There are two methods to enable Riot Vanguard service on your Windows system. If in case, this service isn’t running well, the vanguard not initialized error may appear. To check it:
- Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Type services.msc and hit Enter to open Services.
- Now, look for VGC from the list and right-click on it.
- Go to Properties > Set the ‘Startup Type’ to “Automatic”. [If not selected yet, make sure to select it]
- If in case, it’s not running, click on Start > Select Apply and OK to save changes.
- Finally, restart your computer to apply changes.
Once you’re done with the first method, it’s time to follow the second method below using the System Configuration option.
- Click on the Start menu > Type msconfig and click on the System Configuration from the search result.
- Once the system configuration window pops up, click on the Services tab.
- Now, find out the VGC service from the list of Riot Games.
- Click on the VGC checkbox to enable it.
- Next, click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
- Restart your computer and try running Valorant again to check the error.
4. Flush Your DNS Cache
If in case, the above methods don’t fix the issue for you, make sure to clear the DNS cache on your computer by following the steps below:
- Click on the Start Menu > Type cmd.
- Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result.
- Select Run as administrator > If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to proceed.
- Now, run the following commands individually to reset your Network Configuration:
ipconfig /flushdns
- Then execute the following command to renew the IP configuration on your computer again:
ipconfig /renew
- Once done all, close the command prompt window.
- Finally, make sure to reboot your computer to apply changes.
5. Use Google DNS Address
Changing the Google DNS server instead of a private DNS can quickly resolve several issues with the game server connectivity or even the Riot Vanguard not initialized problem on your Windows PC. To do so:
- Click on the Start Menu > Search for Control Panel and click to open it.
- Now, click on Network and Internet > Select Network and Sharing Center.
- Go to Change adapter settings > Click on the active network that you’re using.
- Right-click on the Wi-Fi/Ethernet connection details > Select Properties.
- If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the admin privilege.
- Next, go to the Networking tab > Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
- Click on Use the following DNS server addresses. (If any DNS addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them)
- Input 8.8.8.8 for Primary DNS and 8.8.4.4 for Secondary DNS.
- Similarly, go to the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP / IPv6) option > Input the mentioned values in the field – 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844 respectively.
- Once done, restart your computer and try running Valorant again to check for the issue further.
6. Reinstall Vanguard System
If none of the methods worked for you, try simply uninstalling the Vanguard system on your computer to refresh it. It’s needless to say that even if you uninstall the Valorant game, it won’t disable or uninstall Riot Vanguard from your computer. So, you will need to manually disable it first and then uninstall it.
Disable Vanguard:
- Click on the System Tray icon > Right-click on the Riot Vanguard icon.
- Select Exit Vanguard.
- A warning pop-up may appear. Click on Yes to confirm.
Uninstall Vanguard:
- Click on the Start menu > Type Add or remove programs and click on it from the search result.
- Scroll down and click on Riot Vanguard.
- Click on the Uninstall button.
- It will ask you to confirm again. Just click on Uninstall again.
- If prompted by the UAC, click on Yes to confirm the changes.
- Finally, reboot your PC and check the Valorant game. It will reinstall the Vanguard automatically.
That’s it, guys. We assume you’ve found this guide helpful. For additional queries, you can comment below.
