Of course! Here is a very lengthy and detailed guide on how to uninstall Riot and Vanguard. Let's get started!
A Comprehensive Guide to Completely Uninstall Riot Client and Vanguard
Are you ready to free up some disk space or simply want to take a break from the world of Valorant and League of Legends? Uninstalling Riot Games' software, especially Riot Vanguard, can be a bit more involved than your average application. This is because Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat system that runs in the background even when you're not playing. But don't worry, we'll walk you through every single step to ensure a clean and complete removal.
Step 1: Let's Begin by Checking if Riot Vanguard is Still Running
Before we dive into the uninstallation process, we need to make sure that the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat service isn't actively running. If you try to uninstall Riot or Vanguard while they're running, you'll likely encounter errors. So, let's stop it in its tracks!
Look in your System Tray: Go to the bottom-right corner of your taskbar, near the clock. You might need to click the small upward arrow () to show hidden icons.
Find the Riot Vanguard icon: It looks like a small red shield.
Right-click the icon: A small menu will pop up.
Select "Exit Vanguard": A confirmation window will appear. Click on "Yes" to confirm and close the service.
Step 2: Uninstall Riot Vanguard
QuickTip: Skim slowly, read deeply.
Now that we've confirmed Vanguard is not running, let's remove it from your system. This is a crucial step, as simply uninstalling the game (like Valorant) will not uninstall Riot Vanguard.
Method 1: Using Windows Settings (Recommended)
This is the easiest and most common way to uninstall applications on Windows.
Open Windows Settings: You can do this by pressing the Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
Navigate to the "Apps" section: On the left-hand side, click on "Apps," and then "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features" depending on your Windows version).
Find Riot Vanguard: In the list of installed applications, scroll down until you find Riot Vanguard. You can also use the search bar at the top to quickly find it.
Click on it and select "Uninstall": A new button will appear. Click on it.
Confirm the uninstallation: A pop-up window will ask for confirmation. Click "Uninstall" again.
Allow changes: You may be prompted to allow the application to make changes to your device. Click "Yes".
Follow the prompts: Riot Vanguard will begin to uninstall. After it's finished, you may be asked to restart your computer. It's highly recommended to restart your PC at this point to ensure the changes take effect.
Method 2: Using the Control Panel (Classic Way)
Tip: Read slowly to catch the finer details.
If you're more comfortable with the traditional Control Panel, you can use this method as well.
Open the Control Panel: You can search for "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and open it.
Go to "Programs": Under the "Programs" heading, click on "Uninstall a program."
Locate Riot Vanguard: Find Riot Vanguard in the list of programs.
Right-click and select "Uninstall/Change": Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Step 3: Uninstall Riot Games and the Riot Client
Now that the anti-cheat is gone, let's remove the Riot Client and any associated games.
Open Windows Settings or Control Panel again: Follow the steps from Step 2 to access the list of installed applications.
Find your Riot Game: Look for the game you want to uninstall, such as VALORANT or League of Legends.
Uninstall the game: Click on it and select "Uninstall." Follow any on-screen prompts.
Find the Riot Client: Now, search for Riot Client in the list of applications.
Uninstall the Riot Client: Just like with the game, click on it and select "Uninstall."
Step 4: Manually Remove Leftover Files
Even after uninstalling, some residual files might be left behind. To ensure a completely clean removal, let's delete them manually.
Open File Explorer: Press Windows Key + E on your keyboard.
Navigate to the Program Files directory: Go to the
C:\Program FilesorC:\Program Files (x86)folder.Delete the "Riot Games" and "Riot Vanguard" folders: If you find folders named "Riot Games" or "Riot Vanguard" within this directory, right-click on them and select "Delete".
Check the AppData folders: These are hidden folders, but you can easily access them.
Press Windows Key + R to open the "Run" dialog box.
Type
%localappdata%and press Enter. This will open theAppData\Localfolder. Look for a "Riot Games" folder and delete it.Again, press Windows Key + R.
Type
%appdata%and press Enter. This will open theAppData\Roamingfolder. Look for a "Riot Games" folder and delete it.
Empty your Recycle Bin: After deleting all the folders, make sure to empty your Recycle Bin to permanently remove them from your computer.
Step 5: Use Command Prompt for a Deeper Clean (Optional but Recommended)
Tip: Reflect on what you just read.
This step is for those who want to be absolutely sure that every trace of Vanguard is gone. It involves deleting the Vanguard services from your system using the Command Prompt.
Open Command Prompt as an administrator: Search for "Command Prompt" in the Windows search bar, right-click on it, and select "Run as administrator".
Execute the commands: Type the following two commands one by one, pressing Enter after each one:
sc delete vgcsc delete vgk
Restart your PC: After executing the commands, you must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
You've done it! You have now successfully uninstalled Riot Client and Riot Vanguard. If you ever decide to play a Riot game again, you'll need to reinstall them from scratch.
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| How To Uninstall Riot And Vanguard |
10 Related FAQs
Here are some quick answers to common questions about uninstalling Riot and Vanguard.
How to check if Riot Vanguard is still running in the background? You can check for the Riot Vanguard icon (a red shield) in your system tray (the bottom-right corner of your taskbar). You can also open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look for any processes related to "Riot" or "Vanguard."
Tip: Each paragraph has one main idea — find it.
How to uninstall Valorant without uninstalling Riot Vanguard? You can uninstall Valorant from the "Apps & features" menu in Windows Settings, but Riot Vanguard is a separate program and will remain on your PC. You need to follow the separate steps to uninstall Vanguard.
How to completely remove all Riot Games files from my PC?
To remove all files, you need to uninstall the game, Riot Vanguard, and the Riot Client, and then manually delete the leftover folders in Program Files, %localappdata%, and %appdata%.
How to fix "Riot Vanguard prevents uninstallation" error? This error usually occurs because the Vanguard service is still running. Make sure you've exited Vanguard from the system tray before attempting to uninstall. If that doesn't work, restart your PC and try again.
How to disable Riot Vanguard without uninstalling it? You can disable Riot Vanguard by right-clicking its icon in the system tray and selecting "Exit Vanguard." However, you will need to restart your PC to re-enable it and play Riot Games.
How to find the Riot Games installation folder?
By default, Riot Games installs to C:\Riot Games. If you can't find it, you can right-click the game's shortcut on your desktop, select "Open file location," and then navigate up a folder to find the main "Riot Games" directory.
How to delete my Riot account? To delete your Riot account, you need to submit a ticket to Riot Games' customer support. This is not something you can do from your PC's settings.
How to uninstall Riot Client if it's not in the apps list? If you can't find it in the "Apps & features" list, you may need to use Command Prompt to delete the services and then manually delete the installation folders.
How to uninstall Riot Client using Command Prompt?
While you can't uninstall the client directly with a command, you can use sc delete vgc and sc delete vgk to remove the Vanguard services, which can help with the uninstallation process.
How to uninstall Riot Client on a Mac? On a Mac, you can simply drag the Riot Client application from your Applications folder to the Trash. You may also need to delete any leftover files in the Library folder.
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