How to Use Vortex & the Basics

In this guide we will show you how to use Vortex, the official mod manager from Nexus Mods. We will be covering the basics of the app including its layout, a full breakdown of all the settings, and more. This guide is intended for beginners who are new to modding and want to get comfortable with Vortex before they start managing their mods.

Vortex is Nexus Mods official mod manager and is the recommended way to download and install mods for the games it supports. It handles the heavy lifting for you with features such as automatic mod deployment, load order management, profiles, and more.

Downloading & Installing

We have made another guide that covers the downloading and installation process of Vortex, so we will not be covering it here.

Please refer to our guide on how to download and install Vortex for detailed instructions on how to get the app up and running (including a section for Linux users).

The Main Layout

This is the main layout of Vortex when you first open it, landing you on the Dashboard. The sidebar on the left is used to navigate between the different pages, while the top bar contains your account, notifications, and support options. Please refer to the details below.

[1] Home

• The Home button (the house icon at the very top of the sidebar) takes you back to Vortex's main pages such as the Dashboard, Games, Extensions, and Settings.
• Think of this as your starting point whenever you want to step back out of a specific game and manage Vortex itself.

[2] Installed Games (Sidebar)

• Below the Home button, you'll see icons for each game you are currently managing in Vortex.
• Clicking on one of these icons switches to that game and takes you to its mods, plugins, and other game-specific pages.
• The game that is currently active will be highlighted so you always know which game you're working on.

[3] Add Game(s)

• The plus (+) button below your managed games is a quick shortcut that takes you to the Games page.
• From there, you can add (manage) a new game so you can start modding it. We cover this in the Managing Games section below.

[4] Downloads

• The download icon at the bottom-left of the sidebar takes you to the Download Manager.
• This is where all of your downloaded mod archives and files are listed and managed.

[5] Dashboard

• The Dashboard is the page you land on by default and acts as a customizable home screen.
• It's made up of dashlets (widgets) such as Get Started videos, Mods Spotlight, Recently Managed, Latest Extensions, Announcements, and more.
• The Let's get you set up section at the top gives you a quick overview of your current setup, such as which drive your downloads and mods are staged on.
• You can rearrange, resize, add, and remove these dashlets. Please refer to the Customizing the Dashboard section below.

[6] All Games

• The Games page displays every game that Vortex supports, split into games you are managing and games that are supported but not currently managed.
• This is where you add new games to Vortex. Please refer to the Managing Games section below.

[7] Extensions

• The Extensions page lists all of the extensions installed in Vortex.
• Extensions are what add support for specific games and additional features to Vortex. Please refer to the Extensions section below.

[8] Settings

• The Settings page contains all of Vortex's configuration options, split across multiple tabs (Interface, Vortex, Download, Workarounds, and Theme).
• We break down every setting in the Settings section below.

[9] Customize Your Dashboard

• The Customize your dashboard button (found at the top-right while on the Dashboard) puts the Dashboard into an edit mode.
• This lets you drag, resize, add, and remove dashlets. Please refer to the Customizing the Dashboard section below.

[10] Buy Premium

• The Go premium button takes you to the Nexus Mods Premium page.
• Premium members get benefits such as uncapped download speeds, multiple download threads, no ads, and the ability to auto-install collections.

[11] Notifications

• The bell icon displays notifications from Vortex, such as available updates, deployment reminders, errors, and other important messages.
• A number will appear on the bell whenever you have unread notifications.

[12] Help & Support

• The question mark (?) icon opens a menu with options to send feedback, report bugs, view the wiki, view logs, and see information about the app.
• Please refer to the Help & Support section below.

[13] Account

• The avatar icon (top-right) represents your logged-in Nexus Mods account.
• Clicking on it opens a menu that lets you view your profile, refresh your account info, send feedback, or log out.
• Please refer to the The Account Menu section below.

Customizing the Dashboard

As mentioned above, the Dashboard is fully customizable. To start editing it, click the Customize your dashboard button in the top-right corner.

1. Draggable: While in edit mode, you can drag any dashlet to rearrange it, and drag the borders of a dashlet to resize it. This lets you build a layout that suits you.
2. Remove Dashlet: Click the X button in the top-right corner of a dashlet to remove it from the Dashboard.
3. Add/Choose Dashlets: Click the Add Dashlet dropdown to choose which dashlets are displayed.
4. Save/Finish: Click the Done button to save your changes and exit edit mode.

When you click the Add Dashlet dropdown, you'll be presented with a list of available dashlets.

