Valorant and League of Legends now share the same anti-cheat driver, and that single fact breaks more uninstalls than any Windows bug ever has. Riot Vanguard, the kernel-level anti-cheat that once belonged to Valorant alone, became a requirement for League of Legends too, and Riot’s own support documentation is blunt about the consequence: “Vanguard will only be automatically removed if you uninstall all software that requires it.” Delete the wrong folder or run the wrong uninstaller and you can lock yourself out of League until you rebuild the anti-cheat stack from scratch.
This tutorial is for the specific case that most Valorant removal guides skip: you want Valorant gone, but you still play League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or another Riot title on the same PC. It follows the manual cleanup steps Riot’s own Vanguard support article documents, adapted for machines where more than one Vanguard-dependent game is installed. We’ll walk through which folders belong to Valorant only, which ones are shared infrastructure you must not touch, and how to confirm League still launches cleanly once Valorant is gone. By the end you’ll have reclaimed roughly 25-28 GB of disk space and a small PowerShell script that checks your setup before it deletes anything.
Why “uninstall valorant” search results break League of Legends
Search “how to uninstall valorant” and nearly every result gives you the same three steps: remove Valorant from Windows Settings, remove Riot Vanguard from Windows Settings, then delete leftover folders with a registry cleaner or a batch script. That works fine if Valorant was the only Riot game on the machine. It does not work if you also play League of Legends, because Riot extended the Vanguard requirement to League as part of its anti-cheat push, citing a 2023 security breach and the effectiveness Vanguard had already shown in Valorant. League’s own Vanguard FAQ, published June 2, 2026, states plainly that “Vanguard must be running to use League of Legends, so disabling/uninstalling it will prevent you from playing.”
That changes the uninstall math. A generic guide that tells you to run sc delete vgk and sc delete vgc the moment you’re done with Valorant will also strip the anti-cheat driver League needs to boot. The next time you try to queue into a ranked game, League will either force a Vanguard reinstall mid-launch or refuse to start entirely, and you’ll be troubleshooting a problem you created by following advice meant for players who don’t touch League. Riot’s Vanguard requirement is a package deal now: as long as one Vanguard-dependent title remains installed, the driver has to stay.
The fix is not complicated once you know the shared components, but it does require doing things in a different order than the standard “nuke everything Riot-related” guides recommend. That’s the gap this tutorial fills.
A brief history: why Vanguard came to League of Legends
Riot Vanguard launched with Valorant in 2020 as a kernel-level driver, controversial from day one because it loads before Windows finishes booting and keeps running even when Valorant is closed. For years that trade-off stayed contained to Valorant players only, and anyone who only touched League of Legends never had to think about it. That changed as cheating, botting, and account fraud kept climbing across Riot’s older titles, and a 2023 security breach at Riot pushed the company to reassess how much protection its non-Valorant games actually had.
Riot’s own Riot Vanguard documentation frames the League decision in terms of competitive integrity, stating that “fair play is vital to any competitive pastime, and League is no exception.” Having already seen Vanguard reduce cheating in Valorant, Riot decided extending the same kernel-level protection to League was, in the company’s words, “the best way to protect the player experience.” The rollout meant every League installation on Windows now pulls in the same vgc service and vgk driver that Valorant players had been living with for years, whether or not the player ever touches Valorant.
For anyone managing a PC with both games, that history matters more than it might seem. It’s the reason a five-year-old “uninstall Valorant” tutorial and a September 2026 one give conflicting instructions about whether Vanguard should go with it. The old advice was correct when it was written. It just hasn’t caught up to the fact that Vanguard is no longer a Valorant-only dependency.
Understanding Riot’s shared component architecture
Riot’s install footprint splits into layers that don’t map cleanly onto “one game equals one folder.” Knowing where each layer lives is what makes a surgical, League-safe Valorant removal possible instead of guesswork.
The Riot Client layer
Riot Client is the launcher every Riot title runs through, as described in Riot’s Client FAQ. It handles login, patching, and the games library screen, and it installs once regardless of how many Riot games you own. Uninstalling Riot Client removes the only working launch path for every Riot game on the machine, Valorant included, which is why it should never be part of a Valorant-only removal.
