Userfolder

Basics

How to access the Userfolder
The easiest way to access the folder is through BeamNG.drive LauncherManage User FolderOpen in Explorer

How it works

BeamNG.drive’s folder structure is composed by two main folder:

  • Install Folder: where the program is installed
  • User Folder: where the user’s custom files are located

It normally contains:

Files
Description
Folder
Files
Cache
Description
All files cached by the game, allows to speed up loading times
Folder
/temp
Files
Mods
Description
Contains all mods, including repository downloads
Folder
/mods
Files
Replays
Description
Replays recorded and saved in-game
Folder
/replays
Files
Screenshots
Description
Screenshots taken in-game
Folder
/screenshots
Files
Settings
Description
All the user settings, including Controls settings
Folder
/settings
Files
Vehicle Configurations
Description
The user-made vehicle configuration
Folder
/vehicles/..
Files
World Editor
Description
Anything saved in the World Editor
Folder
/levels/.. for level related saves and /flowEditor for Flowgraph saves

This separation allows for modifications without affecting the original installation, making it easier to return to the original state at any time.


Structure & Priority

The User Folder’s structure mimics the one of the Game Folder. If a file exists in the same relative location in both folders, the one in the User Folder will be loaded over the original.

It is NOT RECOMMENDED to store your user folder in the same location as your install folder.

If you are using Steam, it may detect these unknown files and decide to remove them updates, during file verification process, or when you reinstall. This will cause you to lose all mods, settings, and custom content with no warning.


User Folder changes (> 0.22)

With game version 0.22.0.0, there have been some important changes to the User Folder, including the new default location and the way it works.

Versioning & Data Migration

In versions prior to 0.22.0.0 the User Folder was shared across different versions of the program.

Reusing the same user folder for all program versions would introduce issue if the user has made any modifications. For example, if they have been using the easily-accessible World Editor. These modifictions may create conflicts and break content if they are used as-is for a different version of the program.

To reduce the risk of such issues, the data inside the User Folder is versioned:

Userfolder/BeamNG.drive/0.22/<files>

When a new program version is detected, the Game Launcher takes care of migrating some files from the previous version to the new one.

Launcher message when a new version is detected Launcher message when a new version is detected

The data that is transferred automatically includes:

Folder
Description
Folder
/mods
Description
Contains all mods, including repository downloads
Folder
/replays
Description
Replays recorded and saved in-game
Folder
/screenshots
Description
Screenshots taken in-game
Folder
/settings
Description
The user settings, including Controls settings
Folder
/trackEditor
Description
Track Builder related files
Folder
/vehicles
Description
Only the user-made vehicle configuration (.pc and corresponding .jpg files)

Other files from the previous version can be manually transferred, if needed.


Manual Data Migration

If for any reason, the data migration process was not successful, you can perform a manual data migration with the following steps:

  1. Open the old user folder location (the old default path was My Documents\BeamNG.Drive)
  2. Navigate to the new location through Launcher → Manage User Folder → Open in Explorer and open the folder corresponding to the current version of the program
  3. Transfer the files from the old folder to the new folder (as needed)
Last modified: 12/3/2024 10:59

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