1. Check Boxes To Add/Remove: Simply check the box next to a dashlet to add it to the Dashboard, or uncheck it to remove it. Some of the available dashlets include Announcements, ToDo List, Recently Managed, Mods Spotlight, News, Latest Mods, Onboarding, Changelog, and Extensions.

NOTE - You can also toggle these same dashlets (widgets) from the Interface tab in the Settings menu.

Managing Games

Before you can install mods for a game, you need to manage (add) that game in Vortex. This is done through the Games page.

The Games Page

1. Click: Click the Games tab in the sidebar to open the Games page.
2. Search For Games: Use the search bar to quickly find a game by name.
3. Installed Games: The Managed section at the top lists the games you are currently managing in Vortex.
4. Supported Games Not Currently Installed: The Unmanaged section lists all of the games Vortex supports that you aren't managing yet. The number next to it shows how many supported games there are in total.
5. Sort Games: Use the Sort by dropdowns to change the order that games are displayed in (e.g. Name A-Z).
6. Show/Hide Hidden Games: The eye icon toggles whether hidden games are shown in the list. You can hide games you don't care about to keep the list tidy.
7. List View: Displays your games in a compact list format.
8. Grid View: Displays your games as larger tiles (the default view).

Managing a Game

To manage a game, find it in the Unmanaged section (using the search bar if needed), then hover over its tile and click the Manage button.

1. Search If Needed: Type the game's name into the search bar to filter the list.
2. Click: Hover over the game's tile and click the Manage button. Vortex will then detect where the game is installed and set it up for modding.

NOTE - If Vortex can't automatically find your game's installation folder, you'll be asked to set it manually. You can also do this later through the game's options menu (detailed below).

Activating a Game

Once a game is managed, it moves into the Managed section. If you're managing more than one game, you can switch which one is active by hovering over its tile and clicking the Activate button.

The active game is the one Vortex is currently focused on, and it's the game whose mods, plugins, and other pages you'll manage from the sidebar.

Game Options & Info

Each managed game tile has a three-dot (⋮) button and an info panel that give you more control over that game.

1. Click: Click the three-dot (⋮) button on the game's tile to open its options menu.
2. Game Install Info: Hovering over the tile displays useful information about the game, such as its install path, installed version, game store (e.g. Steam), space used, last updated date, Metacritic score, release date, and website.
3. Hide: Hides the game from the list. You can show it again using the eye icon detailed in The Games Page.
4. Open...: Opens the game's folder or mod folder in your file explorer.
5. Manually Set Location: Lets you manually point Vortex to the game's installation folder if it wasn't detected automatically.
6. Open Nexus Page: Opens the game's page on Nexus Mods in your web browser.
7. Stop Managing: Stops managing the game in Vortex, moving it back to the Unmanaged section.

Extensions

Extensions are what make Vortex so powerful. They add support for specific games and provide additional features. Vortex comes with many bundled (official) extensions out of the box, but you can also install community-made extensions.

The Extensions Page

1. Status (Click to Toggle): Shows whether an extension is Enabled or Disabled. Click the dropdown to toggle it.
2. Toggle Grouping Extensions in Categories: Toggles whether extensions are grouped together (e.g. by author) or shown in a flat list.
3. Extension Name: The name of the extension.
4. Show/Hide 'Bundled' (Official) Extensions: The eye icon toggles whether the official extensions that ship with Vortex are shown. Please refer to Showing Bundled Extensions below.
5. Update Installed Extensions: The refresh icon checks for and updates your installed extensions.
6. Endorsed (Like/Dislike): Lets you endorse (like) an extension to show your support for the author.
7. Author Name: The name of the person or group who created the extension.
8. Version: The version number of the extension.
9. Actions: The Remove button lets you uninstall an extension. Note that bundled (official) extensions generally can't be removed.
10. Toggle Columns: The gear icon lets you choose which columns (Endorsed, Author, Version) are displayed.
11. Search for Extensions: The search bar lets you filter the list of installed extensions by name.
12. Find Extensions Online: The Find more button opens the online browser so you can install new extensions. Please refer to Finding & Installing More Extensions below.
13. Drop & Install Files: You can drag and drop an extension file directly onto the Drop File(s) area to install it.

Enabling & Disabling Extensions

You can enable or disable an extension using the Status dropdown next to its name.

1. Enable/Disable Extension: Click the dropdown and choose Enabled or Disabled. Disabling an extension turns off its functionality without removing it, which is handy for troubleshooting.

NOTE - You will usually need to restart Vortex for changes to an extension's status to take effect.

Showing Bundled Extensions

By default, Vortex hides the many official extensions that ship with the app so the list only shows the ones you've installed yourself. You can reveal them using the eye icon.