The Vanguard layer
Vanguard sits below Riot Client, registered directly with Windows as two services: vgc, a user-mode service, and vgk, the kernel-mode driver that loads at boot. Since mid-2026, both League of Legends and Valorant register themselves as Vanguard-dependent titles with Riot Client, and Riot’s documentation is explicit that Vanguard “will only be automatically removed if you uninstall all software that requires it.” One game left installed is enough to keep the driver in place, by design.
Key terms used in this guide
- vgc: the Riot Vanguard user-mode service, visible in Windows Services and in
Get-Serviceoutput. - vgk: the Riot Vanguard kernel-mode driver (
vgk.sys), the component that loads at boot before Windows finishes starting. - Riot Client: the shared launcher application every Riot game runs through, separate from the games themselves.
- AppData: the per-user configuration folder tree under
%LOCALAPPDATA%and%APPDATA%, where each Riot title keeps its own subfolder. - ProgramData: a machine-wide (not per-user) folder at
C:\ProgramDatawhere Riot stores shared logs and settings used by every installed title.
Prerequisites and versions
Confirm you have the following before starting. None of these steps require reinstalling anything, but you do need administrator access to run the verification commands.
- Windows 10 (22H2 or later) or Windows 11, with an administrator account
- Riot Client installed, with League of Legends and/or Teamfight Tactics already playable on this PC
- Valorant installed and currently in your Riot Client games library
- PowerShell 5.1 or later (built into Windows 10/11 by default, check with
$PSVersionTable.PSVersion) - Around 30 GB of free disk space temporarily, in case Windows needs scratch space during uninstall
- 15-20 minutes, plus one restart
You do not need any third-party uninstaller software for this. Riot’s own support documentation explicitly covers the manual cleanup commands used below, and installing an aggressive registry cleaner mid-process is one of the pitfalls we’ll cover in a moment.
Step 1: Map what’s actually shared vs. Valorant-only
Before deleting anything, it helps to know the four layers involved and which one owns which files.
| Component | Approx. size | Shared with League/TFT? | Safe to remove for this guide? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valorant game files | 25-28 GB | No | Yes |
| Riot Vanguard driver/service | 90-100 MB | Yes (League now requires it too) | No |
| Riot Client | 600-700 MB | Yes (launches all Riot titles) | No |
| Valorant-specific config/cache (AppData) | Under 1 GB typically | No | Yes |
| Shared Riot Games ProgramData | Varies, 1-3 GB with logs | Yes | No (contains other titles’ data too) |
Only the first and fourth rows are safe to delete in this scenario. Everything else keeps League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics running. This is the opposite emphasis of a full teardown guide (see our Vanguard force-removal walkthrough if you eventually want everything gone), so keep this table open in another tab while you work.
The table below expands on that mapping with the exact paths involved. Keep it as a reference through Steps 8 and 9, since it’s the difference between a clean partial removal and an accidental League outage.
| Path | Owner | Shared across titles? | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
C:\Riot Games\VALORANT | Valorant | No | Delete after uninstall |
C:\Riot Games\League of Legends | League | No | Leave alone |
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard | Vanguard | Yes | Leave alone |
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\vgk.sys | Vanguard | Yes | Leave alone |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\VALORANT | Valorant | No | Delete after uninstall |
%APPDATA%\Riot Games | Shared | Yes | Leave alone |
C:\ProgramData\Riot Games | Shared | Yes | Leave alone |
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vgk | Vanguard | Yes | Leave alone |
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vgc | Vanguard | Yes | Leave alone |
Step 2: Confirm which Riot titles are actually installed
Open the Riot Client, click your games library icon, and note every title listed as installed, not just “available.” If League of Legends or Teamfight Tactics shows anything other than “Play,” fix that first, because an interrupted install can make Riot Client miscount which games need Vanguard when you later uninstall Valorant.
