How to Uninstall Valorant from Windows 11

Valorant is one of the most popular free-to-play tactical shooters on the market, but like many competitive games with kernel-level anti-cheat systems, it doesn’t always leave your system clean when you remove it. Riot Games’ Vanguard anti-cheat driver runs at a very low level in Windows, and a standard uninstall often leaves behind leftover folders, registry entries, background services, and startup processes. If you’re planning to free up disk space, troubleshoot performance issues, stop Vanguard from running at boot, or simply move on from the game, a proper full removal is worth doing right.

This guide walks through every step needed to completely uninstall Valorant, the Riot Client (if you want it gone too), and the Vanguard anti-cheat system from a Windows 11 PC, along with how to clean up the traces that a normal uninstall leaves behind.

Why a Normal Uninstall Isn’t Always “Complete”

When you uninstall Valorant through the standard Windows uninstaller, it typically removes the core game files and unregisters the app from your system’s list of installed programs. However, several components are frequently left untouched:

• Riot Vanguard, the kernel-mode anti-cheat driver, which is designed to load at system startup even when Valorant isn’t running.
• AppData and ProgramData folders containing configuration files, logs, and cached data.
• Registry keys created during installation that reference Riot Games services.
• Scheduled tasks and background services tied to Vanguard, which can persist even after the game itself is gone.
• Riot Client, which is a separate launcher shared across Riot’s game library (League of Legends, Valorant, Legends of Runeterra), and won’t be removed just because you uninstalled Valorant.

If your goal is a truly clean system, you’ll want to address each of these areas individually. Below is the full process, broken into stages.

Step 1: Close Valorant, Riot Client, and Vanguard Processes

Before uninstalling anything, make sure none of the related programs are actively running, since Windows won’t let you delete files that are in use.

Right-click the Windows 11 taskbar and select Task Manager, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

In the Processes tab, look for any of the following: VALORANT.exe, VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe, RiotClientServices.exe, RiotClientUx.exe, and vgc.exe or vgk.exe (Vanguard components).

Select each one and click End Task.

Closing these first prevents file-lock errors partway through the uninstall process, which can otherwise leave a partial removal that’s harder to clean up later.

Step 2: Uninstall Valorant Through Windows Settings

Windows 11 provides a built-in way to remove installed applications, and this is the correct starting point.

Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I.

Go to Apps in the left sidebar, then click Installed apps.

In the search box, type Valorant.

Click the three-dot menu next to the entry and select Uninstall.

Confirm the prompt, and allow the uninstaller to run to completion.

Alternatively, you can use the in-game or Riot Client uninstall option if you’d prefer:

Open the Riot Client.

Click your Valorant game tile.

Click the gear/settings icon near the play button.

Select Uninstall.

Either method removes the primary Valorant game files, but as noted, this alone won’t remove Vanguard, Riot Client, or leftover data folders.

Step 3: Uninstall Vanguard Anti-Cheat

Vanguard is Valorant’s anti-cheat system, and it installs as a low-level Windows service and driver that can continue running in the background even after Valorant is uninstalled, since it’s designed to protect against cheat software at all times, not just during matches.

To remove it:

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps again.
2. Search for Riot Vanguard.
3. Click the three-dot menu and choose Uninstall.
4. Follow the prompts to complete removal.

If Vanguard doesn’t appear in your installed apps list (this can happen if it was only partially removed during a previous uninstall), you can remove it manually via Command Prompt:

1. Press Windows key, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Navigate to the Vanguard folder, typically located at: C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard
3. Run the uninstaller executable directly if present, usually named vgc_installer.exe or similar, with an uninstall flag. Check Riot’s support documentation for the exact current flag, as it periodically changes with Vanguard updates.

After uninstalling, verify Vanguard’s driver and service are gone by opening Services (press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter). Look for vgc or Vanguard; if it still appears, a restart usually clears it, since Windows sometimes needs a reboot to fully unload a kernel driver.

Step 4: Uninstall Riot Client (Optional)

If you don’t play any other Riot Games titles, you may want to remove the Riot Client launcher entirely.

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Search for Riot Client.
3. Click the three-dot menu and select Uninstall.

Skip this step if you play League of Legends or other Riot titles, since the Riot Client is shared infrastructure across their game library.