1. Click to Toggle: Click the eye icon (which shows a Hide Bundled tooltip when they're visible) to show or hide the bundled extensions.
2. Bundled Extensions: These are the official extensions maintained by Black Tree Gaming Ltd. (the developers of Vortex) and other authors. This includes the game support extensions and core features like Collections, Documentation, Feedback, and more.

Finding & Installing More Extensions

Clicking the Find more button (detailed above) opens the Browse Extensions window, where you can search for and install community-made extensions.

1. Search by Name: Search for an extension by its name.
2. Sort: Sort the list of extensions. You can sort by Name, Endorsements, Downloads, or Last update.
3. Amount of Likes: The number of endorsements (likes) the extension has received.
4. Install Extension: Click the Install button next to an extension to install it.
5. Amount of Downloads: The number of times the extension has been downloaded.
6. Date of Last Updated: Shows when the list of extensions was last refreshed.
7. Refresh List of Extensions: Refreshes the list to pull in the latest extensions.
8. Close Extensions Windows: Closes the Browse Extensions window.

NOTE - Just like with enabling and disabling, you'll usually need to restart Vortex after installing a new extension for it to become active.

The Download Manager

The Download Manager is where all of your downloaded mod archives and other files are stored and managed. You can access it by clicking the download icon at the bottom-left of the sidebar.

1. All Downloads: Shows every download across all of your managed games.
2. Installed Games: Filters the list to show only the downloads for a specific managed game.
3. Power Off After Downloads Are Finished: The power icon lets you set Vortex (or your computer) to power off/shut down once all downloads are finished, which is handy for large download queues.
4. Open the Downloads Folder: The folder icon opens your downloads folder in your file explorer.
5. Premium Download Speeds: The Unlock max download speeds button takes you to the premium page. Free users are capped at 3 MB/s (1.5 MB/s with AdBlock), while premium members get uncapped speeds.
6. Download Speed History Graph: Displays a graph of your recent download speeds in MegaBytes per second (MB/s).
7. File Name: The name of the downloaded file.
8. Download Date: When the file was downloaded (e.g. "2 weeks ago").
9. File Size: The size of the downloaded file.
10. Download Status: The current status of the download under the Progress column (e.g. Finished).
11. Actions: The actions you can perform on a download, such as installing it. Please refer to Download Actions below.
12. Categorize Files: Lets you group and organize your downloaded files.
13. Toggle Columns: The gear icon lets you choose which columns are displayed in the list.
14. View All Downloads: The View All Downloads button shows every download, including ones that haven't been installed yet.
15. Drop & Install Extensions: You can drag and drop a URL or file directly onto this area to add it to Vortex.

TIP - You can select multiple downloads at once using CTRL + Click or Shift + Click, or select everything with CTRL + A. You can then perform actions on all of the selected files at once.

Download Actions

Clicking the small arrow next to the Install button on a download opens a menu with more actions.

• Unpack (as-is): Unpacks/installs the archive exactly as it is, without Vortex's usual mod installation processing.
• Delete: Deletes the download from your downloads folder.
• Open: Opens the file's location in your file explorer.
• Query Info: Queries Nexus Mods for information about the file (such as its associated mod page).
• View Meta Data: Displays the metadata that Vortex has stored for the file.

Settings

The Settings page is split across multiple tabs. We'll break down each tab and its settings below.

Interface

The Interface tab contains settings related to Vortex's appearance and general behavior.

• Language: Changes the language Vortex is displayed in. You may need to restart Vortex the first time you select a new language.
• Customisation:
  • Custom Window Title Bar: Uses Vortex's own custom title bar instead of the standard operating system one.
  • Enable Desktop Notifications: Allows Vortex to send notifications to your desktop.
  • Hide Top-Level Category: Hides the top-level category in certain lists to reduce clutter.
  • Use relative times (e.g. "3 months ago"): Displays dates as relative times instead of exact dates.
  • Bring Vortex to foreground when starting downloads in browser: Automatically brings Vortex to the front of your screen when you start a download from your web browser.
• Advanced:
  • Enable Profile Management: Enables profiles, which let you maintain multiple separate mod setups for the same game and switch between them. This is disabled by default.
  • Enable GPU Acceleration: Uses your GPU to help render Vortex's interface. If you experience visual glitches, you can try disabling this.
• Automation:
  • Deploy Mods when Enabled: Automatically deploys mods to your game when you enable them.
  • Install Mods when downloaded: Automatically installs a mod as soon as it finishes downloading.
  • Enable Mods when installed (in current profile): Automatically enables a mod for your current profile once it's installed.
  • Run Vortex when my computer starts: Automatically launches Vortex when you start your computer.
• Notifications:
  • Reset suppressed notifications: Re-enables any notifications you previously chose to suppress. The number of currently suppressed notifications is shown next to the button.
• Dashlets (Enable Dashboard Widgets): A list of toggles for each dashlet (widget) that can appear on the Dashboard, such as Announcements, ToDo List, Recently Managed, Mods Spotlight, News, Latest Mods, Onboarding, Changelog, Extensions, and Issues. Additional widgets (such as BepInEx Support, UMM Support, and QBMS Support) may appear depending on the extensions and games you have installed.

