How to Fix Riot Client “Update” Button Stuck?
If the Riot Client stays on Update, Preparing Download, Installing, or a progress bar that never moves, the launcher is usually failing before the patch can finish its normal file check.
The loop can be misleading because the client may still open, sign in, and show your games normally. What is broken is usually one layer underneath that screen: an old Riot process still running in the background, a damaged local install that needs repair, a network route that never starts the download properly, or Riot Vanguard failing to update for a game that requires it.
1. Fully Close Riot Processes and Open the Riot Client Directly
A previous Riot session can stay alive after the visible window closes. When that happens, the shortcut may keep returning to the same frozen updater state instead of starting a clean patch attempt.
Close every Riot-related process first, then launch the client itself rather than only opening the game shortcut.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- End any running Riot Client, RiotClientServices, LeagueClient, VALORANT, Vanguard, or Vanguard Installer process you find.
If the old Riot process never closed properly, the launcher can keep reusing the same broken update session. - Restart the PC once if you had to close several Riot or Vanguard processes.
- Open Riot Client from the Start menu or its desktop shortcut instead of launching only through League, VALORANT, or another game shortcut.
Launching the client directly gives the updater a cleaner start after the old background state is cleared. - If every Riot game is stuck at the same time, check the official Riot Games Service Status page for your region before making deeper local changes.
If Riot is already listing a live incident or maintenance window, local reinstall attempts usually will not fix the update screen.
If the update starts moving after this, the client was stuck in a stale session. If it still freezes at the same point, repair the local files next.
2. Run Riot’s Repair Option and Check Free Disk Space
Riot’s current repair flow is built into the client. It replaces damaged or incomplete local files without forcing you to remove the whole game first.
This is the right step when the update begins, resets, returns to the same Update button, or fails after checking files. Disk space matters here too; Riot’s League repair guidance still calls out free space as a direct cause of repair and patch failures.
- Open Riot Client.
- Click your profile icon, open Settings, select the affected game, and choose Repair if the option appears.
Riot’s built-in repair option is the cleanest first pass when the updater is looping on damaged or incomplete files. - Check the drive where the game is installed and make sure it has enough free space. For League of Legends, leave at least 8 GB free before repair or patching.
- After repair finishes, close the client completely.
- Right-click the Riot Client shortcut and choose Run as administrator for one update attempt.
Running the client as administrator once can confirm whether Windows permissions are stopping the patcher from writing files correctly.
If repair finishes and the update completes, the local install was the issue. If the client still sits on Preparing Download or never starts pulling data, move to the connection path.
3. Remove VPN or Proxy Interference and Reset DNS
Riot’s connection guidance still warns against using VPN or proxy routes while connecting. For patching problems, DNS can also matter because the launcher has to resolve Riot’s patch endpoints before the download can really begin.
Use this when the client opens normally but the update never starts, stalls at the beginning, or works from a different network.
- Turn off any VPN, proxy, traffic-filtering app, or device-level network filter, then retry the update once.
- If you are on Wi-Fi, test a wired connection or another trusted network if one is available.
- Change the active network adapter’s DNS servers to a public DNS provider, such as 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, then save the change.
Riot’s public-DNS guidance is useful when the launcher opens but cannot reliably resolve or download patch files. - Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
ipconfig /flushdns - If the connection has been especially unstable, run these as well:
ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew - Restart the PC, reopen Riot Client, and try the update again.
If the update begins downloading after this, the launcher was being blocked before or during patch resolution. If the loop specifically mentions Vanguard, or the affected game requires it, handle that component next.
4. Reinstall Riot Vanguard if the Affected Game Requires It
Riot Vanguard is required for games such as VALORANT and League of Legends, and Riot’s own Vanguard pages treat reinstalling it as a valid repair step when the anti-cheat layer is damaged.
Do not use this as a general fix for every Riot update. Use it when the stuck update is tied to a Vanguard-required game, the client keeps asking to install Vanguard, or Task Manager shows Vanguard installer activity during the loop.
- Close Riot Client and any Riot game.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Riot Vanguard and uninstall it.
Removing Vanguard lets Riot reinstall the anti-cheat component cleanly the next time a supported game needs it. - Restart the PC.
- Open Riot Client and launch the affected game so Vanguard can reinstall.
- Restart the PC again after Vanguard finishes installing, then test the update.
If the update completes after Vanguard is rebuilt, the launcher was being held up by the anti-cheat install. If the same loop returns, reset the Riot install state cleanly.
5. Clean Out Leftover Riot Files and Reinstall, Then Send Logs to Riot
A normal uninstall can leave behind Riot Client files that keep the same patch state alive. Riot’s uninstall guidance points users to remove leftover Riot folders after uninstalling, especially under C:\Riot Games and %localappdata%.
Save this for last because it can affect more than one Riot game on the PC. If you have multiple Riot titles installed, be careful to remove only the client or game folders you actually intend to rebuild.
- Close Riot Client and all Riot games.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall the affected Riot game. If Windows lists Riot Client separately and every Riot title is affected, uninstall it too.
- Open C:\Riot Games and delete the leftover Riot Client folder. If you are rebuilding one affected game, delete that game’s folder too.
Removing leftover Riot folders prevents the fresh install from reusing the same broken updater state. - Press Windows + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter.
- Delete the Riot Games folder inside AppData\Local if it still exists.
- Restart the PC.
- Download a fresh installer from Riot’s official site and reinstall the affected game or client.
- If the clean install still stalls, run the Riot Repair Tool as administrator, collect the generated logs, and attach them to a Riot support ticket.
If the update still refuses to move after a clean install and Riot Repair Tool logs are attached, stop repeating the same reinstall cycle. At that point, Riot Support has the best evidence: the exact game, the stage where the updater stops, the network steps already tested, and the logs from the failed patch attempt.
