How To Install Mods In Skyrim (2026)

A guide on how to install mods in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PC. We cover all three of the common methods: Vortex (the mod manager from Nexus Mods), the Steam Workshop, and installing mods by hand (manual installation).

This guide is focused on Windows users, but most of the concepts can be adapted for Linux with tools like Steam Proton and Wine!

Skyrim is one of the most modded games of all time and it isn't particularly close. Whether you want better visuals, new quests, reworked combat, or just a UI that wasn't designed for a controller, there's a mod for it. To keep things practical, we'll be installing the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) and a mod called SkyUI through every method so you can see exactly what each one looks like.

Requirements

• A PC copy of Skyrim (this guide uses the Steam version).
• 7-Zip or any other archive extraction software.
• A free Nexus Mods account (optional, but you'll want one).
• A basic understanding of copying and moving files around on Windows.

Which Version Of Skyrim Are You Running?

This matters more than people expect, so it's worth sorting out before you download anything. There are four PC releases floating around and mods are not interchangeable between them.

• Skyrim (also called Legendary Edition, Classic, or LE) - the original 2011 release. Installed to steamapps\common\Skyrim.
• Skyrim Special Edition (SE) - the 2016 re-release. Installed to steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition.
• Skyrim Anniversary Edition (AE) - not a separate install, it's SE updated to game version 1.6.x with the Creation Club content.
• Skyrim VR - its own install and its own set of mods.

The screenshots in this guide were taken on classic Skyrim, so if you're on Special/Anniversary Edition your paths will say Skyrim Special Edition instead of Skyrim. Everything else works the same way.

NOTE - The Steam Workshop only exists for classic Skyrim. Special Edition and Anniversary Edition don't have a Workshop tab at all, so if you're on SE/AE you'll be using Vortex or manual installs.

NOTE - Mods generally don't work on the Windows Store / Game Pass or Epic Games releases of Skyrim. SKSE flat out doesn't support them.

Back Up Your Game Files!

Before you touch anything, back up your game. Mods break saves, and a broken save with 80 hours in it is a bad afternoon.

You can do this by performing the following.

• Copy your entire Skyrim folder (Skyrim or Skyrim Special Edition) somewhere else on your drive.
• Copy your save files, found in one of the paths below.
  • C:\Users\<user>\Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves
  • C:\Users\<user>\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

If a mod ruins your install, you can drop the backup back in and carry on.

TIP - Get into the habit of making a fresh manual save before adding new mods to an existing playthrough. Removing mods mid-save is where most "my game won't load anymore" posts come from.

Where To Download Mods

• Nexus Mods - by far the largest source and where basically every notable mod lives.
• Steam Workshop - convenient and installs with one click, but the selection is small and classic-only.
• TMC - us! Still new, but growing.

I've found the easiest route for most people is the Steam Workshop for the handful of mods it has, and Nexus Mods with Vortex for everything else. The Workshop is genuinely nice when it works, but you'll run out of mods quickly and you can't rely on the Workshop version of SKSE (more on that below).

TIP - Always read the full mod description and skim the comments/posts tab before installing. Plenty of mods have requirements, patches, or a specific install order that the description spells out.

Installing The Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)

A huge chunk of Skyrim mods, including SkyUI, won't run without the Skyrim Script Extender. It's a launcher that starts the game with extra scripting capability that Bethesda never exposed, and it's the single most common reason a mod "doesn't do anything" after installing.

You can grab it from the official SKSE website.

Which Build Do You Need?

Pick the build that matches your game, not the newest one on the page.

Your Game	SKSE Build	Loader You Launch
Skyrim (classic/LE)	Current classic build (1.7.3)	skse64_loader.exe
Skyrim Special Edition (1.5.97)	Current Special Edition build	skse64_loader.exe
Skyrim Anniversary Edition (1.6.x)	Current Anniversary Edition build	skse64_loader.exe
Skyrim VR	Current VR build	sksevr_loader.exe

This guide uses the classic build 1.7.3 since that's what the screenshots were taken on.

