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Ultimate Guide: How to Uninstall Valorant & Riot Vanguard Completely (2026)

Whether you are taking a much-needed mental break from the ranked grind, freeing up SSD storage space for a new game like Marvel Rivals, or trying to fix a corrupted file loop, knowing exactly how to uninstall valorant is surprisingly complicated. Unlike standard PC games where you simply click “Delete,” Riot Games utilizes a highly intrusive, kernel-level anti-cheat system known as Riot Vanguard.

If you try to simply drag the game folder to your recycle bin, or if you attempt to uninstall the game while Vanguard is still running in the background of your operating system, Windows will throw a persistent error and block the removal process. In this comprehensive 2026 technical guide, we will break down the exact, step-by-step method on how to uninstall valorant completely from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, leaving no residual files behind.

The Complete Guide on How to Uninstall Valorant

The most common mistake players make when figuring out how to uninstall valorant is skipping straight to the Windows Control Panel. You cannot uninstall the base game until the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat has been disabled and removed. Follow these three steps in exact order to prevent system errors.

Step 2: Uninstall Riot Vanguard

Now that the anti-cheat is disabled, you must remove it from your system completely. Leaving Vanguard installed without the game can cause unnecessary background processing and potential conflicts with other software.

• Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and type “Add or remove programs” into the search bar. Hit Enter.
• In the settings menu that appears, click on the search box labeled “Search this list” and type in Vanguard.
• Click on Riot Vanguard in the list, then click the Uninstall button.
• Allow the Riot Client uninstaller to run its course. It should only take a few seconds.

Step 3: Uninstall the Base Game

With the anti-cheat finally removed from your kernel, your operating system will now allow you to delete the massive game files without throwing an “Application in Use” error.

• Stay in the exact same “Add or remove programs” window you used in Step 2.
• In the search box, clear the word Vanguard and type in Valorant.
• Click on the game in the list and select Uninstall.
• The Riot uninstaller will pop up one final time to remove the 30+ GB of game data from your hard drive.

Advanced Method: Command Prompt Uninstallation

Occasionally, Windows glitches, or the Riot Client corrupts, making the standard uninstallation method impossible. If you are still struggling with how to uninstall valorant because the app refuses to close, you can force-delete the anti-cheat using the Windows Command Prompt.

1. Press the Windows Key, type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. In the black window, type the following command exactly: sc delete vgc and press Enter.
3. Next, type: sc delete vgk and press Enter.
4. Restart your PC immediately.
5. Once your PC reboots, navigate to C:\Program Files\ and manually delete the entire Riot Vanguard folder. You can now uninstall the base game normally through the Control Panel.

If you are experiencing deeper PC issues beyond just Riot software, we highly recommend checking the Official Microsoft Windows Support Documentation.

Will I Lose My Skins, Rank, or Crosshairs?

Many users search how to uninstall valorant simply because they want to do a clean reinstall to fix a persistent audio bug or connection issue. A massive concern is whether deleting the game will wipe their account progress.

No, you will not lose anything. Your competitive rank, unlocked agents, purchased weapon skins (like the Kuronami or Reaver bundles), and your Radianite points are all stored securely on Riot Games’ cloud servers. When you eventually reinstall the game and log back into your Riot account, everything will be exactly as you left it.

However, depending on how your PC saves local AppData, your custom crosshairs and specific keybinds might be reset to default during a deep clean reinstall. Before you uninstall, we highly recommend generating your exact reticle code in our Valorant Crosshair Generator and saving the text string to a notepad file so you don’t lose your perfect aim setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I uninstall Valorant?
You cannot uninstall the game if the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat is still running. You must first close Vanguard from your system tray (bottom right of your screen), uninstall Vanguard from your Windows Settings, and then uninstall the base game.

Does uninstalling Valorant delete my Riot account?
No. Uninstalling the game only removes the local software files from your physical hard drive. Your Riot account, rank, skins, and friends list are saved safely on Riot’s cloud servers.

How do I fix the “Vanguard is running” error during uninstallation?
If exiting the app in the system tray does not work, open your Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), navigate to the “Processes” tab, find “Riot Vanguard” or “vgtray.exe”, right-click it, and select “End Task.” You will then be able to uninstall it.