You can cross-check this from PowerShell as well, since Riot Client, Vanguard, and each game register themselves separately in the Windows uninstall registry:
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* |
Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -match 'Riot|VALORANT|League of Legends|Vanguard' } |
Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation |
Format-Table -AutoSizeExpected output on a machine running both games looks like this:
DisplayName DisplayVersion InstallLocation
----------- -------------- ---------------
VALORANT 9.xx C:\Riot Games\VALORANT
League of Legends 14.xx C:\Riot Games\League of Legends
Riot Vanguard 1.xx C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard
Riot Client C:\Riot GamesIf League of Legends does not appear in this list, you don’t need this guide at all: the standard “uninstall Valorant and Vanguard together” process is simpler and covered in our full Riot Client removal guide.
Step 3: Check Vanguard’s current service status
Record Vanguard’s baseline state before you touch anything, so you have something to compare against after Valorant is gone. Open an administrator PowerShell window and run:
Get-Service vgc, vgk -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Select-Object Name, DisplayName, Status, StartTypeA healthy pre-uninstall system shows both services present:
Name DisplayName Status StartType
---- ----------- ------ ---------
vgc Riot Vanguard Running Automatic
vgk Riot Vanguard driver Running BootNote the StartType value of Boot on vgk. That’s the kernel driver loading before Windows finishes booting, which is precisely why Riot’s own instructions require a restart after any service change involving Vanguard, and why deleting this driver’s files without stopping the service first tends to fail with an “access denied” error.
Step 4: Close Valorant, League, and the Riot Client fully
Exit both games if either is running, then right-click the Riot Client icon in the system tray and choose Exit. Do not exit Vanguard itself from the tray icon at this stage. Riot’s system tray menu offers an “Exit Vanguard” option, but using it here would stop the driver that League still needs before you’ve finished removing Valorant, and you’d have to restart the machine just to bring it back for the next step.
Confirm nothing Riot-related is still running with Task Manager, or from PowerShell:
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.ProcessName -match 'RiotClient|VALORANT|LeagueClient' }Empty output means it’s safe to move on.
Step 5: Uninstall Valorant only, through Windows Settings
Press the Windows key, type “Add or remove programs,” and press Enter. Scroll to VALORANT specifically, not Riot Vanguard and not Riot Client, click it, and choose Uninstall. Let the built-in uninstaller run to completion. It typically takes one to three minutes depending on how many patches have accumulated.
This step removes the bulk of the 25-28 GB Valorant footprint on its own. It will not touch Riot Vanguard, Riot Client, or League of Legends, because Windows treats each as a separate registered application. That separation is exactly why this scenario is solvable: Valorant’s uninstaller was never designed to also rip out shared components.
Step 6: Verify Vanguard is still present and running
Re-run the service check from Step 3:
Get-Service vgc, vgk -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Select-Object Name, Status, StartTypeYou want to see the exact same output as your baseline: both services present, both running or set to start on boot. If either service is missing here, the Valorant uninstaller likely bundled a Vanguard cleanup step in a way it shouldn’t have on a multi-game machine, and you’ll need to trigger a Vanguard reinstall before testing League (see the troubleshooting section below).
Step 7: Launch League of Legends as a functional test
Open Riot Client and launch League of Legends (or Teamfight Tactics) directly. This is the real test, more reliable than any service check, because it confirms Vanguard is not just present but actually authorized to run for League’s process. If the client loads to the main menu without a Vanguard reinstall prompt, the shared components survived Valorant’s removal intact.
If you get a prompt to install or repair Vanguard at this point, don’t panic and don’t reinstall Valorant to “fix” it. Follow the same repair path Riot documents for any Vanguard-dependent title: let the client’s prompt run, which reinstalls just the driver package, then relaunch.
Step 8: Clean up Valorant-specific leftover folders only
The Windows uninstaller removes the game itself but typically leaves behind Valorant-specific configuration and cache. These are safe to delete because League of Legends and TFT keep their own separate subfolders in the same parent directories. Check each path individually rather than deleting the parent folder.
