How to Completely Remove Valorant From Your PC

Valorant is one of the most popular and competitive first-person shooters out there today. It can be so competitive, in fact, that some players will want to uninstall them from their PCs if they suffer from a string of losses. If you are in the same boat, then you're in luck. For today, I am going to teach you how to completely remove Valorant from your PC.

Why Can't I Install the Game?

So, you're a bit tech-savvy and you know how to uninstall a game from your PC. Great! However, you may have come across an error that prevents you from tampering with the game even if you legitimately want to remove it from your system. What gives?

Well, there is a reason why you cannot uninstall Valorant in the same way you do other programs on your computer. This is largely because of Vanguard - Riot's answer to cheaters.

Vanguard is a proprietary cheat-detection software that prevents bad actors from ruining the experience for everyone. This thing runs at the kernel level, which means that it cannot be removed without user intervention. It also prevents any tampering of Valorant itself, which includes uninstalls. Hence, you need to exit Vanguard in order to remove the game completely.

To do that, look for the Valorant logo on the system tray (located at the bottom right of the desktop), right-click on it, and then select "Exit Vanguard."

How to Remove the Game from PC

Now that Vanguard is no longer running in the background, the next step should be a walk in the park. But, for those who do not know their way around the computer, follow these instructions to the tee:

Use the Windows search bar and type "Control Panel"
Once you're in the Control Panel, click on the "Programs" tab and then select "Uninstall a Program"
Next, search for Valorant and then choose Uninstall. That's it!

How to Reinstall Valorant

If you are itching to get back into the game, you do have the option of re-installing Valorant at any time. In order to play this competitive first-person shooter again, all you have to do is head to its official website, click the "Play Free" icon, and then download the game from there. This process requires you to be logged into your account before you can access the Download button, so be sure to do so.

So, are you thinking of uninstalling Valorant anytime soon?