How to Uninstall Valorant Completely on Windows (No Leftover Files) 😺

Hello beautiful people! 👋 Yosh here. Need to uninstall Valorant completely on Windows — game, Riot Vanguard, cache, and leftover folders? You're in the right place. Valorant's anti-cheat installs kernel-level drivers that don't vanish when you delete a shortcut, so order matters. This guide walks you through the official removal path on Windows 10 and 11. Nando says hi from the keyboard. 😼

How to Uninstall Valorant Completely on Windows (No Leftover Files) 😺

Valorant ships with Riot Vanguard, a separate anti-cheat service that runs at boot. Uninstalling only the game from Apps often leaves Vanguard drivers, services, and gigabytes of cache behind — which is why a clean sequence plus folder cleanup saves headaches later.

Before you uninstall — close everything Riot

1. Quit Valorant and the Riot Client (right-click the tray icon → Exit)
2. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and end any leftover RiotClientServices.exe or VALORANT.exe tasks
3. If Vanguard prompts for a reboot after removal, accept it — the driver needs a restart to release fully

Step 1 – Uninstall Riot Vanguard first

Vanguard is its own Windows program. Remove it before or alongside Valorant so the anti-cheat driver doesn't block file deletion.

1. Press Win + I → Apps → Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10)
2. Search for Riot Vanguard
3. Click the three dots → Uninstall → confirm
4. Reboot when Windows or Riot asks — don't skip this step

Riot's support article on uninstalling Vanguard matches this order if you want the publisher's wording.

Step 2 – Uninstall Valorant

1. In the same Installed apps list, find VALORANT
2. Select Uninstall and wait for the Riot uninstaller to finish
3. Alternatively: open the Riot Client → Valorant → gear icon → Uninstall

Step 3 – Remove Riot Client (optional)

Done with League, TFT, and everything else Riot? Uninstall Riot Client from the same Apps list. Keeping the client is fine if you only want Valorant gone but still play other Riot titles.

Step 4 – Delete leftover folders

After the official uninstallers finish, wipe cache and config folders so nothing lingers:

1. Press Win + R, type %localappdata%, press Enter
2. Delete the Riot Games folder inside (if it still exists and is empty or you no longer need configs)
3. Press Win + R, type %appdata%, go up one level to Local, and check again for Riot Games
4. On the drive where you installed the game, remove C:\Riot Games (or your custom install path) if files remain
5. Empty Recycle Bin to free disk space

Only delete these folders after uninstalling through Windows. If a folder won't delete, reboot once more — Vanguard may still hold a file handle until the driver is gone.

How to confirm Valorant is fully gone

• Installed apps — no entries for VALORANT, Riot Vanguard, or Riot Client (if you removed it)
• Task Manager → Startup — no Vanguard or Riot services set to run at login
• Services (type services.msc in Run) — no active Vanguard service after reboot
• Disk space — C:\Riot Games and %localappdata%\Riot Games removed or empty

Important notes

• Reinstalling later requires accepting Vanguard again — that's by design for ranked play on Valorant
• Your account is safe — uninstalling does not ban you; progress stays on Riot servers
• No registry hacks — stick to Apps settings and folder cleanup; avoid random "PC cleaner" tools that promise to nuke anti-cheat

FAQ

Vanguard still shows in Startup after uninstall?
Reboot twice. If it persists, run the Vanguard uninstaller again from Installed apps before touching anything manual. Riot's support doc is the last word on edge cases.

Can I uninstall Valorant but keep Vanguard?
You can leave Vanguard installed, but it runs at boot and uses resources. Most players remove both when they're done with the game.

Will this fix Valorant errors?
A clean uninstall plus reinstall often fixes corrupted installs. For login issues on other Riot games, see our League unexpected login error guide.

Need general PC troubleshooting?
Check how to fix most PC game errors before reinstalling.

Related: Game Fixes · Tutorials

More PC game fixes: PressCatToStart – from Yosh 😼