Where Does VICE Store Config Files?
VICE emulator INI and rc config files with ROM search paths per OS.
Last updated
VICE splits config by toolkit and platform. Windows uses an INI in Roaming with an SDL variant. Linux follows XDG with legacy dot fallbacks. macOS builds match the Unix side.
Snapshots save wherever chosen with no fixed dir. ROM search covers data, lib and share trees in order. Debian ships without ROMs, so copy those manually.
Where VICE stores this, by platform
%AppData%\vice\vice.ini
Roaming INI with SDL variant. Portable keeps it beside the program. Snapshots user chosen. ROMs in bindist folders. Config flags override.
~/.config/vice/vicerc
XDG rc with legacy dot fallbacks. Hotkeys per machine beside. System ROMs across share and lib trees.
~/.config/vice/vicerc
Same Unix path on GTK and SDL macOS builds. Wrapper app libraries do not count as canonical.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up VICE?
Copy the INI or rc file with all machines closed. ROM folders travel separately. Restoring means putting the config back and confirming paths still resolve.
How do I use a custom config?
Pass custom paths with the config flags or dump current settings to a file. Portable builds keep the INI beside the program. The flag trio covers load, add and dump.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.