How To Stop Riot Vanguard From Running On Startup

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You're here because Riot Vanguard, the anti-cheat system for games like Valorant and League of Legends, has decided it's a permanent resident on your PC, launching itself every time you boot up. While it's crucial for competitive integrity in Riot's titles, many users find its constant background presence intrusive and a potential drain on system resources when they're not actively playing.

Don't worry, you're not alone! This comprehensive guide will walk you through various methods to prevent Riot Vanguard from running on startup, giving you back control over your computer. We'll cover everything from simple system tray exits to more advanced service management, ensuring you can tailor its behavior to your needs.

Understanding Riot Vanguard's Nature

Before we dive into the "how-to," it's important to understand why Vanguard behaves this way. Riot Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat. This means it operates at a very low level of your operating system, even before some of your other programs load. This deep integration is what allows it to effectively detect and prevent cheating in games like Valorant. However, it also means it's designed to be persistent and can be a bit stubborn to disable completely without impacting your ability to play Riot games.

Keep in mind that if you stop Vanguard from running on startup, you will need to restart your computer and allow it to launch before you can play Valorant or League of Legends again.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Stop Riot Vanguard from Running on Startup

Let's get started on reclaiming your startup!

Step 1: The Quick Exit (Temporary Solution)

This is the simplest way to stop Riot Vanguard from running right now, but it's important to note that it will likely restart with your next computer boot. Use this for a quick, temporary disable.

Sub-step 1.1: Locate the System Tray Icon

Look for the small icons in the bottom-right corner of your Windows taskbar. You might need to click the ^ (up arrow) to show hidden icons.
Find the red Riot Vanguard icon. It often looks like a shield or a "V".

Sub-step 1.2: Exit Vanguard

Right-click on the Riot Vanguard icon.
From the context menu that appears, select Exit Vanguard.
A confirmation prompt will appear. Click Yes to confirm you want to close Vanguard.

Voila! Vanguard is now closed. However, as mentioned, it's designed to launch with your system, so this is just a temporary measure.

Step 2: Managing Startup Programs via Task Manager (Common Approach)

This method attempts to prevent Vanguard from launching with Windows. While Vanguard's kernel-level nature can sometimes bypass this, it's a good first step for more persistent control.

Sub-step 2.1: Open Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. This is the quickest way to open Task Manager.
Alternatively, right-click on an empty space on your taskbar and select Task Manager.

Sub-step 2.2: Navigate to the Startup Tab

In the Task Manager window, click on the Startup tab. This tab lists all applications that are configured to run automatically when Windows starts.

Sub-step 2.3: Disable Riot Vanguard

Scroll through the list and look for anything related to Riot Vanguard or vgtray.exe.
Right-click on the entry.
Select Disable.

What does this do? This tells Windows not to launch the user-facing part of Vanguard when you log in. However, the core kernel-mode driver (vgk.sys) might still be loaded, as it operates at a deeper level.

Step 3: Controlling Services (More Advanced Control)

This method delves deeper into Windows services, offering a more robust way to manage Riot Vanguard's startup behavior. This is often the most effective way to prevent it from running automatically.

Sub-step 3.1: Open Services Manager

Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
Type services.msc and press Enter, or click OK. This will open the Services management console.

Sub-step 3.2: Locate Riot Vanguard Services

In the Services window, scroll down alphabetically to find services starting with "V". You're looking for:
- vgc (Vanguard Client)
- vgk (Vanguard Kernel - this one might not be directly visible or easily configurable, but we'll address it)

Sub-step 3.3: Modify Service Startup Type for 'vgc'

Right-click on the vgc service.
Select Properties.
In the "General" tab, find the Startup type: dropdown menu.
Change it from Automatic to Manual or Disabled.
- Manual: This means Vanguard will only start when a program that requires it (like Valorant or League of Legends) specifically requests it.
- Disabled: This will prevent the service from starting at all. Be aware: If you choose "Disabled," you will definitely need to set it back to "Manual" or "Automatic" and restart your PC before playing Riot games.
Click Apply and then OK.

Sub-step 3.4: Stopping the 'vgc' Service (Optional, but Recommended)

While still in the Services window, with vgc selected, click on the Stop button (it looks like a square) in the toolbar, or right-click on vgc and select Stop. This will stop the service immediately without needing a restart.

