Where Does StepMania Store Songs and Profiles?
StepMania 5 keeps songs, profiles and settings in versioned user-data folders per OS. Paths, portable mode, and upgrades.
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StepMania 5 keeps user data in versioned folders: Roaming\StepMania 5.x on Windows, ~/.stepmania-5.x on Linux, application support on macOS. Inside sit Songs for packs, Save for profiles and scores, plus themes and noteskins. The install folder holds the program only.
The version in the folder name is the trap: 5.0 and 5.1 keep parallel trees, so upgrades orphan libraries until files are copied forward. Song packs go in the user-data Songs folder, not the install dir, to survive updates. A Portable.ini file in the install folder flips everything to beside-the-program mode for cabinets and USB sticks. Uninstalls leave user data behind, so stale configs survive reinstalls.
Where StepMania stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\StepMania 5.1
Versioned folder (5.0 vs 5.1 keep separate trees): Songs for packs, Save/LocalProfiles for scores, Appearance for themes. Install song packs here, not the program dir, to survive upgrades. Portable.ini in the install folder switches to beside-the-program mode. Uninstalls leave this data behind.
~/.stepmania-5.1
Same versioned layout as Windows with Songs, Save and Appearance inside. Older 5.0 installs use ~/.stepmania-5.0. Scores on USB profiles need elevated rights on some setups. Copy the tree forward across version upgrades; nothing migrates automatically.
~/Library/Application Support/StepMania 5.1
User content under application support with preferences separately in ~/Library/Preferences/StepMania 5. Same Songs and Save structure inside. Copy both trees when migrating versions or machines. AdditionalSongFolders shares one library between installs to save disk.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move stepmania songs and scores to a new pc
Copy the whole versioned user-data folder to the new machine: Songs, Save with profiles and scores, plus Appearance for themes. Match the StepMania version or profiles misbehave. Point AdditionalSongFolders at a shared drive afterward if two installs should share one library instead of duplicating gigabytes.
how do i make stepmania portable
Create an empty file named Portable.ini in the install folder. StepMania then keeps Save, Songs and settings beside the program instead of the user profile, like the old 3.9 days. Useful for arcade cabinets and USB sticks. Delete the file to return to profile mode; the folders do not merge themselves.
why did my songs disappear after updating stepmania
The folder carries the version number: StepMania 5.0 versus 5.1 (and 5.1.x variants) keep separate trees. Upgrades do not migrate content automatically, which is why songs vanish after updating. Copy Songs and Save forward by hand, or share one library via AdditionalSongFolders.
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