# Check before deleting -- list what's actually there first
Get-ChildItem "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\VALORANT" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-ChildItem "C:\Riot Games\VALORANT" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
# Only remove if the paths above are VALORANT-specific (not a shared parent folder)
Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\VALORANT" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "C:\Riot Games\VALORANT" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueDo not run a blanket delete against C:\ProgramData\Riot Games or %APPDATA%\Riot Games in this scenario. Those directories store configuration and logs used across every Riot title on the machine, including League. A generic “delete all Riot leftovers” guide is not safe advice once League is also installed, which is a distinction most uninstall tutorials don’t make.
Step 9: Remove desktop and Start Menu shortcuts
Delete any leftover VALORANT.exe shortcut on your desktop or in the Start Menu under Riot Games. These are cosmetic and won’t affect League, but a dead shortcut pointing at a deleted .exe is a common source of “is this actually uninstalled?” confusion later.
Step 10: Confirm Valorant is gone from the Riot Client library
Open Riot Client again and check the games library. Valorant should now show as “Install” rather than “Play,” while League of Legends and TFT should be unaffected. If Valorant still shows as installed here after Step 5 completed without errors, the Riot Client library cache may be stale. Restarting the Riot Client itself (not your PC) usually clears this within a few seconds.
Step 11: Measure the disk space you actually reclaimed
Check free space on your install drive before comparing against your baseline:
Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, FreeIn this scenario, expect to reclaim roughly 25-28 GB, the size of the Valorant game files themselves, plus whatever accumulated in the Valorant-specific AppData folder. You will not reclaim the 90-100 MB Vanguard footprint or the 600-700 MB Riot Client footprint, because both remain installed and in active use by League. That’s a meaningfully smaller number than the 27-32 GB range quoted in full teardown guides, and it’s the correct number for this scenario, not a sign something went wrong.
Step 12: Build a repeatable pre-flight check (the complete project)
Rather than trusting memory the next time you need to do this (a new PC, a friend’s machine, or after a Windows reinstall), save the following script. It checks which Vanguard-dependent titles are installed and refuses to suggest removing shared components if more than one is present. Save it as check-before-uninstall-valorant.ps1 and run it from an administrator PowerShell window before you start Step 5.
# check-before-uninstall-valorant.ps1
# Run as Administrator. Read-only: makes no changes, only reports.
$vanguardTitles = @('VALORANT', 'League of Legends', 'Teamfight Tactics')
$installed = Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -in $vanguardTitles } |
Select-Object -ExpandProperty DisplayName
Write-Host "Vanguard-dependent titles found on this PC:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
$installed | ForEach-Object { Write-Host " - $_" }
$vgService = Get-Service vgc, vgk -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (-not $vgService) {
Write-Host "Riot Vanguard service not found. Nothing else to check." -ForegroundColor Yellow
exit
}
Write-Host "`nRiot Vanguard service status:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
$vgService | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType | Format-Table -AutoSize
$otherTitles = $installed | Where-Object { $_ -ne 'VALORANT' }
if ($otherTitles.Count -gt 0) {
Write-Host "`nWARNING: $($otherTitles -join ', ') also require(s) Riot Vanguard." -ForegroundColor Red
Write-Host "Do NOT uninstall Riot Vanguard or Riot Client. Only uninstall VALORANT itself" -ForegroundColor Red
Write-Host "through Windows Settings, then leave the shared components in place." -ForegroundColor Red
} else {
Write-Host "`nNo other Vanguard-dependent titles detected. Full teardown is safe." -ForegroundColor Green
}This turns a one-off manual check into something you can hand to a sibling or a teammate without re-explaining the whole Vanguard-sharing situation every time. If you do eventually want to remove everything, including League, our Vanguard driver removal guide covers the full teardown safely.
Real-world walkthrough: a sample run end to end
To make the abstract steps concrete, here’s what a typical run looks like on a PC with 41 GB free on the C: drive, both Valorant and League installed, and no prior manual Vanguard tinkering.
