vanguard to another drive, freeing up valuable space and potentially even improving your game's performance.

This guide will walk you through the process, step-by-step, to move Riot Vanguard to another drive. It might seem a bit daunting at first, but with a little patience and careful following of these instructions, you'll have it sorted in no time.

Step 1: Engage and Prepare - Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

Before we dive into the technicalities, let's make sure we're on the same page. Are you ready to reclaim some disk space and optimize your gaming setup? Fantastic! First things first, we need to ensure a smooth operation. This isn't a "drag and drop" situation, as Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat, meaning it's deeply integrated with your system.

1.1 Close All Riot Games and Processes:

This is absolutely crucial. Any active Riot game (Valorant, League of Legends, etc.) or Riot client (Riot Client) must be completely shut down. Even if they appear closed, double-check your Task Manager.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Go to the "Processes" tab.
Look for anything related to Valorant, League of Legends, Riot Client, or Riot Vanguard.
Select each process and click "End task."
Pay special attention to anything named vgtray.exe or vgc.exe. These are key Vanguard processes.

1.2 Uninstall Riot Vanguard (Temporarily):

Yes, you read that right. To properly move it, we'll need to uninstall it first. Don't worry, your games won't be deleted, just Vanguard.

Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features (or Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features on older Windows versions).
Scroll down and find Riot Vanguard.
Click on it and select "Uninstall."
Follow any on-screen prompts. You might be asked to restart your computer. If so, do it. This ensures Vanguard is fully removed from its current location.

Step 2: Locate Your Riot Games Installation Folder

Now that Vanguard is out of the picture, we need to find where your Riot games are installed. This is usually where Vanguard will reinstall itself once we're done.

2.1 Identify the Game Directory:

Most commonly, Riot games are installed in C:\Riot Games. However, if you've previously customized your installation, it might be elsewhere.
If you're unsure, you can usually find the installation path by right-clicking on your game's desktop shortcut (e.g., Valorant) and selecting "Open file location." This will take you directly to the game's executable. From there, navigate back a few folders to find the main Riot Games directory.
Make a note of this full path. For example, it might be D:\Games\Riot Games.

Step 3: Move the Entire Riot Games Folder

This is where the magic happens! We're going to move the entire Riot Games folder to your desired new drive.

3.1 The "Cut and Paste" Method:

Navigate to the current location of your Riot Games folder (e.g., C:\Riot Games).
Right-click on the Riot Games folder.
Select "Cut."
Now, navigate to your new desired drive and location (e.g., E:\Gaming).
Right-click in an empty space within that new location.
Select "Paste."
Be patient! Moving a large folder can take some time depending on its size and your drive speeds. A progress bar will indicate the status.

3.2 Alternative: Using a Command Prompt (Advanced Users)

For those comfortable with the command line, you can use the robocopy command for more robust copying, especially useful for very large folders or if you encounter permission issues. However, for most users, the "cut and paste" method is sufficient.

Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
The command would look something like this: robocopy "C:\Riot Games" "E:\Gaming\Riot Games" /E /MOVE /COPYALL /DCOPY:T
- Replace "C:\Riot Games" with your source path and "E:\Gaming\Riot Games" with your destination path.
- /E: Copies subdirectories, including empty ones.
- /MOVE: Moves files and directories (deletes them from the source after copying).
- /COPYALL: Copies all file information, including security attributes, owner information, and auditing information.
- /DCOPY:T: Copies directory timestamps.
Press Enter.

Step 4: Reinstall Riot Vanguard

Now that your Riot Games folder is in its new home, it's time to reinstall Vanguard. It will automatically detect the new location.

4.1 Launch a Riot Game:

Open your Riot Client or directly launch a Riot game (e.g., Valorant) from its new location.
The Riot Client or game will detect that Vanguard is missing. It will usually prompt you to install it.
Click "Install" or "Repair" as prompted.

4.2 Automatic Installation:

Riot Vanguard will download and install itself. This process is usually quick.
You will likely be prompted to restart your computer after the installation is complete. This is a mandatory step for Vanguard to properly integrate with your system. Do not skip this restart.

