MODDINGWIKI Users General Moving Vortex to a new PC

When migrating to a new computer, it is possible to move your entire Vortex setup across with a few manual steps.

It's first important to understand the data that you will need to back up from the old PC and why it is important. The data Vortex uses to provide your modding experience is stored across three main locations.

• AppData/ProgamData folder - This is the location where Vortex stores the internal state and databases for your setup. It's also the default location of the staging and download folders. If you have not modified any folder settings this will include everything you need.
• Mod Staging folder - Each game will have a staging folder where the mods are unpacked and installed to before they are linked with your game folder. This location can be modified in the app settings on a per-game basis.
• Download folder - The download folder contains subfolders for each game you are managing with Vortex and includes the archives used to install your mods. This location can be modified in the app settings.

Before you start

Before migrating your setup, please be aware that this process is simplest when the following conditions are met:

• The new PC has at least the same amount of total storage as your current one.
• You intended to keep the folder paths the same on the new PC (e.g. if it's C:\Mods\Skyrim on the old PC, you plan to install it to C:\Mods\Skyrim on the new one.
• Your game will be installed under the same path on the new PC. Similar to above, if you game is not in the same folder, you may have to manually point Vortex to the correct folder.
• Your new PC doesn't currently have a Vortex installation you want to keep. It's possible to replace a setup, but not merge it.

Ensure you have the latest version of Vortex installed on Both PCs and keep the application closed while you move the files around.

Backing up your AppData folder

The location of your appdata folder will vary based on your settings. By default the path will be C:\Users\{YourAccountName}\AppData\Vortex, which can quickly be accessed by typing %APPDATA%\Vortex into any file browser.

If you have enabled "Shared" mode under the "Multi-user mode" setting, the application data will be found at C:\ProgramData\Vortex. The short code for this is %ProgramData%\Vortex. You only need to copy this folder if you are using Shared mod.

Ensure you copy this entire folder, including any subdirectories and extract it to the same place on your new PC.

Backing up your Mod Staging folder

Warning

You should unlink your mods using the "Purge Mods" option in Vortex before attempting this.

Each game will have an independant staging folder, by default these are stored at %AppData%\Vortex\{GAMEID}\mods. You can check the location of the staging folder for each game by heading to Settings -> Mods -> Mod Staging folder.

Ensure you collect all folders and files here and move them to the new PC.

Backing up your Download folder

This step is optional, but is required if you want to be able to re-install mods without having to download them again. Your download folder is global for all installed games and the path can be checked in Settings -> Download -> Downloads folder.

Backing up other game files

Some games may have additional files, such as saved games or config files, that exist outside the directories managed by Vortex. It is up to you to research which of these files you want to keep and back them up accordingly.

Setting up on your new PC

Once all the files and folder have been moved to the correct places, open Vortex on your new PC and it should look almost identical to how it was set up on the old PC.

Troubleshooting

The most common problems users encounter are explained below.

I want to put my staging/download folder in a different place on my new PC. How can I do this?

It's always a good idea to put the folders in the same place by default, then you can move them to new locations using the settings in the Vortex UI.

If you don't have the hard drive storage to put everything where it is on the old PC, place the folders in the new location. This will cause several warnings to appear when starting Vortex. Ensure you read each one carefully and correctly direct it to the new locations of your staging and download folders.