Have you ever felt that little pang of frustration when you boot up your computer, only to see the Riot Vanguard icon appear in your system tray, even when you have no intention of playing Valorant or League of Legends? You're not alone! Many users find Riot Vanguard's persistent startup behavior a bit intrusive, as it's designed to run from the moment your PC starts to ensure competitive integrity in Riot's games.
While Vanguard is an essential anti-cheat for games like Valorant and League of Legends, keeping it running constantly can sometimes consume system resources or, for some, raise privacy concerns. This comprehensive guide will walk you through various methods to manage Riot Vanguard's startup behavior, ranging from temporary disabling to complete uninstallation, so you can decide what works best for you.
Let's dive in and take back control of your PC's startup!
Understanding Riot Vanguard's Nature
Before we get into the "how-to," it's crucial to understand why Riot Vanguard behaves the way it does. Riot Vanguard is Riot Games' custom game security software, designed to uphold the highest levels of competitive integrity. It consists of two main components:
- A client: This runs when the game (Valorant or League of Legends) is active.
- A kernel-mode driver (vgk.sys): This is the more significant part, as it loads with your operating system at boot time. This low-level access allows Vanguard to detect and prevent cheating effectively, but it's also why it runs continuously in the background.
It's important to note that disabling or uninstalling Riot Vanguard will prevent you from playing Valorant or League of Legends. The game client will detect its absence and prompt you to restart your computer with Vanguard enabled.
Step 1: Temporarily Exiting Riot Vanguard (Without Uninstalling)
This is the simplest method if you just want to stop Vanguard from running for your current session without completely uninstalling it or preventing it from launching on subsequent reboots.
Sub-heading: The System Tray Method
- Locate the Riot Vanguard Icon: Look for the small, red Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray, usually located in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar. You might need to click the "up" arrow (^) to reveal hidden icons.
- Right-Click and Exit: Right-click on the Riot Vanguard icon. A small menu will appear.
- Select "Exit Vanguard": Click on the option that says "Exit Vanguard."
- Confirm Your Action: A pop-up window will ask for confirmation. Click "Yes" to confirm that you want to exit Vanguard.
What happens next? Riot Vanguard will cease its operations for the current session. However, the next time you restart your computer, it will automatically start again. This method is perfect for short breaks from gaming when you want to ensure Vanguard isn't using any resources.
Step 2: Preventing Riot Vanguard's Automatic Startup (Service Management)
This method allows you to prevent Riot Vanguard's kernel-mode driver from launching automatically with Windows. This is a more persistent solution than simply exiting it from the system tray. However, remember that you will need to manually start it or restart your computer to play Vanguard-dependent games again.
Sub-heading: Using Windows Services
- Open the Services Application:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type "services.msc" and press Enter, or click "OK."
- Alternatively, you can search for "Services" in the Windows Start menu.
- Locate Riot Vanguard Services: In the Services window, scroll down and look for two services related to Riot Vanguard:
- vgc (Riot Vanguard)
- vgk (Riot Vanguard Kernel Mode Driver) - Note: This service might not always be visible or directly configurable here as it's a kernel-level driver. The "vgc" service is the primary one you'll interact with for startup behavior.
- Modify the "vgc" Service Startup Type:
- Double-click on the "vgc" service. This will open its Properties window.
- Under the "General" tab, find the "Startup type" dropdown menu.
- Click the dropdown and select "Manual." This means the service will not start automatically with Windows but can be started when a program (like Valorant) requests it.
- Click "Apply" and then "OK."
Sub-heading: Using Task Manager (for the Tray Icon)
While modifying the "vgc" service handles the core anti-cheat, you might still see the Riot Vanguard tray icon appearing on startup. This is handled by a separate process.
- Open Task Manager:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager directly.
- Alternatively, right-click on an empty space on your taskbar and select "Task Manager."
- Navigate to the "Startup" Tab: In Task Manager, click on the "Startup" tab.
- Find "Vanguard Tray Notification" (vgtray.exe): Scroll through the list of startup programs and look for an entry named "Vanguard Tray Notification" or similar (the executable name is often
vgtray.exe). - Disable the Startup Entry:
- Select the "Vanguard Tray Notification" entry.
- Click the "Disable" button in the bottom-right corner of the Task Manager window. The "Status" column for this entry should now say "Disabled."
Important Note: Disabling vgtray.exe only prevents the tray icon from appearing. The kernel-mode driver (vgk.sys) might still attempt to load if you haven't set the vgc service to "Manual" or "Disabled" as described above. For complete control over its startup, managing the "vgc" service is crucial.
Step 3: Complete Uninstallation of Riot Vanguard
This is the most drastic step and should only be taken if you no longer play any Riot Games that require Vanguard (like Valorant or League of Legends). Uninstalling Vanguard will free up system resources and completely remove its presence from your PC.
Sub-heading: Uninstalling via Windows Settings
- Open Windows Settings:
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings application.
- Navigate to Apps: Click on "Apps" in the left-hand menu, then select "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features" on older Windows versions).
- Locate Riot Vanguard: Scroll through the list of installed applications and find "Riot Vanguard."
- Uninstall Riot Vanguard:
- Click on the three dots (***...***) next to "Riot Vanguard" and select "Uninstall."