NOTE - If you're on Steam and haven't blocked updates, you're almost certainly on the latest version, which means the Anniversary Edition build. The SKSE site says as much right on the download page.

Installing SKSE Through Steam

The SKSE team publish the classic build on Steam as a free "game" called Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE). If you own classic Skyrim, you can just install it from the store page.

1. Install if signed in through Steam: Click the Install now button on the store page.

Steam will then show you the usual install prompt.

1. Check if wanted: Optionally create a desktop and/or start menu shortcut.
2. Choose drive to store it on: Pick a drive. Install it to the same Steam library your copy of Skyrim lives on.
3. Click to install: Hit Install.

Steam installs SKSE into its own folder rather than into Skyrim itself. On my machine that was steamapps\common\skyrim 365720.

1. SKSE Steam folder install: This is where Steam drops SKSE.
2. Copy these to your Skyrim game folder: In theory the Steam version launches Skyrim with SKSE on its own through the Steam overlay. I could not get that working, so I ended up copying the contents of this folder (skse_1_9_32.dll, skse_loader.exe, skse_steam_boot.exe, skse_steam_loader.dll, and the Data folder) into my Skyrim install folder.
3. Use this file to start Skyrim: Once copied, launch the game with skse_loader.exe.

Here's what the Skyrim folder looks like after copying everything over.

NOTE - The Steam version of SKSE has always been hit or miss for me. If it doesn't work, install it manually using the steps below instead. It takes about a minute and behaves far more predictably.

Installing SKSE Manually

This is the method I'd recommend to most people.

1. Go to the SKSE website and download the build that matches your game (either the installer or the 7z archive).
2. If you downloaded the archive, extract it with 7-Zip.
3. Copy the contents of the extracted folder into your Skyrim installation folder - the one containing SkyrimSE.exe (or TESV.exe on classic).
4. Launch the game with the SKSE loader instead of the normal launcher.

IMPORTANT - Pay attention to the loader's file name here. If you downloaded SKSE manually for Special Edition or Anniversary Edition (which is what most people are on these days), the archive contains skse64_loader.exe and that's the file you launch. The Steam version is the classic build, so it only ships skse_loader.exe. Launching the wrong one, or launching SkyrimSE.exe out of habit, will start the game without SKSE and none of your script-based mods will do anything.

Launching The Game Through SKSE

You must start Skyrim through the SKSE loader every time. Double-clicking Skyrim in your Steam library launches the vanilla executable and skips SKSE entirely.

1. SKSE in your library: If you installed SKSE through Steam, it shows up as its own entry in your library. It's supposed to launch Skyrim with SKSE from here, but as mentioned above, I had no luck with it and had to launch the loader manually.
2. Add a shortcut: You can right-click skse_loader.exe (or skse64_loader.exe) in your Skyrim folder, create a shortcut, and then add that shortcut to Steam through Add a Game -> Add a Non-Steam Game for quick access.

TIP - If you add it to Steam, rename the shortcut to something like Skyrim (SKSE) so you don't accidentally launch the wrong one later. You can also add the loader as a tool in Vortex through the Dashboard and launch it from there.

Checking If SKSE Loaded

Start the game through the loader, then open the System menu (the pause menu) and look at the bottom-left corner.

If SKSE is running, the version string will have SKSE <version> appended to it (mine reads 1.9.32.0.8 (SKSE 1.7.3 rel 48)). If you only see the game version with no SKSE mentioned, SKSE isn't loading and you launched the wrong executable.

Our Example Mod: SkyUI

SkyUI is the mod we'll be installing for the rest of this guide. It replaces Skyrim's console-oriented menus with proper PC ones, and it's a requirement for a lot of other mods because of the MCM (Mod Configuration Menu) it provides.

Before installing anything, scroll down the mod page and read the author's installation instructions. Almost every mod on Nexus Mods has a section like this and it will tell you exactly what you need.