Baseline check before touching anything:
PS C:\> Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, Free
Used Free
---- ----
418123456789 44012345678
PS C:\> Get-Service vgc, vgk | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType
Name Status StartType
---- ------ ---------
vgc Running Automatic
vgk Running BootAfter uninstalling Valorant through Windows Settings (Step 5) and cleaning up the Valorant-specific AppData and game folders (Step 8), the same two checks look like this:
PS C:\> Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, Free
Used Free
---- ----
390654321000 71481481477
PS C:\> Get-Service vgc, vgk | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType
Name Status StartType
---- ------ ---------
vgc Running Automatic
vgk Running BootFree space grew by roughly 27 GB, squarely in the expected 25-28 GB range, and both Vanguard services report the exact same status as the baseline. Launching League of Legends immediately afterward reached the main menu with no reinstall prompt, confirming the functional test from Step 7 passed. That combination, a disk-space delta matching Valorant’s size plus an unchanged Vanguard status plus a clean League launch, is what “done correctly” looks like for this specific scenario.
How this compares to a full Valorant + Vanguard teardown
If you’ve read a full teardown guide before landing here, the numbers will look smaller, and that’s expected. The table below lines up the two approaches so you know which one actually matches your situation.
| Metric | Keep-League method (this guide) | Full teardown |
|---|---|---|
| Disk space reclaimed | ~25-28 GB | ~27-32 GB |
| Riot Vanguard removed | No | Yes |
| Riot Client removed | No | Optional |
| League of Legends still playable | Yes | No |
Requires sc delete vgc / vgk | No | Yes |
| Restart required | Not strictly, but recommended | Yes, mandatory |
| Time to complete | 15-20 minutes | 20-30 minutes |
Notice that the keep-League method never touches the sc delete commands at all. That’s not an oversight, it’s the entire point: those commands are what remove Vanguard’s services, and removing them is exactly what would break League. If you started this guide and realize partway through that you actually want the full teardown instead (say, you’ve decided to quit League too), stop, finish this guide’s verification steps first to confirm League still works, then move to a dedicated teardown guide once you’re sure you no longer need it.
Common pitfalls when uninstalling Valorant alongside League of Legends
- Running a generic “remove all Riot files” script. Most scripts circulating online predate Vanguard’s expansion to League and will happily delete
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguardor shared ProgramData folders without checking what else depends on them. - Exiting Vanguard from the system tray before uninstalling Valorant. This stops the driver League needs and forces an unnecessary restart-and-reinstall cycle for no benefit.
- Deleting
%APPDATA%\Riot GamesorC:\ProgramData\Riot Gameswholesale. These are shared across every Riot title, not Valorant-specific, despite what single-game uninstall guides assume. - Running
sc delete vgcandsc delete vgkas a matter of habit. These commands are for full Vanguard removal only. Running them while League is still installed disables League until Vanguard is manually reinstalled. - Assuming the Riot Client library will update instantly. The library cache can lag a few seconds behind an actual uninstall. Restarting the client (not the PC) fixes this without a reboot.
- Uninstalling Riot Client itself “to be thorough.” Riot Client is the shared launcher for every title, not a Valorant component, and removing it takes League offline too.
- Skipping the League functional test. A clean service status in PowerShell doesn’t guarantee League can actually authenticate through Vanguard. Only launching the game confirms that.
- Deleting the parent
C:\Riot Gamesfolder instead of just the VALORANT subfolder. League’s install folder lives one level below the same parent directory, so a recursive delete aimed at “everything Valorant” can take League’s game files with it if you point it at the wrong level. - Trusting a Windows Storage Sense cleanup suggestion without reading it closely. Storage Sense sometimes lists Riot Vanguard or Riot Client alongside Valorant when suggesting space-saving removals. Approving the wrong checkbox in that dialog can remove shared components the same way a manual mistake would.
Troubleshooting
Work through these in order if something doesn’t match the expected output above.
- League prompts to reinstall Vanguard after Valorant is gone. Something removed the vgc/vgk services during Valorant’s uninstall. Let League’s own prompt reinstall Vanguard, then relaunch. This does not require reinstalling Valorant.
