Valorant's VAN9001 error means the Vanguard anti-cheat service failed to start or could not communicate with the game. It almost always appears at launch, before you even reach the main menu, and prevents you from playing until it is resolved. The good news is that VAN9001 is fixable in a few minutes without reinstalling Valorant itself. This guide walks you through every reliable fix in order from quickest to most involved.
What does VAN9001 mean?
Vanguard is Riot Games' kernel-level anti-cheat software that must be running before Valorant can launch. The VAN9001 error code is Valorant's way of telling you that Vanguard either never started, crashed during initialization, or lost its connection to the game client. Common root causes include:
- The vgc (Vanguard game coordinator) Windows service is stopped
- A corrupt or outdated Vanguard installation
- Conflicting software such as other anti-cheat tools, VPNs, or overlays
- Secure Boot or TPM 2.0 not enabled in your UEFI BIOS (required since 2022)
- An incomplete Windows update that broke a driver dependency
Work through the steps below in order. Most players fix VAN9001 at step 2 or 3 without ever needing to touch their BIOS.
How to fix VAN9001 in Valorant
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Step 1: Understand what VAN9001 means
When Valorant shows VAN9001 it is reporting that the Vanguard service is not responding. You cannot bypass it — clicking Retry will fail until the underlying service issue is resolved. Knowing the cause saves time: check the Windows Services panel first before assuming a reinstall is needed.
VAN9001 is always a Vanguard service problem — not a Valorant account or network issue. -
Step 2: Restart the Vanguard service via services.msc
Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter. Scroll down to vgc (Vanguard game coordinator). If its status shows Stopped, right-click it and choose Restart (or Start). Wait a few seconds, then relaunch Valorant. This single step fixes VAN9001 for the majority of players whose service was not running after a Windows update or system sleep.
Open services.msc, find vgc, right-click and choose Restart to bring Vanguard back online. -
Step 3: Restart your PC
Vanguard runs as a kernel-level driver that loads during the Windows boot sequence. If you have only put your PC to sleep or hibernated it, Vanguard may not have loaded correctly. Go to Start → Power → Restart (not Shut Down, and not Sleep) to force a full boot cycle. After the PC comes back up, launch Valorant before opening anything else.
A full Restart — not Sleep or Shut Down — forces Vanguard to reload from the beginning. -
Step 4: Reinstall Vanguard
If restarting the service and rebooting did not work, uninstall Vanguard and let Valorant reinstall it fresh. Open Settings → Apps (or Control Panel → Programs), search for Riot Vanguard, and click Uninstall. Once it is removed, open the Valorant launcher — it will automatically download and install a clean copy of Vanguard before starting the game. You do not need to reinstall Valorant itself.
Uninstall Riot Vanguard from Apps, then relaunch Valorant to get a clean install. -
Step 5: Verify Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in BIOS
Since 2022, Vanguard requires both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled. If these are turned off in your UEFI BIOS, Vanguard will refuse to start, producing VAN9001 every time. Restart your PC and press the BIOS key at startup — usually DEL, F2, or F10 depending on your motherboard. Navigate to the Security tab, enable Secure Boot and make sure TPM 2.0 is active, then save and exit. Relaunch Valorant after Windows restarts.
UEFI BIOS Security tab — both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 must show Enabled for Vanguard to work.
Extra tips
- Close overlays before launching. Discord overlay, MSI Afterburner, and some VPN clients can interfere with Vanguard's initialization. Try disabling them, then launch Valorant first.
- Check Windows is up to date. Vanguard depends on certain system libraries. An incomplete Windows update can leave the driver in a broken state. Run Windows Update and restart before trying again.
- Run Valorant as Administrator. Right-click the Valorant shortcut, choose Run as administrator, and see if that clears the error.
- Avoid virtualization software. Running a hypervisor (VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox) alongside Valorant can cause Vanguard conflicts. Disable them if you do not need them while gaming.
Troubleshooting
VAN9001 keeps coming back after every restart
Check that the vgc service Startup Type is set to Automatic in services.msc. If it is set to Manual or Disabled, Vanguard will not load at boot. Right-click vgc, choose Properties, and change the Startup Type to Automatic.
VAN9001 appears after a Windows update
Large feature updates can reset BIOS settings or change driver policies. Re-verify that Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are still enabled in your BIOS after a major Windows update, then reinstall Vanguard if needed.
All steps failed and VAN9001 still appears
Uninstall both Valorant and Vanguard completely, restart your PC, then reinstall Valorant from the official Valorant website. A full reinstall resolves any lingering file corruption that partial fixes miss.
Frequently asked questions
What causes VAN9001 in Valorant?
VAN9001 is caused by the Vanguard anti-cheat service (vgc) failing to start or communicate. The most common reasons are: the service is stopped in Windows, a corrupt Vanguard installation, Secure Boot or TPM 2.0 being disabled in BIOS, or conflicting software blocking Vanguard.
How do I fix VAN9001 without reinstalling?
Open services.msc, find the vgc service, and restart it. Then do a full PC Restart (not sleep). This resolves VAN9001 in most cases without needing to reinstall anything.
Does VAN9001 mean my account is banned?
No. VAN9001 is a technical service error, not a ban notification. If your account were banned, you would see a different error with account-specific messaging. VAN9001 is purely a local Vanguard initialization problem.
Why does Valorant need Secure Boot and TPM 2.0?
Riot Games enabled these requirements so Vanguard can verify that the operating system has not been tampered with before the game loads. Without them, Vanguard will refuse to start, producing VAN9001.
Can I get VAN9001 on a laptop?
Yes. Laptop BIOS menus vary by manufacturer, but Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are available on most modern laptops. Check your laptop's support page or BIOS documentation for the exact menu location to enable them.
Wrapping up
VAN9001 looks alarming but is almost always a simple Vanguard service issue that a restart fixes in under two minutes. Start with services.msc, do a full PC restart, and then escalate to reinstalling Vanguard if needed. Only reach into your BIOS if the error persists after those steps. Once Vanguard is running cleanly, VAN9001 should not come back — enjoy your next Valorant session.
