Completely Uninstall Riot Games (Vanguard and the Riot Games Client)

A step-by-step guide to completely delete and uninstall the Riot Games client

Last Updated: February 10, 2023

Uninstalling the Client

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Deleting Riot Files

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Tips

Are you finished playing League of Legends or Legends of Runterra and want to uninstall the game launcher? While uninstallation is seamless on Mac, you might notice some Riot leftovers on a Windows computer. This wikiHow article walks you through the process of uninstalling the Riot client completely on a Windows 10/11 computer.

Things You Should Know

First uninstall the client in "Settings > Apps". Windows 11 users need to click "Apps & features".
Click the Riot Games Client and select "Uninstall" (Windows 10) or click the three-dot menu icon and click "Uninstall" (Windows 11).
After uninstalling the app, go to File Manager and delete any remaining files.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Uninstalling the Client

1
Open Apps & Features. You can do this by pressing the Win key, typing "Add or Remove Programs," and clicking the first search result that lists "System settings." Alternatively, open Settings, then click Apps.
- If you're using Windows 10, click Apps & features.
- You should uninstall any Riot games before you uninstall the client since any games running in the background could hinder this process.
2
Click the Riot Client and select Uninstall. The Uninstall button is revealed when you click the app name.
- If you're using Windows 11, click the three-dot menu icon and then click Uninstall.
- You can also press the Win button, type "Riot", right-click the client result, and select Uninstall if the client isn't appearing in the list of installed programs under "Apps".
- If you've installed and played Valorant, you'll also see that Vanguard has been installed as anti-cheating software. First, right-click the Vanguard icon in the System Tray and click Exit Vanguard. Then using the same steps as those above, uninstall Riot Vanguard from the "Apps & features" window.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Deleting Riot Files

1
Open File Explorer. Press Win + E or click the file icon in your taskbar to open your file manager.
2
Navigate to the location where you installed the Riot Client. Normally, this is the C:/ or D:/ drive.
3
Right-click Riot Games folder. You'll need to do this again for the Valorant folder if you installed that game. Right-clicking the folder will prompt a menu to appear.
4
Click Delete (Windows 10) or
(Windows 11). Delete is near the bottom of the menu for Windows 10 computers while the trash can icon is in the top right corner of the menu on Windows 11 computers.
5
Empty your Recycle Bin and restart your computer. To do this, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and click Empty Recycle Bin. Restart your computer by pressing the Win key, clicking the Power icon, and selecting Restart.