Perhaps you need to disable Vanguard to run a particular program, or maybe you've decided to throw in the towel and back out of the ring. It's important to know how to both turn off Vanguard and uninstall it as it often helps with troubleshooting errors that may be caused by corrupted Vanguard files.

Close All Riot Games-Related Software

While on a Windows account with admin access, follow these instructions:

  1. Close any game that can be launched from the Riot Client
  2. Close the Riot Client and make sure it no longer shows up in your Windows system tray. 
    • The system tray is located in the bottom-right corner of your screen. 
    • If the Riot Client is still visible, simply right-click it and select Exit.
  3. Right-click your red Riot Vanguard icon, in your system tray and select Exit Vanguard. Click Yes on the confirmation pop-up window to turn it off.

You will no longer be able to start most of the games through the Riot Client as Vanguard is required to play most of our games. 

Close with Task Manager

 

  1. Locate the Riot Vanguard icon in your Windows system tray (bottom-right corner of your screen).
  2. Right-click the Riot Vanguard icon.
  3. Select Advanced.
  4. Select Uninstall Vanguard.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstall.
  6. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
  7. Look for Riot Games-related software in the list (e.g. League of Legends)
  8. Click on the app to highlight it, and click the End task button in the bottom-right corner

 

Uninstall Vanguard Through Windows

You can try uninstalling Vanguard following either of the options listed below:

Option 1: System Tray

  1. Locate the Riot Vanguard icon in your Windows system tray (bottom-right corner of your screen)
  2. Right-click the Riot Vanguard icon
  3. Select Advanced
  4. Select Uninstall Vanguard
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstall

Option 2: Windows Settings

  1. Press Windows Key 🪟
  2. In the search bar, type Add or Remove programs, and press Enter
  3. In the app list, look for Riot Vanguard and uninstall it

You’ll know Vanguard has been fully uninstalled if it doesn’t show in your system tray after a computer restart.

Are we going too fast? Check out the official Windows guide for more detailed steps on how to uninstall apps.

What’s Next?

Depending on how the uninstall went, here is where you should head next:

  • If Vanguard won’t uninstall: In some scenarios, Vanguard can be a bit stubborn and refuses to uninstall. Head to the Manually Uninstall Vanguard section below to solve this. 
  • If the uninstall was successful: You’re all set! If you are ready to get back into the game, head to the bottom of the article to find out how to Reinstall Vanguard.

Manually Uninstall Vanguard 

In some scenarios, Vanguard can be a bit stubborn and lingers on some computers. You should still be able to uninstall by following these advanced steps; just make sure all your Riot Games-related software is closed:

  1. Press Windows Key 🪟
  2. Type cmd into the search bar
  3. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator
  4. In the Command Prompt window (the big black window), type sc delete vgc and press Enter
  5. Still in the Command Prompt, type sc delete vgk and press Enter
  6. Restart your computer
  7. After the restart, press Windows Key 🪟
  8. Type File Explorer and press Enter
  9. Enter C:\Program File (alternatively, you can copy and paste!)
  10. Right-click the Riot Vanguard folder and Delete any remaining files

Reinstall Vanguard

Now that it’s completely removed from your device, launch the Riot Client or any Vanguard-dependent game to automatically reinstall Vanguard.