- Confirm your choice by clicking "Uninstall" again in the pop-up window.
- Follow any on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process.
- Restart Your PC: It is highly recommended to restart your computer after uninstalling Riot Vanguard to ensure all components are properly removed and any lingering processes are terminated.
Sub-heading: Uninstalling via Control Panel (Alternative)
- Open Control Panel:
- Search for "Control Panel" in the Windows Start menu and open it.
- Go to Programs and Features: Under the "Programs" section, click on "Uninstall a program."
- Locate Riot Vanguard: Find "Riot Vanguard" in the list of installed programs.
- Uninstall:
- Right-click on "Riot Vanguard" and select "Uninstall."
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
- Restart Your PC: Again, restart your computer after uninstallation.
Sub-heading: Removing Leftover Files (Optional but Recommended)
Even after uninstalling, some residual files might remain. While usually harmless, you can manually check and delete them for a cleaner system.
- Open File Explorer: Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
- Navigate to Program Files: Go to
C:\Program Files\ - Delete Riot Vanguard Folder: If you find a folder named "Riot Vanguard" or similar, right-click on it and select "Delete."
- Check AppData Folders:
- Press Windows key + R, type
"%appdata%"and press Enter. Look for any "Riot Games" or "Riot Vanguard" folders and delete them. - Repeat the process for
"%localappdata%"and"%programdata%"(you might need to enable "Show hidden items" in File Explorer's "View" tab to seeProgramData).
- Press Windows key + R, type
- Empty Recycle Bin: Finally, empty your Recycle Bin to permanently remove the deleted files.
Step 4: Re-enabling Riot Vanguard (if needed)
If you disabled Vanguard and later decide to play Valorant or League of Legends, you'll need to re-enable it.
Sub-heading: Re-enabling through the Game Client
The easiest way to re-enable Vanguard is simply to launch Valorant or League of Legends. The game client will detect that Vanguard is not running or is disabled and will usually prompt you to restart your computer. Upon restarting, Vanguard should automatically re-enable itself (assuming its service is set to "Manual" or "Automatic").
Sub-heading: Manually Re-enabling in Services
If the game client doesn't automatically re-enable it, or you prefer to do it manually:
- Open Services: Follow the steps in "Step 2: Preventing Riot Vanguard's Automatic Startup" to open the Services application.
- Set "vgc" Startup Type to "Automatic" or "Manual":
- Double-click on the "vgc" service.
- Change the "Startup type" to "Automatic" or "Manual" (Automatic will ensure it starts with Windows, Manual will allow the game to trigger it).
- Click "Apply" and "OK."
- Start the Service (Optional, for immediate use): If you've set it to "Manual" and want to play immediately without a full restart, you can right-click on "vgc" in the Services list and select "Start."
- Restart Your PC (Recommended): A full restart of your PC is often the most reliable way to ensure Vanguard is properly re-initialized and ready for gaming.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to check if Riot Vanguard is running?
You can check for the small, red Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar). Alternatively, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the "Processes" tab, and look for "Riot Vanguard" or "vgc.exe." You can also open Services (services.msc) and check the status of the "vgc" service.
How to stop Riot Vanguard from running in the background without uninstalling?
The most common way is to right-click the Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray and select "Exit Vanguard." This will stop it for the current session, but it will restart with your PC.
How to stop Riot Vanguard from starting with Windows?
Open Windows Services (services.msc), find the "vgc" service, double-click it, and change its "Startup type" to "Manual." You can also disable "Vanguard Tray Notification" in Task Manager's "Startup" tab.
How to completely uninstall Riot Vanguard?
Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find "Riot Vanguard," and click "Uninstall." It's highly recommended to restart your PC after uninstallation.
How to play Valorant after disabling Riot Vanguard?
If you've disabled Vanguard, you must re-enable it to play Valorant or League of Legends. The easiest way is to simply launch the game; it will usually prompt you to restart your computer, which will re-enable Vanguard.
How to re-enable Riot Vanguard if I disabled it?
Launch Valorant or League of Legends, and the game client will typically prompt you to restart your PC to re-enable Vanguard. You can also manually set the "vgc" service's startup type to "Automatic" or "Manual" in Windows Services.
How to resolve "Vanguard not running" error?
This error usually means Vanguard is not active. Try restarting your computer. If that doesn't work, ensure the "vgc" service is set to "Automatic" or "Manual" in Windows Services, and consider reinstalling Riot Vanguard if the problem persists.
How to prevent Riot Vanguard from causing PC issues?
Ensure your operating system and drivers are up to date. If you experience persistent issues, consider reaching out to Riot Games Support, as Vanguard can sometimes conflict with other software or system configurations.
How to update Riot Vanguard?
Riot Vanguard usually updates automatically when you launch a Riot Games title that requires it. There is no separate updater for Vanguard.
How to remove all Riot Games files after uninstalling Vanguard?
After uninstalling via Windows Settings or Control Panel, open File Explorer and check C:\Program Files\, C:\Riot Games\, "%appdata%", "%localappdata%", and "%programdata%" for any remaining "Riot Games" or "Riot Vanguard" folders and delete them. Remember to empty your Recycle Bin afterward.
