If you’ve ever found yourself fed up with toxic lobbies, tired of grinding ranked for no reward, or just ready to step away from the Summoner’s Rift for good, you’ve probably wondered how to delete a league of legends account the right way. Many players rush through the process and end up losing access to other Riot games they still play, or miss out on recovering account purchases they didn’t realize were tied to their profile. I’ve gone through this process myself when I deleted my old NA smurf account a couple years back, so I know exactly what pitfalls to avoid. This guide will walk you through every step, pre-deletion check, and rule you need to follow to make the process as smooth as possible.
Pre-Deletion Checks You Need to Complete First
Before you even touch Riot’s account deletion form, there are a few critical steps you need to take to avoid regrets later. Most players skip these, and end up putting in support tickets for months trying to reverse a deletion they didn’t fully think through. First, confirm all your Riot games are tied to the same account. If you play Valorant, Teamfight Tactics mobile, or Legends of Runeterra, deleting your LoL account will delete access to all of those games on the same profile too. There’s no way to delete only LoL access while keeping other Riot games active, so that’s a non-negotiable rule you need to accept first. Second, download your account data if you want to keep any records. Riot lets you request a full download of your match history, skin purchases, ranked stats, and chat logs if you submit a data request 2-3 days before you delete your account. That’s perfect if you want to save clips of your best pentakills or track how many hours you’ve sunk into the game over the years. Third, take stock of any unused purchases or RP on your account. Riot does not offer refunds for unused RP, skin shards, or event passes once you start the deletion process, so use those up before you submit your request if you don’t want to waste them.
I’ve put together a quick checklist of all the pre-deletion steps you can follow:
It only takes 10 minutes to run through this list, and it will save you from months of hassle if you make a mistake during the deletion process. I skipped the double account check the first time I tried to delete my smurf, and almost deleted my main account with 300+ skins by accident. Don’t make that same mistake.
How to Delete a League of Legends Account via Riot’s Official Portal
Once you’ve completed all the pre-deletion checks, you’re ready to start the official deletion process. Riot has a dedicated portal for account deletion, and you don’t need to submit a support ticket to go through it, contrary to what some old forum posts might tell you. First, log into the Riot account you want to delete on the official Riot website. Make sure you’re not logged into your main account if you’re deleting a smurf – it’s surprisingly easy to mix up profiles if you stay logged into multiple accounts on your browser. Next, navigate to the account deletion page, fill out the short form confirming you’re the account owner, and submit your request. You will get a verification email to your linked email address within 15 minutes – if you don’t see it, check your spam or promotions folder, because the request will expire after 48 hours if you don’t verify it.
Once you click the verification link, your account enters a 30-day grace period. During this time, you can log back into your account at any time to cancel the deletion request, no questions asked. That 30-day window is designed to give you time to change your mind if you realize you miss playing, or if you deleted the account on an impulse after a bad ranked loss. I made the mistake of submitting a deletion request after a 0/10 Yasuo game once, and I canceled it three days later when I wanted to play Aram with my friends. That grace period is a lifesaver, so don’t panic if you submit a request on a bad day. After the 30 days are up, your account will be permanently deleted, and there’s no way to recover it. Riot doesn’t keep backups of deleted accounts for longer than 30 days, so make sure you’re 100% sure before the window closes.
Common Issues That Delay or Block Account Deletion
Even if you follow all the steps correctly, there are a few common issues that can stop your deletion request from going through. Most of these are easy to fix if you catch them early, so it’s worth knowing what to look out for. First, outstanding account bans or reports will pause your deletion request. If your account is currently banned for toxicity, cheating, or other rule violations, Riot will not process your deletion request until the ban is resolved or expires. If you have a permanent ban, you’ll need to submit a support ticket to request deletion, as the regular portal won’t work for banned accounts.
Second, if you don’t have access to the email linked to your Riot account, you can’t verify the deletion request. In that case, you’ll need to go through Riot’s account recovery process first to update your email address before you can submit a deletion request. You’ll need to provide proof of account ownership, like old purchase receipts, the original creation date of the account, and the region you created it in. Third, many players run into issues if they’re trying to delete an account that’s linked to a third-party service like Twitch Prime, Xbox Game Pass, or a mobile phone number. You’ll need to unlink all third-party services from your Riot account before you submit your deletion request, otherwise the process will get stuck. The good news is that most of these issues only take a day or two to resolve, so you won’t have to wait long to get back on track with your deletion request. If you’re stuck for more than 72 hours, you can submit a support ticket to Riot’s account team for help, but wait times can be up to a week during peak periods.
Alternatives to Permanent Account Deletion
Permanent deletion is a big step, and it’s not the right choice for everyone. If you’re just feeling burnt out or frustrated with the game, there are a few less permanent options you can try first before you commit to deleting your account forever. First, you can take a break by enabling account two-factor authentication and giving your login details to a trusted friend for a few weeks or months. That way, you can’t log in and play on impulse, but you don’t lose all your skins and progress if you decide to come back later. I did this for two months last year when I was burnt out from ranked grind, and it worked perfectly. Second, you can delete the game client from your computer and phone without deleting your account. Most of the time, the urge to play comes from seeing the game icon on your desktop, not from a genuine desire to play. If you remove the client, you’ll likely forget about the game without having to lose all your progress.
Third, you can transfer your account to a different region or create a new smurf account if you’re tired of your current rank or match history. Transferring costs a small amount of RP, but it’s far cheaper than rebuilding an account from scratch if you decide to come back later. Only go through with permanent deletion if you’re 100% sure you never want to access your account again, or if you’re concerned about account security if you leave it inactive. It’s always better to take a 30-day break first to make sure you’re making the right choice.
At the end of the day, stepping away from League of Legends is a personal choice, and there’s no shame in deciding the game no longer fits with your lifestyle. Whether you’re taking a temporary break or committing to permanent removal, knowing how to delete a league of legends account the right way will save you a lot of stress and regret down the line. Take the time to go through the pre-deletion checks, use the 30-day grace period to make sure you’re making the right call, and don’t be afraid to try less permanent alternatives first if you’re on the fence. You don’t owe anyone your time on the rift, so do what’s best for you.