- “Access is denied” running
sc deletecommands. You’re in a non-elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell window. Close it and reopen as Administrator, matching the elevation requirement in Microsoft’s own documentation for the sc.exe command. - Valorant still appears in “Add or remove programs” after uninstalling. Reboot once. The uninstaller sometimes needs a restart to fully deregister the entry, especially if a patch was mid-download.
- League of Legends won’t launch at all, with no Vanguard prompt. Check
Get-Service vgc, vgkfor aStoppedstatus. Start both manually withStart-Service vgkthenStart-Service vgc, and restart if that fails. - Disk space didn’t drop by the expected 25-28 GB. Check for leftover Valorant folders with
Get-ChildItem "C:\Riot Games\VALORANT" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue. The standard uninstaller occasionally leaves large replay or config caches behind. - Riot Client shows Valorant as installed even after removal. Fully exit and relaunch Riot Client from the system tray. The library view caches state and doesn’t always poll Windows in real time.
- Vanguard driver file
vgk.sysis missing but the service key still exists. This mismatched state happens after an interrupted uninstall attempt. Reinstall via the Riot Client’s automatic Vanguard prompt rather than trying to manually recreate the service entry. - You accidentally deleted shared ProgramData or AppData folders. Relaunch Riot Client. It regenerates most configuration folders automatically, though custom League settings (keybinds, hotkeys) stored there may reset to defaults.
- League launches but immediately crashes to desktop. This usually points to a Vanguard driver version mismatch rather than anything Valorant-related. Restart the PC once, since
vgkonly fully reloads at boot, and check the Riot Client’s help section for a Vanguard repair option before reinstalling League itself.
Advanced tips for shared Riot Client machines
If you manage more than one PC in this state, for example a family computer where one person plays Valorant and another plays League exclusively, wrap the pre-flight script from Step 12 into a scheduled check that runs before any Windows Update-triggered app cleanup. Windows occasionally flags large, rarely-launched games for “storage sense” cleanup suggestions, and a Vanguard-dependent title getting flagged this way can create the exact same shared-component problem this guide addresses, just triggered automatically instead of manually.
It’s also worth checking Vanguard’s driver load status specifically after any Windows feature update (the yearly 24H2/25H2-style upgrades), since kernel driver signing requirements occasionally change between major Windows builds. Run the Step 3 service check again after any feature update completes, before assuming your Valorant-removed, League-intact setup is still in the state you left it.
If you’re comparing rank systems between the two games while deciding whether to keep one installed at all, our Valorant vs. League of Legends ranks comparison breaks down how the tier structures differ.
What happens on a fresh Windows install or a new PC
None of the shared state described in this guide carries over automatically when you set up a new PC or wipe Windows on the current one. Riot Vanguard’s driver registration, the vgc and vgk service entries, and Riot Client itself all live on the local Windows installation, not in your Riot account. Reinstalling Windows removes everything, League and Valorant included, and the next time you launch Riot Client on that machine it reinstalls Vanguard fresh, tied to whichever games you choose to install first.
This matters if you’re planning a clean Windows install specifically to get rid of a stubborn Vanguard issue. A full OS reinstall does solve almost any Vanguard corruption problem, but it’s a far larger step than anything in this guide, and it also removes League along with Valorant, so it only makes sense if you were already planning to reinstall Windows for other reasons. For everyday cases, the manual steps above resolve the same underlying issues without touching your Windows installation at all.
If you do move to a new PC and want both games again, install League of Legends or Valorant first through Riot Client exactly as you would on a fresh machine. Riot Client and Vanguard install automatically as dependencies the first time either game requests them, so there’s no separate “install Vanguard” step to remember.
Does this also apply to Teamfight Tactics and other Riot titles?
Yes, with the same logic. Teamfight Tactics moved toward its own standalone client as part of Riot’s broader restructuring of shared services, but it still runs through Vanguard on Windows, and it still shows up alongside League and Valorant in the Windows uninstall registry check from Step 2. If TFT is installed on the same machine, treat it exactly like League in every step above: leave Riot Client and Vanguard alone, and only remove Valorant-specific paths.