Why is 'vgk' tricky? The vgk service is a kernel-mode driver, and Windows often protects these more aggressively. You might not be able to easily change its startup type from the Services console directly. For vgk, the best approach is usually to either uninstall Riot Vanguard (see Step 4) or rely on disabling vgc and understanding that you'll need to restart to play Riot games.

Step 4: Uninstalling Riot Vanguard (The Most Definitive Solution)

If you're truly tired of Riot Vanguard running in the background and you only play Valorant or League of Legends occasionally, or you're taking a break from them, uninstalling it is the most definitive way to stop it from running on startup.

Sub-step 4.1: Close Riot Vanguard First

Before uninstalling, follow Step 1: The Quick Exit to ensure Riot Vanguard is not actively running. This helps prevent uninstallation errors.

Sub-step 4.2: Uninstall from Windows Settings

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Click on Apps.
Click on Installed apps (or Apps & features on older Windows versions).
Scroll down and find Riot Vanguard in the list.
Click on Riot Vanguard and then click Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation. You may be asked for administrator permission.

Sub-step 4.3: Restart Your PC

It is crucial to restart your computer after uninstalling Riot Vanguard to ensure all components are properly removed and system changes take effect.

Sub-step 4.4: Important Note about Reinstallation

The next time you launch Valorant or League of Legends, the Riot Client will detect that Vanguard is missing and automatically reinstall it. You will then need to restart your computer for Vanguard to be fully functional and for you to play the game. This means that if you frequently switch between playing Riot games and not, you'll be repeating this uninstall/reinstall/restart cycle.

Step 5: Using Command Prompt for Deeper Service Management (Advanced Users)

This method is for users comfortable with the command line and offers a way to explicitly disable and stop the Vanguard services.

Sub-step 5.1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Press Windows Key + X to open the Quick Link menu.
Select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission.

Sub-step 5.2: Stop and Disable Vanguard Services

In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:
- To disable the vgc service from starting automatically: sc config vgc start= disabled
- To stop the vgc service immediately: net stop vgc
- To disable the vgk service (the kernel driver) from starting automatically: sc config vgk start= disabled
- To stop the vgk service immediately: net stop vgk
- To kill the vgtray.exe process (the system tray icon): taskkill /IM vgtray.exe /F (The /F forces termination)
You should see "SUCCESS" messages after running the sc config commands, and confirmation that the services were stopped.

Sub-step 5.3: Restart Your PC

For these changes to fully take effect and ensure no residual processes are running, a restart is highly recommended.

Caution: Using Command Prompt incorrectly can affect your system. Double-check your commands before pressing Enter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 10 common questions related to Riot Vanguard's startup behavior:

How to check if Riot Vanguard is running?

You can check for the red Riot Vanguard shield icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar). If it's there, it's running. You can also open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Processes tab, and look for vgtray.exe and vgc.exe.

How to play Valorant if Vanguard is not running?

If Vanguard is not running, the Riot Client will prompt you to launch it. You will usually need to restart your computer after Vanguard re-enables itself to play Valorant or League of Legends.

How to re-enable Riot Vanguard after disabling it?

If you disabled it via Services, go back into services.msc, find vgc and vgk, right-click on them, go to Properties, and change their Startup type back to Automatic or Manual. Then, restart your PC.

How to completely uninstall Riot Vanguard?

The most reliable way is to go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find "Riot Vanguard," and click "Uninstall." Remember to restart your PC afterward.

How to prevent Riot Vanguard from reinstalling itself?

You can't prevent Riot Vanguard from reinstalling if you want to play Valorant or League of Legends. It's a mandatory anti-cheat component for those games.

How to know if Riot Vanguard is causing performance issues?

Monitor your CPU and RAM usage in Task Manager when Vanguard is running versus when it's not. If you notice a significant difference in resource consumption while idle, it might be contributing to performance issues.

How to update Riot Vanguard?

Riot Vanguard updates automatically with game patches for Valorant and League of Legends. You don't usually need to manually update it.

How to fix Riot Vanguard errors?

Riot Games has a dedicated support page for Vanguard errors. Common fixes include restarting your PC, running the game/client as administrator, reinstalling Vanguard, or ensuring Secure Boot/TPM 2.0 are enabled (for Windows 11 users).

How to find the Riot Vanguard installation folder?

By default, Riot Vanguard is installed in C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard.

How to contact Riot Games Support about Vanguard issues?

You can visit the official Riot Games Support website (support.riotgames.com) and submit a ticket for assistance with any Vanguard-related problems.

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