Step 5: Verify and Enjoy!

After the restart, your Riot Vanguard should be happily residing on your new drive, and your games should launch without a hitch.

5.1 Check Vanguard's Location:

You can usually find Vanguard files within the Riot Games folder in a subfolder like Riot Vanguard.
You can also check your Task Manager to ensure vgtray.exe and vgc.exe are running, indicating Vanguard is active.

5.2 Launch Your Game:

Launch Valorant or your preferred Riot game.
It should start normally, and you should be able to play without any Vanguard-related errors.

Congratulations! You've successfully moved Riot Vanguard to another drive. You've not only freed up valuable space on your primary drive but also potentially optimized your system for better gaming performance.

10 Related FAQ Questions

Here are some common questions you might have about moving Riot Vanguard:

How to check if Riot Vanguard is on the new drive? You can navigate to your new Riot Games folder on the destination drive and look for a subfolder named Riot Vanguard. Additionally, after restarting your PC and launching a Riot game, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look for vgtray.exe and vgc.exe processes running. Their presence indicates Vanguard is active and running from its configured location, which should now be your new drive.

How to know if the move was successful? The most definitive way to know the move was successful is if your Riot game (e.g., Valorant) launches and runs without any errors related to Vanguard, and you can play the game normally. Also, verify that the Riot Vanguard folder exists in your new Riot Games directory and that the old Riot Games folder on your C: drive is gone or significantly smaller.

How to fix "Vanguard not initialized" error after moving? If you encounter this error, it usually means Vanguard didn't re-install or start correctly. The most common fix is to completely uninstall Riot Vanguard again (from Settings > Apps), restart your computer, then launch a Riot game to trigger a fresh reinstallation of Vanguard. Ensure you restart your PC after Vanguard re-installs.

How to move just Riot Vanguard without moving the entire game? Unfortunately, you cannot move just Riot Vanguard as a standalone entity. Riot Vanguard is deeply integrated with the Riot Games installation and requires the game client to function correctly. The recommended and only reliable method is to move the entire Riot Games folder to the new drive, as Vanguard will then reinstall itself in the new location.

How to improve game performance after moving Vanguard? Moving Vanguard (and your game) to a faster drive, especially an SSD, can significantly improve loading times and potentially reduce in-game stutters. Ensure your new drive has ample free space. While the move itself doesn't directly optimize game settings, having the game and its anti-cheat on a dedicated, fast drive contributes to overall system responsiveness.

How to uninstall Riot Vanguard completely? Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features (or Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features). Find "Riot Vanguard" in the list, click on it, and select "Uninstall." Follow the on-screen prompts and restart your computer when prompted to ensure a complete uninstallation.

How to prevent Riot Vanguard from installing on my C: drive again? When you move your Riot Games folder, Vanguard will automatically install itself within that new directory. As long as your Riot games are on the desired drive, Vanguard will follow suit. There's no separate setting to dictate Vanguard's installation path; it's tied to the game's location.

How to revert Riot Vanguard back to the original drive? To revert, simply repeat the process in reverse. Cut the Riot Games folder from its current location on the new drive and paste it back to your desired original location (e.g., C:\Riot Games). Then, uninstall Riot Vanguard, restart your PC, and launch a Riot game to trigger a fresh reinstallation in the original location.

How to troubleshoot if Vanguard won't launch after the move? First, ensure you've restarted your computer after Vanguard's reinstallation. If issues persist, try running the Riot game client as an administrator. You can also try repairing the game installation through the Riot Client settings. As a last resort, a full reinstallation of both the game and Vanguard might be necessary if other steps fail.

How to find the Riot Vanguard logs for troubleshooting? Riot Vanguard logs are typically located in C:\ProgramData\Riot Vanguard\Logs. This folder contains various log files that can provide insights into any issues Vanguard might be experiencing. These logs are often requested by Riot Support for advanced troubleshooting.

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