1. Requirements: SkyUI requires SKSE 1.7.3 or newer. This is why we installed it first.
2. Mod manager steps: The author's instructions for installing through a mod manager. The page still says NMM (Nexus Mod Manager) because SkyUI hasn't been updated since 2015, but the steps map directly onto Vortex.
3. Manual install steps: The author's instructions for installing by hand, which we'll follow later in this guide.

Installing Mods Through Vortex

Vortex is the official mod manager from Nexus Mods and it's the method I'd recommend for anyone installing more than a couple of mods. It handles deployment, load order, conflicts, and lets you disable a mod without deleting it.

We've already written two separate guides on Vortex, so we won't repeat the setup here.

• How To Download & Install Vortex
• How To Use Vortex & The Basics

Managing Skyrim In Vortex

Before Vortex will install anything, you need to tell it to manage Skyrim.

1. Click the "Games" tab: Open the Games page from the sidebar.
2. Search or find Skyrim: Type skyrim into the search bar at the top.
3. Click "Manage": Hover over the tile for the version of Skyrim you want to mod and click Manage. Note that Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition, and Skyrim VR are three separate entries with three separate mod lists.

Vortex will detect your install automatically in most cases. If it can't, click the three dots (⋮) on the game's tile and use Manually Set Location to point it at your Skyrim folder.

The Skyrim Page In Vortex

Once Skyrim is being managed, it appears in the left sidebar and you get a set of Skyrim-specific pages.

1. Mods: Your currently installed mods for Skyrim. This is where you'll spend most of your time.
2. Collections: Collections you've installed. A collection is a curated list of mods bundled together by another user.
3. Browse Nexus Mods: Browse collections and mods. Mod browsing inside the app isn't available yet, so this currently sends you to the website for individual mods.
4. Plugins: Your .esp/.esm plugin list and load order.
5. Save games: A list of all of your Skyrim saves.
6. Tools: Vortex and modding tools you've added (this is where you'd add the SKSE loader).
7. Health check: Vortex's status checks for your Skyrim setup.
8. Preferences: Skyrim-specific settings for Vortex.
9. Add collection: Installs that entire collection through Vortex.
10. Sorting options: Change how the listed collections are sorted (Most Endorsed, etc.).

Downloading SkyUI Through Vortex

With Skyrim managed, head to the SkyUI mod page in your browser.

Click the orange Vortex button next to Download at the top of the page. This is the "Mod Manager Download" button - if a mod page doesn't have one, that mod has to be installed manually.

Your browser will then ask for permission to hand the download off to Vortex.

1. If you don't want this pop up again: Tick the Always allow checkbox so your browser stops asking every single time.
2. Click to download & install with Vortex: Click Open Vortex.

Vortex will download the mod and start installing it. For SkyUI you'll get a warning like the one below.

1. Install anyway (unsafe): SkyUI uses a FOMOD installer with C# scripts in it, which Vortex flags because scripts can run arbitrary code. SkyUI is one of the most downloaded mods in Skyrim's history and comes straight from Nexus Mods, so it's safe to continue here.

NOTE - Don't treat this warning as noise. It's genuinely worth stopping to check the mod's page, endorsement count, and virus scan result before clicking through on a mod you don't recognise.

Managing Your Installed Mods

Once it's installed, SkyUI shows up on the Mods page.

1. Enable or disable (drop-down menu): The Status column. Mods have to be Enabled and deployed to actually take effect in-game.
2. Remove & more: The arrow next to Remove opens the actions menu (detailed below).
3. Toggle columns: The gear icon lets you choose which columns are shown in the list.

The Status dropdown gives you three states.

• Enabled - the mod is active and will be deployed to your game.
• Disabled - the mod stays installed in Vortex but isn't deployed. Great for testing whether a mod is causing a crash.
• Uninstalled - removes the installed files but keeps the downloaded archive.

The actions menu next to Remove covers everything else you'd want to do with a mod.

