How to Move Valorant to Another Drive Without Reinstalling

Running out of space on your primary drive is a common gaming headache. Valorant clocks in at roughly 20–25 GB, and when your C: drive starts filling up, moving it to a secondary drive makes sense. The good news: you can do this without sitting through a full reinstall. The process takes some care, though, because Valorant uses Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat system, which adds a layer of complexity that a simple copy-paste won't handle cleanly.

Why You Can't Just Drag and Drop Game Files

Most applications store references to their install location in the Windows Registry and in launcher config files. Valorant is no exception. Riot's client and Vanguard both expect files to live at a specific path. If you move the folder manually without updating those references, the game either won't launch or the anti-cheat will flag the mismatch.

There are two reliable methods for moving Valorant: using the Riot Client's built-in repair/reinstall process or using a symbolic link (symlink). Each suits a different type of user.

Method 1: Uninstall and Reinstall to a New Location (Cleanest Option)

This is the straightforward path. It takes longer but leaves no loose ends.

1. Back up nothing — Valorant stores your account data server-side, so your rank, skins, and settings are safe in the cloud.
2. Open the Riot Client, click the settings gear next to Valorant, and select Uninstall.
3. Once uninstalled, click Install again within the Riot Client.
4. When prompted for an install location, choose your target drive (e.g., D:Riot Games).
5. Let the download complete.

The tradeoff is download time. On slower connections, re-downloading 20+ GB can take a while. If your internet is fast, this is the path with the least risk.

Method 2: Move the Files, Then Use a Symbolic Link 🗂️

A symlink tricks Windows into thinking Valorant is still on the original drive while the actual files live elsewhere. This method works without re-downloading anything.

Step-by-Step

1. Close the Riot Client completely — check the system tray and end any Riot or Vanguard processes in Task Manager.
2. Copy (don't cut yet) your Valorant folder to the new drive. The default location is usually: C:Riot GamesVALORANT Copy it to something like D:Riot GamesVALORANT.
3. Verify the copy completed by checking file sizes match on both drives.
4. Delete the original folder from the source drive once you've confirmed the copy.
5. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

mklink /D "C:Riot GamesVALORANT" "D:Riot GamesVALORANT" 

This creates a symbolic link at the old path that points to the new location.

6. Launch the Riot Client — it should detect Valorant normally and boot without issues.

What the Symlink Does

Windows presents the symlink as if the folder exists at C:Riot GamesVALORANT, so the Riot Client and Vanguard see what they expect. All reads and writes pass through to the real files on your second drive.

Key Differences Between the Two Methods

How Drive Type Affects Performance After the Move 🖥️

Where you move Valorant matters as much as how. SSD to SSD moves preserve fast load times. Moving from an SSD to an HDD will noticeably increase map load times and initial boot time for the game, though in-match performance (which depends on CPU and GPU) stays largely unaffected once you're in a round.

NVMe SSDs generally offer the fastest load speeds, followed by SATA SSDs, with HDDs trailing significantly. If your second drive is an older spinning disk, expect longer loading screens — not worse framerates, but more waiting before matches begin.

Vanguard-Specific Considerations

Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat runs at the kernel level and starts with Windows. It monitors system integrity, including where game files live. Both methods above preserve the paths Vanguard expects, which is why a raw file move without a symlink or reinstall tends to cause problems — Vanguard may prevent the game from launching or flag a corrupted install.

If after moving you see "Game is not installed" in the Riot Client or Vanguard throws an error, the most reliable fix is running the Riot Client's repair function, which re-validates file integrity without requiring a full re-download in most cases.

What Changes Across Different Setups

The right method depends on factors specific to your system:

• Your internet speed — fast fiber connections make the reinstall method painless; slower connections make the symlink approach worth the extra steps
• Your secondary drive type — an SSD on the new drive keeps the experience smooth; an HDD introduces load time trade-offs
• Your comfort with Command Prompt — the symlink method requires running admin-level commands correctly; a single typo in the path creates problems
• Available disk space during the move — the symlink method requires temporarily having the files on both drives simultaneously during the copy phase, so you need enough headroom on the source drive until the process is complete

Each of those variables shifts which method makes more practical sense — and only your specific setup tells you which one that is.