If you’re looking to free up drive space for 2026’s new Riot releases, take a break from the grueling ranked split grind, or fix a persistent client crash bug, you’re probably researching how to uninstall league of legends on riot client. Many players make the mistake of deleting the LoL folder directly from their program files, which leaves gigabytes of leftover patch files, broken registry entries, and even risks corrupting other Riot games you have installed like VALORANT or Teamfight Tactics. I’ve messed this up myself earlier this year when I tried to free up space for the Arcane 2 event update, so I’ve tested every method to make this process fast and error-free for both Windows and Mac users.
Prep Steps Before You Uninstall League of Legends on Riot Client (2026 Update)
The 2026 Riot Client update added a lot of quality of life features, including cross-game cloud save for settings and preferences, but there are still a few small steps you should take before starting the uninstall process to avoid headaches later. First, if you think you might reinstall LoL down the line, back up your custom item sets, replay files, and modded skin files manually, just in case the cloud save doesn’t sync correctly when you come back. You can find these files in your Riot Games > League of Legends > Config folder.
You should also log out of your Riot Client account before starting the uninstall, to avoid any sync errors that could lock your account for a few minutes for security reasons. Always close the Riot Client completely before starting any uninstall process, because if it’s running in the background, it will lock core game files and stop the uninstall from finishing properly. Double-check that you don’t have other Riot games running too, since the client shares core files across all its titles, and closing them prevents accidental data loss for your other games.
Step-by-Step Uninstall Process for Windows 10/11 (2026 Riot Client Version)
The easiest and most reliable way to remove LoL from your Windows device is through the built-in Riot Client uninstall tool, which automatically clears all related files so you don’t have to hunt for leftovers manually. This method works for all 2026 client builds, even if you have a partially corrupted install from a failed patch. Follow these steps exactly to avoid errors:
If you run into error messages halfway through the process, you can check the official Riot Games support uninstall guide for additional troubleshooting steps specific to corrupted 2026 client builds. Never delete game folders directly unless you have no other option, as this can leave thousands of small cache and patch files scattered across your drive that will take up space for months, and cause errors if you reinstall the game later.
Uninstall Steps for Mac Users (2026 Riot Client Compatibility Notes)
Many Mac users search for how to uninstall league of legends on riot client because the old drag-and-drop method doesn’t work properly with the 2026 client update, which stores game files in two separate locations on macOS. The good news is the built-in client uninstall tool works just as well on Mac as it does on Windows, with just one extra step to clear leftover files.
Start by opening your Riot Client, navigating to the Library tab, and selecting Uninstall from the League of Legends tile menu, just like you would on Windows. Once the uninstall process finishes, open your Applications folder, find the Riot Games subfolder, and drag the League of Legends application to the trash if it’s still there. Next, open Finder, select Go > Go to Folder from the top menu, type in ~/Library/Application Support/Riot Games/, and delete the League of Legends subfolder to remove all remaining cache, replay, and config files. Make sure you only delete the League of Legends subfolder, not the whole Riot Games folder if you still play VALORANT or TFT on your Mac, as this will delete all your saved data for those games too.
If you’re running macOS Sonoma or later, you might get a permission prompt when deleting the application support files, just enter your admin password to confirm. The 2026 client update fixed the previous bug where uninstalling LoL would also delete your custom TFT tactician and arena saves, so you don’t have to worry about backing those up separately anymore.
Common Uninstall Errors to Avoid in 2026
Even with the improved 2026 Riot Client tools, there are a few common mistakes that lead to failed uninstalls or leftover files, and most of them are easy to avoid if you know what to look for. The most common error is getting a "file in use" message halfway through the process, which almost always happens because the Riot Client is still running in your system tray, or a Riot update service is running in the background. If you get an "uninstall failed" error, restart your computer first to close all background Riot processes, then try again – this fixes 90% of common uninstall issues.
Another common mistake is uninstalling the Riot Client first before you uninstall League of Legends, which leaves the LoL install orphaned on your drive with no way to remove it through normal tools. If you do this by accident, you’ll have to reinstall the Riot Client first, then uninstall LoL properly before removing the client itself. You also don’t have to worry about losing your account data when you uninstall LoL – all your rank, skin collection, event rewards, and 2026 ranked split progress are stored on Riot’s servers, so they’ll be waiting for you if you decide to reinstall later.
Whether you’re taking a break from the 2026 ranked season, freeing up space for the upcoming Project L release, or fixing a broken client that won’t stop crashing, knowing how to uninstall league of legends on riot client correctly saves you hours of troubleshooting and gigabytes of wasted storage space. You don’t have to be tech-savvy to do it right, as long as you follow the steps we laid out and avoid the common mistakes that lead to leftover files or corrupted installs. If you run into any issues that aren’t covered here, you can always submit a ticket to Riot’s support team for personalized help for your specific device and client version.