• Reinstall - runs the installer again (handy for mods with FOMOD options you want to change).
• Remove related - removes the mod along with things tied to it.
• Check for Updates - queries Nexus Mods for a newer version.
• Manage File Conflicts - resolve conflicts when two mods touch the same file.
• Open in File Manager - opens the mod's staging folder.
• Open Archive - opens the downloaded archive.
• Refresh Content - re-reads the mod's files.
• Create Report - generates a report about the mod, useful when asking for help.
• Open on Nexus Mods - opens the mod page in your browser.

Finally, the gear icon lets you add columns to the list.

You can toggle Version, Author, Archive Name, Mod Size, Installation Time, Enabled Time, Downloaded Time, Category, Mod Type, Source, Endorsed, Tracking, Collection, Content, Deploy Order, Dependencies, and Highlight. Author and Mod Size are the two I'd add straight away once your list starts growing.

NOTE - If Vortex shows a Deploy Mods notification after enabling a mod, click it. Nothing reaches your game folder until mods are deployed.

Installing Mods Through The Steam Workshop

The Steam Workshop is the easiest method by far - you click Subscribe and Steam does the rest. The catch is that it's classic Skyrim only and the mod selection is tiny compared to Nexus Mods.

Finding Mods

Open the Skyrim Workshop from the game's community hub.

From here you can browse the popular mods of the week, or click Browse to search through everything.

1. Search for mods: Type the mod's name into the search box (in our case, skyui).
2. Click to go to the SkyUI page: Click the result you want. Watch the author name here - there are translations and knock-offs with nearly identical thumbnails.

Subscribing To A Mod

On the mod's page, you'll see a Subscribe button.

1. Click to install if signed in through Steam: Click Subscribe. Steam downloads the mod the next time it syncs, and the mod is enabled automatically when you next launch the game.

NOTE - Workshop mods still need their requirements met. SkyUI from the Workshop won't do anything without SKSE installed, exactly like the Nexus Mods version.

Managing Your Workshop Mods

Workshop mods are managed through Skyrim's properties in Steam.

1. Right click Skyrim and click "Properties": Find The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in your library, right-click it, and choose Properties from the menu.

Then open the Workshop tab.

1. Click this tab to manage installed workshop mods: The Workshop tab lists everything you're subscribed to.
2. Check to enable or disable mod(s): Tick or untick a mod to enable or disable it, and drag the handle on the right to change its load order.
3. Uninstall mod: The bin icon unsubscribes and removes the mod.

Installing Mods Manually (Advanced)

Manual installs are worth knowing even if you use Vortex, because sooner or later you'll hit a mod that isn't packaged for a mod manager. It's also just useful to see what a mod actually is - a handful of files that go in your Data folder.

Downloading The Mod

Back on the SkyUI mod page, use the Manual button this time instead of the Vortex one.

1. Manually download SkyUI: Click Manual next to Download.

A window will pop up confirming the file.

1. Manual download: Click Manual download and the archive will download through your browser. Note that the requirements are listed underneath - SKSE 1.7.3 again.

NOTE - Free Nexus Mods accounts get a short wait before the download starts and a capped download speed. That's normal and not something going wrong.

Copying The Files

Extract the downloaded archive with 7-Zip and take a look at what's inside.

1. Copy these files to your Skyrim game folder's "Data/" folder: In SkyUI's case, that's SkyUI.esp, SkyUI.bsa, and the fomod folder.

Now open your Skyrim Data folder and paste them in. For classic Skyrim that's steamapps\common\Skyrim\Data, and for Special Edition it's steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Data.

1. Inside the Data folder: Make sure you're in Data and not the root Skyrim folder. The Data folder is the one with Skyrim.esm and all the Skyrim - *.bsa files in it.
2. SkyUI files: The three items we just copied in, sitting alongside the vanilla game files.

TIP - Most archives are packed so that their contents drop straight into Data. Some aren't, though - if you extract a mod and find a folder called Data inside it, you want the contents of that folder, not the folder itself. If you end up with Data\Data\, the mod won't load.

NOTE - The fomod folder is just installer metadata for mod managers. Copying it across does nothing on a manual install, and you can safely leave it out.

