How to uninstall Riot Vanguard correctly step by step

Riot Vanguard is the Riot Games anti-cheat system which is installed next to VALUE. This software has been controversial due to its level of intrusion, as it runs in the background from the start of Windows. For this reason, many users want to know how to uninstall Riot Vanguard.

If you want to remove it because it is affecting your PC's performance, you need to run another program without restrictions, or you simply no longer play VALORANT, here we explain in detail how to do it correctly (uninstalling the game is not enough). We are already telling you that there is no other option but to resort to the manual method.

How to uninstall Riot Vanguard on Windows

First of all, let's see what the conventional procedure to uninstall Riot Vanguard. There are two ways to proceed: from the Windows Settings menu and from the Control Panel.

From Windows Settings

This is the traditional way to do it in Windows 10 and Windows 11. These are the steps to follow:

1. First, press the Windows key or click the Start button.
2. In the search box we write "Add or Remove Programs" and press Enter.
3. Then we search Riot Vanguard in the list and select the option.
4. Then we click on "Uninstall" and we confirm the action in the pop-up window.
5. Finally, we allow the app to make changes to the device and confirm the uninstallation.

Once this process is complete, Riot Vanguard should be gone from your system.

From the Control Panel in older versions of Windows

If we use a version prior to Windows 10, the process to follow is this:

1. First we press the Windows key, we write «Control Panel" and press Enter.
2. Then we go to the section «Programs».
3. There we select "Uninstall a program".
4. Next we look for Riot Vanguard In the list, we right-click on it and select "Uninstall".
5. Finally, we confirm the action and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

How to uninstall Riot Vanguard manually

What happens when traditional uninstallation methods fail? In such cases, we can uninstall Riot Vanguard manually through these steps:

Remove Vanguard Services

The first stage of uninstallation is to remove Vanguard services as follows:

1. We press the Windows key and write cmd in the search box.
2. Then we right click on the result and select "Execute as an administrator".
3. Next we write the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
   • sc delete vgc
   • sc delete vgk

In this manner se Riot Vanguard core services to be removed.

Delete residual files

The second phase to uninstall Riot Vanguard manually consists of the following:

1. First, we restart the PC.
2. Then we open the File Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\.
3. Finally, we look for the folder Riot Vanguard, we right click on it and select Delete.

With these steps, We will have managed to completely uninstall Riot Vanguard from our system.

How to disable Riot Vanguard without uninstalling it

There is still a third possibility that may be interesting. It is Prevent Riot Vanguard from running automatically with Windows, without having to resort to uninstallation. There are two methods to achieve this:

Temporary Disablement

To disable Riot Vanguard until the next restart, do the following:

1. We locate the Riot Vanguard icon in the system tray (it is usually next to the clock).
2. We right click on the icon and select Exit Vanguard.
3. We confirm the action (if requested).

This method Riot Vanguard pauses until PC restart.

Permanently disable on Windows startup

If we want to prevent Riot Vanguard from starting with Windows, these are the steps to follow:

1. We use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Shift + ESC to open the Task Manager.
2. Then we go to the tab Home.
3. There we look Vanguard tray notification on the list.
4. We right click on it and select Disable.

With this, Riot Vanguard will only activate when we run the game, without running in the background constantly.

Uninstalling Riot Vanguard is a simple process if you follow the proper steps. Remember that it is required to access VALORANT, so if you uninstall it, you will not be able to play until you reinstall it. If you just want to stop it from running in the background, the best option is to disable it from the Task Manager. Now you have all the information you need to manage it the way you prefer.