Step 5: Delete Leftover Folders

Even after uninstalling through Settings, Riot Games’ installers commonly leave behind folders containing logs, cached files, and configuration data. To find and remove them:

1. Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
2. In the address bar, navigate to each of the following locations (replace YourUsername with your actual Windows username):
   • C:\Riot Games
   • C:\ProgramData\Riot Games
   • C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard
   • C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Riot Games
   • C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\LocalLow\Riot Games
   • C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Riot Games
3. If any of these folders still exist, select them and press Shift + Delete to permanently remove them, bypassing the Recycle Bin. (Regular delete works fine too if you’d rather have a safety net first.)

If a folder refuses to delete because a file is “in use,” restart your computer first, then try again — this usually indicates a lingering Vanguard process hadn’t fully released its files.

Step 6: Clean Up the Windows Registry

This step is optional but recommended if you want the cleanest possible removal. Registry entries left behind rarely cause problems, but they can clutter your system and occasionally interfere with a future reinstall.

Important: Editing the registry incorrectly can cause system instability. Back up the registry first, and only delete keys you can clearly identify as Riot/Valorant-related.

1. Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter (approve the UAC prompt).
2. Before making changes, back up the registry: click File > Export, save it somewhere safe, and give it a memorable name.
3. Use Ctrl + F to search for “Riot” or “Vanguard” and check the following common locations:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Riot Games
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Riot Games
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vgc
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vgk
4. Right-click any matching keys and select Delete, then continue searching (press F3) until no more results appear.

If you’re not comfortable editing the registry manually, a reputable third-party uninstaller utility (such as one built into a system-cleaning tool you already trust) can automate this step, but exercise caution about which tools you download and grant registry access to.

Step 7: Remove Scheduled Tasks

Vanguard sometimes registers a scheduled task to help it launch at boot. To check and remove this:

1. Press Windows key, type Task Scheduler, and open it.
2. In the left pane, navigate to Task Scheduler Library.
3. Look for any entries named Vanguard, vgc, or Riot.
4. Right-click any matches and select Delete.

Step 8: Restart Your Computer

After completing the steps above, restart Windows 11. This ensures any drivers or services that were marked for removal but not yet unloaded are fully cleared, and it gives you a clean slate to verify the removal worked.

Step 9: Verify the Uninstall Was Successful

Once your PC restarts, do a final check:

1. Open Task Manager and check the Services tab for any Vanguard or Riot entries — there should be none.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and confirm Valorant, Riot Vanguard, and (if removed) Riot Client no longer appear.
3. Revisit the folder locations from Step 5 to confirm they’re gone.
4. Check Task Manager > Startup apps to make sure nothing Riot-related is still set to launch at boot.

If everything is clear, Valorant and its associated components have been fully removed from your system.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“Vanguard is still running after uninstall.” This usually means a restart hasn’t happened yet, or the uninstaller was interrupted. Restart your PC, then check services.msc again. If it persists, you may need to run the Vanguard uninstaller a second time as an administrator.

“A folder won’t delete — access denied.” Make sure no related process is running (check Task Manager), then restart and try again. You can also try deleting in Safe Mode if a stubborn file persists, since fewer background processes are active there.

“I want to reinstall later — will this cause problems?” No. A clean uninstall like the one described here actually makes future reinstalls smoother, since there won’t be leftover conflicting configuration files or registry entries from the previous install.

“Valorant isn’t in my Installed Apps list anymore, but Vanguard still is.” This can happen if Valorant was removed first without also removing Vanguard. Simply follow Step 3 to remove Vanguard on its own; the two aren’t strictly dependent on each other in the uninstaller.

Final Thoughts

Because Valorant relies on a kernel-level anti-cheat driver, a complete removal takes a bit more effort than uninstalling a typical application. By uninstalling Valorant itself, removing Vanguard separately, clearing out leftover folders in AppData and ProgramData, cleaning relevant registry keys, and double-checking scheduled tasks and services, you can be confident that no trace of the game or its anti-cheat system remains active on your Windows 11 PC.

This is particularly useful if you were experiencing performance issues potentially linked to Vanguard running in the background, or if you simply want a genuinely clean system after moving on from the game