Vortex

The Vortex tab contains core application settings.

• Multi-User Mode: Controls how Vortex stores its data.
  • Per-User: Stores Vortex's data separately for each Windows user account (the default and recommended option for most people).
  • Shared: Stores Vortex's data in a shared, system-wide location so it can be used across multiple Windows user accounts. This may require administrator privileges.
• Health Check (Beta): Detects potential issues with your mod list and suggests fixes.
  • Missing mod requirements suggestions: Notifies you when a mod you've installed is missing one of its required dependencies.
• Update: Controls how Vortex updates itself.
  • You can choose an update channel from the dropdown, such as Stable (recommended) or Beta (for testing newer, less stable releases).
  • The Check now button manually checks for available updates.
• Data & Privacy:
  • Allow this app to collect usage data to improve your experience: When enabled, Vortex collects anonymous analytics data to help the team improve quality and performance. This is optional and can be disabled if you have privacy concerns.

Download

The Download tab contains settings related to how Vortex downloads files.

• Downloads Folder: The folder where Vortex stores your downloaded files. By default this is {USERDATA}\downloads. You can change it and click Apply to move your downloads to a new location.
• Download Threads: Controls how many download threads Vortex uses at once. Regular (free) users are restricted to 1 download thread, while premium members can use up to 10. More threads can increase download speeds.
• Limit Bandwidth: Lets you cap the download speed (in MB/s) so Vortex doesn't use all of your internet bandwidth. Leave it as Unlimited for no cap.
• Install mods during collection downloads: Installs mods as they download while downloading a collection, rather than waiting for the entire collection to finish.
• Copy files when using "Install From File": When enabled, Vortex copies files into its downloads folder when you install a mod from a local file, rather than referencing the original location.
• Handle Mod Manager Download buttons on nexusmods.com (nxm:// links): Lets Vortex handle the Mod Manager Download buttons on Nexus Mods so clicking them sends the mod straight to Vortex. This is essential for one-click downloads.
• Fix Nexus Mods links in Chrome: A fix required only for Chrome so that nxm:// links work correctly. Chrome must be closed when you click Fix Now.
• Meta Server: Lets you add a metaserver that Vortex will query for mod metadata. Most users won't need to change this.

Workarounds

The Workarounds tab contains advanced settings that can help resolve specific issues. Most users should leave these at their defaults.

• Installer Sandbox:
  • Enable Sandbox: Runs mod installers in a sandbox for added safety. It's recommended to keep this enabled.
• Symlinks:
  • Allow Symlinks without elevation: Allows Vortex to create symbolic links without requiring administrator privileges.
  • Allow Symlinks without elevation (old mechanism, pre Vortex v1.4.3): The older method of the above, kept for compatibility.
• Cross-ModType Conflicts Detection:
  • Enable/Disable Cross-ModType conflict detection: Detects conflicts between mods of different types. Disabling this is not recommended, as it can result in files not being deployed correctly. A purge will execute when you change this option.
• Clean up empty directories:
  • Clean up empty directories during deployment: By default, Vortex only removes empty directories during deployment if the game or its tools would otherwise not work correctly. You should only enable this if you're experiencing problems, as it adds extra time to deployment.
• Database backup: Vortex stores your application settings, mod metadata, and other important information in a database.
  • Create Backup: Manually creates a backup of the database.
  • Restore...: Restores a previously created backup.
  • You can have up to 3 backups: one created automatically whenever Vortex starts with no issues, one created automatically every hour while Vortex is running, and one you create manually. This should only be used in an emergency, not as an "undo" function.

Theme

The Theme tab lets you customize the look and feel of Vortex.

