Where Does Altirra Store Settings?
Altirra keeps settings in the Windows registry by default, switching to Altirra.ini beside the exe in portable mode, with profiles for machine setups.
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Altirra stores its settings in the registry unless you tell it otherwise, which surprises people hunting config files. Profiles inside the app capture machine setups (hardware, firmware, devices), while the registry holds UI state and profile definitions.
Portable mode flips the design: an ini file beside the executable replaces the registry entirely. That one file carries everything, which makes multi-machine emulation a matter of shortcut arguments. Per-profile tweaks still live inside the app's profile system either way.
Where Altirra stores this, by platform
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\virtualdub.org\Altirra
Default settings home when no ini is present. Portable mode with Altirra.ini beside the exe overrides it completely. Profiles define the virtual Atari hardware; back them up from inside the app.
[Altirra-Folder]\Altirra.ini
The portable switch: an empty file here moves all settings out of the registry. /portablealt with a path loads a named ini per shortcut for multi-machine setups.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch between registry and portable settings?
Create an empty Altirra.ini beside the exe (or launch with /portable) and Altirra migrates to file-based settings. Delete the ini while running to switch back to the registry on next close.
Can I keep multiple Altirra configurations?
Use /portablealt with a path to load a specific ini per shortcut. Each shortcut then boots its own tweaked machine, and marking the ini read-only makes the setup accident-proof.
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