Future Riot titles and Vanguard
Riot has continued building new titles on the same shared Riot Client and Vanguard foundation rather than shipping standalone launchers per game. Practically, that means the pre-flight script from Step 12 is worth revisiting periodically. Add any new Riot game you install to the $vanguardTitles array in the script so it keeps accurately flagging what’s actually sharing Vanguard on your machine, rather than only checking against the three titles listed in this guide.
What to do if you want everything gone eventually
This guide intentionally stops short of full removal because that’s not what a League-playing Valorant quitter needs. If your plans change later and you also quit League, the shared components become safe to remove using the same sc delete vgc / sc delete vgk commands referenced in Step 12’s warning, followed by a restart and manual deletion of C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard. At that point, also verify removal succeeded rather than assuming it did, since Vanguard’s driver-and-service pairing is exactly the kind of thing that can appear gone in Windows Settings while still loaded in memory. Our Vanguard removal audit guide covers exactly that verification step.
One more thing worth deciding upfront if you’re weighing a future full teardown: whether you’ll want Valorant back on this machine at any point. If there’s a reasonable chance you’ll reinstall it, even months from now, there’s no downside to leaving Vanguard and Riot Client in place regardless of whether League stays installed. The 90-100 MB Vanguard footprint and 600-700 MB Riot Client footprint are small enough that keeping them installed costs you almost nothing, while removing them and later needing Valorant again means redownloading both from scratch.
Frequently asked questions
Will uninstalling Valorant break my League of Legends account or rank?
No. Valorant and League use separate accounts tied to your Riot ID for authentication, but rank, match history, and cosmetics are stored server-side per title, not locally. Removing Valorant’s local files has no effect on League progression.
Do I need to keep Riot Vanguard running in the background even when I’m only playing League?
Yes. Vanguard’s boot-level driver (vgk.sys) loads at startup by design, and League requires it running to launch at all, per Riot’s own League Vanguard FAQ.
How much disk space will I actually get back?
Roughly 25-28 GB, matching Valorant’s core game file size. You won’t reclaim the Riot Client or Vanguard footprint, since both remain installed for League.
Can I reinstall Valorant later without reinstalling League or Vanguard?
Yes. Following Riot’s own uninstall and reinstall guide, reinstalling Valorant through Riot Client only pulls down Valorant’s own game files. Vanguard and Riot Client are already present and won’t be redownloaded.
Is it safe to use a third-party uninstaller tool instead of Windows Settings?
Riot’s support documentation doesn’t endorse third-party uninstallers for Vanguard or Valorant, and most weren’t built with the League-sharing requirement in mind. Stick to Windows Settings plus the manual folder checks in this guide.
What if I also play Teamfight Tactics?
Treat TFT exactly like League in this guide: it’s another Vanguard-dependent title, so leave Riot Client and Vanguard installed and only remove Valorant-specific files.
Why does Vanguard’s service show “Boot” as its start type instead of “Automatic”?
Kernel-level anti-cheat drivers load before most Windows services to detect tampering as early as possible in the boot sequence. That’s normal for vgk and not something to change.
My PowerShell pre-flight script shows League installed but I already uninstalled it months ago. What’s going on?
Check whether League’s uninstaller left a stale registry entry under HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. Re-running League’s own uninstaller from Windows Settings, if it still lists there, usually clears this.
Does this guide work if I only play Valorant and League on a laptop with a single small SSD?
Yes, the steps are identical regardless of drive size. The main practical difference is that you should confirm you have at least the game’s own install size free before Windows attempts the uninstall, since some cleanup operations use temporary scratch space on the same drive.
I run League and Valorant from two different Windows user accounts on the same PC. Does that change anything?
Riot Vanguard and Riot Client install machine-wide, not per user account, so the shared-component warning in this guide applies regardless of which Windows account launches which game. Uninstalling Valorant from one account still leaves Vanguard and Riot Client available to League on the other account.