• Appearance:
  • Use legacy Vortex UI: Switches Vortex back to its older interface. Note that some community themes were designed for the old UI and may not display correctly in the new one.
• Theme: Lets you choose a theme from the dropdown. To modify an existing theme, you must first Clone it, then adjust the options below.
• Font Size: Adjusts the size of the text throughout Vortex.
• Margins: Adjusts the spacing/margins used in the interface.
• Font Family: Sets the font used for regular text. The Read system fonts button loads the fonts installed on your computer so you can pick from them.
• Font Family (Headings): Sets the font used for headings.
• Dashlet Height: Adjusts the default height of dashlets on the Dashboard.
• Titlebar Rows: Adjusts the number of rows in the title bar.
• Color Swatches: A set of customizable colors (such as brand-primary, brand-bg, text-color, link-color, and more) that let you fine-tune the color scheme of your cloned theme.
• Dark Theme: Toggles between a dark and light appearance for the theme.

Help & Support

Clicking the question mark (?) icon in the top-right corner opens the help and support menu.

1. Click: Click the question mark (?) icon to open the menu.
2. Send Feedback: Opens a form where you can send feedback and suggestions to the Vortex team.
3. Report Bug: Lets you report bugs and issues you've run into.
4. Help centre: Opens the Vortex wiki/knowledge base (hosted on GitHub) in your browser.
5. View logs: Opens the log viewer, which is useful for troubleshooting. Please refer to Viewing Logs below.
6. About: Displays information about your Vortex installation. Please refer to About below.

Viewing Logs

When you click View logs, you'll see a list of logging sessions, each showing the time range it covers.

1. Click for Details: Click on a session entry to view its detailed logs.
2. Open Log Folder: Opens the folder where Vortex stores its log files in your file explorer.
3. Close Logs Window: Closes the log viewer.

After clicking a session, you'll see the detailed log entries.

1. Logging Levels: The available logging levels: DEBUG, INFO, WARN, and ERROR.
2. Check to Enable/Disable Level: Check or uncheck a level to show or hide log messages of that type.
3. Copy Visible Logs: The Copy to Clipboard button copies all currently visible log messages so you can easily share them (e.g. when getting support).
4. Report Issues: The Report button lets you report an issue along with the log details.
5. Log Message Date: The date and time the log message was recorded.
6. Log Message Level: The level of the log message (e.g. INFO).
7. Log Message: The actual contents of the log message.
8. Open Log Folder in File Explorer: Opens the log folder in your file explorer.
9. Close Log Window: Closes the log viewer.

TIP - When asking for help in a Discord server or on a forum, providing your logs (using the Copy to Clipboard button) makes it much easier for others to diagnose your issue.

About

The About page displays information about your Vortex installation.

• Shows the current Vortex version and release date, the copyright and license (GPL-3), and the versions of the underlying technologies it's built on (Electron, Node, and Chrome).
• It also lists all of the third-party libraries Vortex uses along with their licenses.

The Account Menu

Clicking your avatar icon in the top-right corner opens the account menu.

• View profile on web: Opens your Nexus Mods profile in your web browser.
• Refresh user info: Refreshes your account information within Vortex (useful if you've just upgraded to premium and it isn't showing yet).
• Send feedback: Opens the feedback form.
• Logout: Logs you out of your Nexus Mods account within Vortex.

What's Next?

Now that you understand Vortex's layout and settings, you're ready to start managing your mods!

Since the mod installation process can differ slightly from game to game, we will be creating separate guides that cover how to download and install mods with Vortex for specific games. In general though, the process looks like this:

• Manage the game you want to mod through the Games page.
• Make sure you're signed into your Nexus Mods account and that Vortex is set to handle download links (see the Download settings above).
• Find a mod on Nexus Mods and click the Mod Manager Download button. The mod will be sent to Vortex's Download Manager.
• Install and enable the mod, then let Vortex deploy it to your game.
• Launch your game and enjoy your mods!

Notes

• We are not affiliated with Nexus Mods or Black Tree Gaming Ltd. in any way. This guide is created independently by the modding community to help users understand how to use Vortex and its features.
• The information in this guide is accurate as of the time of writing, but Vortex may receive updates and changes that affect the layout and features described here.
• If you'd like to make edits to the guide, please read the message at the end of the article for instructions.

See Also!

• Vortex on Nexus Mods
• Vortex Knowledge Base / Wiki
• Vortex GitHub Repository
• How to Download & Install Vortex

Conclusion

That's all for this guide! We hope it has been helpful in getting you started with Vortex and understanding its layout and settings.

Guides we create are always open to edits and improvements, so if you have any suggestions or notice any issues, feel free to contribute by creating a pull request on our GitHub repository!

Please join our Discord server if you have any questions or need help with anything related to modding or our guides!