Where Does Vortex Store Mods and Profiles?
Vortex stages mod downloads and installs separately on PC. Downloads, staging folder, and per-game profiles each have their own path in settings.
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Vortex splits mod data three ways. Downloads archive the originals, the staging folder holds deployment copies, and game profiles record load order, rules, and enabled states. All three paths show in Vortex settings and all three matter for backups.
Purging and redeploying fixes most broken games without touching downloads. That separation is the whole design: cheap experiments on profiles, expensive safety in archives. New PCs need the same drive letters or fresh path settings, since rules reference absolute locations.
Where Vortex Mod Manager stores this, by platform
%appdata%\Vortex\
Three paths in Vortex settings: downloads, staging, installs. Back up all three plus profiles. Keep drive letters stable across moves or update every path.
Frequently asked questions
Can downloads and mods live on different drives?
Yes, and you should. Settings holds separate paths for downloads, the staging folder, and installs. Put staging on a fast drive with room, since every enabled mod duplicates there. Keep downloads on bulk storage for reinstalls.
How do I move a modded setup to a new PC?
Export the mod list and copy the staging folder plus downloads to matching paths on the new PC, then reinstall Vortex and relink the game. Profiles carry load order and rules, so migrate them rather than rebuilding fifty-mod lists by hand.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.