Enabling The Plugin

Copying files in isn't enough for mods with a plugin (.esp or .esm). You also have to tell the game to load it, which is done through the launcher.

1. Click "Data Files": Open the Skyrim launcher and click Data Files.

1. Check to enable, uncheck to disable: Tick the box next to SkyUI.esp. You can also change the load order with the Modify Load Order arrows at the bottom.
2. OK to confirm: Click OK to save.
3. Skyrim Workshop: This button opens the Steam Workshop for Skyrim, which is handy if you're mixing methods.

NOTE - If Data Files is greyed out in the launcher, open Documents\My Games\Skyrim\SkyrimPrefs.ini and add bEnableFileSelection=1 under the [Launcher] section.

Once the plugin is enabled, close the launcher and start the game through the SKSE loader rather than pressing Play.

Checking If Your Mods Loaded

Load a save (or start a new game) and open your inventory or magic menu. If SkyUI is working, the menus will look nothing like vanilla.

Instead of the vanilla list, you get a sortable, searchable table with columns. If your menus still look like the vanilla ones, work through this list.

• Did you launch the game through the SKSE loader? (Check the SKSE section above.)
• Is the plugin actually enabled in Data Files, or in Vortex's Plugins page?
• If you're using Vortex, did the mods get deployed?
• Did you download the version of the mod that matches your version of Skyrim?

Other Useful Tools

LOOT - Load Order Optimization Tool

Once you're past a handful of mods, load order becomes the thing that decides whether your game runs. LOOT reads your plugin list and sorts it for you based on a community-maintained masterlist.

To use LOOT, please perform the following steps.

1. Download and install LOOT from here.
2. Launch it and let it detect your Skyrim install.
3. Click Sort Plugins.
4. Review the suggested changes and apply them.

NOTE - LOOT can be integrated directly into Vortex, so you can sort your load order without leaving the app.

Wrye Bash & xEdit

Two more tools worth knowing about once you're deep into a modlist.

• Wrye Bash - builds a "bashed patch" that merges conflicting records from multiple mods.
• xEdit (TES5Edit/SSEEdit) - lets you inspect and clean plugins, and diagnose conflicts by hand.

Neither is required to enjoy mods, but they're the standard answer once "just install it" stops being enough.

Troubleshooting

• The game crashes on startup after adding mods. Disable your most recently added mods and add them back one at a time. Vortex's Disabled status makes this quick.
• The game crashes after a Skyrim update. SKSE is tied to a specific game version. Re-download the matching build, and check whether your SKSE-dependent mods have updated too.
• A mod does nothing in-game. Nine times out of ten this is either SKSE not loading or a plugin that was never enabled.
• Vortex isn't picking up download links. In Vortex, go to Settings -> Download and make sure Handle Mod Manager Download buttons on nexusmods.com (nxm:// links) is enabled.
• You need to ask for help. Grab your logs first. SKSE writes them to Documents\My Games\Skyrim\SKSE\, and Vortex has a log viewer under the question mark (?) icon.

Notes

• We are not affiliated with Nexus Mods, Bethesda, or the SKSE team in any way. This guide was put together independently to help people get started with modding Skyrim.
• Everything here was accurate at the time of writing. Skyrim, Vortex, and SKSE all get updates, so the odd screenshot may drift out of date.
• Mod at your own risk. Back your saves up, add mods a few at a time, and you'll avoid most of the pain.

See Also!

• Nexus Mods - Skyrim
• Nexus Mods - Skyrim Special Edition
• Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)
• SkyUI on Nexus Mods
• LOOT - Load Order Optimization Tool
• How To Download & Install Vortex
• How To Use Vortex & The Basics
• Skyrim Modding Subreddit

Conclusion

That's everything! You should now have SKSE running, SkyUI installed through whichever method suits you, and a decent idea of how the three approaches differ.

The short version - use the Steam Workshop if you just want a couple of mods and you're on classic Skyrim, use Vortex for anything serious, and keep manual installs in your back pocket for the mods that need them.

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!