How to Fix League of Legends VAN 185 Error?

If you encounter a VAN error code while trying to play League of Legends, it generally indicates that some of your settings are not compatible with Vanguard. The VAN 185 error is a connection issue, often resulting from problems with the League of Legends client, Vanguard services, or the game itself. Fixing the VAN 185 error should be quick and straightforward. Simple solutions like restarting the client and logging out of multiple devices, as recommended by Riot Games, can frequently resolve the problem.

1. Start With Riot’s Suggested Fixes

Riot Games has a full post regarding all the Vanguard error codes in League of Legends. The post lists over 20 error codes, their common causes, and quick solutions. For the VAN 185 error code, the guide states, “The issue may be caused by leaving the League Client running for longer than 7 days or being logged into the client on multiple devices.“

To fix the VAN 185 issues, Riot suggests restarting the League and Riot clients and logging out of the client on multiple devices. Let’s take a closer look at these solutions.

↪ Restart Your League and Riot Client

To restart your League and Riot Client, close any open windows and ensure the app is not running in the background. Go to the taskbar, click the upward arrow icon, right-click on the Riot Client or League Client icon, and select Exit. Once the respective client is closed, relaunch it to see if the issue is resolved.

Riot also recommends not leaving either of these clients running for more than seven days, as this can lead to network issues, such as VAN 185 and VAN 0.

↪ Log Out Your LOL Account From Multiple Devices

If you have multiple devices using the same League of Legends account, you should reconsider this. Sharing an account across multiple devices can lead to issues like the Van 185 error. To resolve this, log out of your League account on all devices except your main one, and check if the problem persists.

2. Reinstall Riot Vanguard

Riot Vanguard is an anti-cheat software developed by Riot Games that runs in the background while you play games like League of Legends and Valorant. It monitors your computer for applications and processes that may indicate cheating. However, Vanguard can sometimes cause errors when launching games. Reinstalling Vanguard is often helpful in addressing these errors.

1. Open the Windows search bar and type in Control Panel. Select the first matching result. 
   

   

2. From here, under the Programs tab, click on Uninstall Programs.
   

   

3. Next, scroll down until you find Riot Vanguard. Now, right-click on it and select the Uninstall option.
   

   

4.  If a confirmation window pops up, click on Yes. 
5. Once the software is removed, open up the Riot Client. Here, you should see an Update option next to League of Legends. Hit the Update button, and Vanguard should start installing.
   

   

6. Once the update is finished, restart your computer and see if the issue persists. 

3. Enable Vanguard Services

Another way to fix the VAN 185 error is by enabling Vanguard services. While these services are usually enabled by default, it’s a good idea to double-check to ensure everything is set up correctly.

1. Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously and the Run box should open. Here, type in “services.msc” and press OK.
   

   

2. When you do that, a Services window should open, showing all the necessary files running on your computer.
   

   

3. Here, press the “v” key on your keyboard and find vgc. Right-click on it and select Properties from the menu.
   

   

4. Next, in the General tab, look for “Startup type” and make sure it’s set to Automatic.
   

   

5. Now, hit the Start button to enable the vgc service.
   

   

Once you have done that, you need to do one more thing. Go to the Run box again, type in msconfig, and hit OK. From the System Configuration window, head to the Services tab and toggle on Hide all Microsoft services to make the process easier. Next, scroll down, find “vgc,” and ensure it is toggled on and that the Status says “Running“. Once all that is done, hit the Apply and OK buttons and restart your computer to apply the changes.

4. Reinstall League of Legends

If none of the above methods fix the issue, the last option you can try is reinstalling League of Legends. Reinstalling the game won’t delete your data and settings, as these are stored on your profile and in other temporary files. So, as long as you don’t alter those, reinstalling shouldn’t be a problem. With that said, here’s how to reinstall League of Legends:

1. Open the Control Panel via the Windows Search bar. 
   

   

2. Next, under the Programs tab, click on the Uninstall a Program option.
   

   

3. Now, find League of Legends from the list, right-click on it, and hit the uninstall button.
   

   

4. Follow along with the uninstallation process and restart your computer once it’s done.
5. Finally, head to the official League of Legends website and download the game again.
   

   

5. Contact Support

Contacting support is your last resort. Typically, customer support will suggest steps already listed on the website, so to avoid repetition, ensure you thoroughly explain everything you’ve already tried. You can reach out to both Riot’s and League of Legends support, as one may be more helpful than the other.