VAN 128: a Vanguard trust check failed at startup

Vanguard Error: VAN 128. An unexpected error with Vanguard has occurred and the client will now close.

The step that makes VAN 128 different

Debug memory dumps. Of all the VAN articles on Riot's support site, this is the only one that asks you to turn them off. Riot's reasoning is short: some Windows debugging settings can interfere with the checks Vanguard runs as it starts. It sits second, right after the Windows security reset, and Riot's intro names those two settings as the ones most closely tied to VAN 128.

Everything else here is shared with VAN 25. Same meaning, same publication date, same order, and VAN 25 simply lacks the debug step (its intro even mentions debugging settings, then never gets to them). If you landed on VAN 25 earlier and it turned into VAN 128, you're working through the same list with one extra item.

You may have met this setting before

Riot uses the exact same fix in a League article that has nothing to do with Vanguard codes: getting stuck on the reconnect screen after champion select. That article also has you set Write debugging information to (none). It's one switch in Windows, so if you've already changed it for that problem, there's nothing more to do on this step.

Nothing in Riot's VAN 128 article points at your account. Each fix is a change to your PC, and the last resort after the list is a ticket to Player Support with your logs attached.

Riot's fix, in Riot's order

1. Turn test signing and integrity checks back to normal

   Windows lets you switch off driver signature checks, usually for modding tools or unsigned drivers. Vanguard won't run on a PC set up that way. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run both lines:

   bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING off
   bcdedit /set nointegritychecks OFF

   If Windows refuses the second line because Secure Boot policy locks that setting, you can ignore it: Secure Boot is already doing the job. Restart afterwards.

   Riot's guide: Turn test signing and integrity checks back to normal

2. Turn off debug memory dumps

   1. Press Win+R, type sysdm.cpl and press Enter.
   2. Open Advanced, then Settings under Startup and Recovery.
   3. Set Write debugging information to (none), click OK and restart.

3. Install every pending Windows update

   Open Settings, then Windows Update, and keep installing and restarting until it says you're up to date. Vanguard's checks lean on security components that ship in those updates, and optional driver updates are worth a look while you're there.

4. Set the vgc service to Automatic

   Vanguard has two parts: a driver that loads at boot and a Windows service called vgc. If the service isn't running when you press Play, the game closes.

   1. Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
   2. Find vgc in the list and double-click it.
   3. Set Startup type to Automatic. If the status says Stopped, click Start.
   4. Apply, OK, then restart the PC.

   The exception is Vanguard Pre-Check, Riot's opt-in mode where Vanguard only runs while a game is open. It needs Windows 11 25H2 or newer plus Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, IOMMU, VBS and HVCI, and if you're on it you shouldn't force the service to Automatic.

   Riot's guide: Set the vgc service to Automatic

5. Uninstall Vanguard, restart, and let the game reinstall it

   1. Close the game and exit the Riot Client from the system tray.
   2. Right-click the red Vanguard icon in the tray, choose Advanced, then Uninstall Vanguard. If the icon isn't there, search Windows for Add or remove programs and uninstall Riot Vanguard from the list.
   3. Restart the PC. Vanguard is gone if its tray icon doesn't come back.
   4. Open the Riot Client and launch the game. It reinstalls Vanguard and will ask for one more restart before Play unlocks.

   Riot's guide: Uninstall Vanguard, restart, and let the game reinstall it

6. Do a clean boot

   This switches off every non-Microsoft service for one boot, so you can tell whether something in the background is the problem.

   1. Press Win+R, type msconfig and press Enter.
   2. On the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services first (skip it and you'll switch off parts of Windows).
   3. Click Disable all, then tick vgc again so Vanguard still starts.
   4. Apply, OK, restart, and test.

   Some programs ignore a clean boot anyway, third-party antivirus and networking tools most of all. If the error goes away, turn services back on a few at a time until it returns, and you've found it.

   Riot's guide: Do a clean boot

7. Reinstall the game

   Uninstall from Windows' Installed apps list with the Riot Client closed. For a clean reinstall of League, Riot also has you delete the Riot Client folder under C:\Riot Games, the Riot Games folders under %localappdata% and %programdata%, and the League of Legends folder in Documents. That last one holds your replays, so copy them out first if you want them.

   Riot's guide: Reinstall the game

Related errors

• VAN 25
• VAN 193
• Stuck at reconnect
• VAN 9101

Source: Riot Games Player Support, Error VAN 128, updated March 14, 2025. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.