Are you using a Mod Manager for Fallout 4 and it’s not working properly? In this guide, I’ll show you how to fix the issue of ‘Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working’. Using a few quick, easy solutions, you can get your mods running in no time!
Fans of the action role-playing genre would be familiar with Bethesda’s highly popular Fallout 4. Having received multiple Game of the Year awards, Fallout 4 cemented itself as one of the greatest video games of all time. It’s gut-wrenching storyline, innovative combat, and beautiful graphics were well-received by both fans and critics alike.
For those gamers who wanted a little more than what the vanilla version of the game had to offer, there were the hundreds and thousands of mods. All you needed to use these mods were the game itself and a mod manager. Let’s take a look at what a Fallout 4 Mod Manager is.
What Is A Fallout 4 Mod Manager?
Mod is short for ‘modification’. It is when someone takes a game and modifies certain aspects of it to their liking. It could be as simple as changing the base color of a gun, to as complex as creating an entire new game-world and storylines.
A mod manager is a program that loads the mod files and executes them properly for a game. A casual gamer might not have the technical proficiency to execute the code within a mod file without any error. Often times, the mod may not work or the game will crash. A mod manager simplifies this process by automating the mod deployment.
A Fallout 4 mod manager is any mod manager that has the capability to load and execute mods for Fallout 4. The most popular one is ‘Vortex’, which is the flagship mod manager for Nexus Mods, the largest gaming mod website on the internet.
What Causes ‘Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working’ Error?
There are multiple reasons why you might get a ‘Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working’ error. Here are some of the most common ones.
- Configuration files have not been properly configured.
- Windows Firewall maybe blocking the Fallout 4 Mod Manager from connecting online.
- The mod itself might be corrupter or outdated.
- Multi HD Install not enabled within the Mod Manager.
- The mod manager does not have administrative privileges to execute the mods.
In the section, I’ll show you how to fix these issues easily.
How To Fix Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working’ Error
These are the best troubleshooting methods available to get your Fallout 4 Mod Manager working again.
1. Recheck The Mods And Update Mod Manager
Whenever you’re downloading a mod from the internet, check the comment section of the website to see if other players are able to use it properly. Not all mods are coded well and this can cause it to not work at all in most systems. Mods will usually have the contact email for the particular developer for that mod. You can get in touch with them directly to check if the mod is working.
The next thing to do is updating your mod manager. I use Vortex, so I’ll show you how to update it.
Step 1: Launch Vortex.
Step 2: From the left-hand panel, select the option for ‘Settings’. Navigate to the ‘Vortex’ tab.
Step 3: Under ‘Update’, set the option to ‘Stable’. This will allow Vortex to automatically update itself.
Restart your PC now. Vortex will automatically find any available updates and install it. After all updates are completed, try loading the mods and opening Fallout 4.
2. Run Mod Manager With Administrative Privileges
This is quite a simple fix. Mod managers require certain special permissions that will allow them to change certain game files and replace them with the mod file’s code. Running your mod manager as an administrator will ensure that there won’t be any error while the mod is being loaded.
Step 1: Right-click your Mod Manager.
Step 2: You’ll see an option called ‘Run as administrator’. Click on it.
Step 3: Click ‘Yes’ on the confirmation pop-up.
3. Configure The .INI Files
.ini Files are configuration files that are text-based and have to be properly configured to allow games to work. For certain games like Fallout 4, the .ini files have to be modified with some extra code so that the game will properly run any mods. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Go to the following directory – Documents > MyGames > Fallout4
Step 2: You’ll see a couple of .ini files here. Open the file named ‘Fallout4Custom.ini’. In case you don’t see a configuration file with this name, create a new notepad file and rename it as ‘Fallout4Custom.ini’.
Step 3: Once in the file, add the following lines of code –
[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS/, TEXTURES/, MUSIC/, SOUND/, INTERFACE/, MESHES/, PROGRAMS/, MATERIALS/, LODSETTINGS/, VIS/, MISC/, SCRIPTS/, SHADERSFX/
Now save the file.
Step 4: Within the same directory, there’s a file called ‘Fallout4prefs.ini’. Open it.
Step 5: Scroll down to the bottom of the file, and under the ‘Launcher’ section, type in this code – ‘bEnableFileSelection=1’.
Note – In case you already see a line that says ‘bEnableFileSelection=0’, simply change the 0 to 1.
Step 6: Save the changes and close the file.
You can now launch Fallout 4.
4. Turn Windows Defender Off
Temporarily turning off Windows Defender can sometimes fix the issue of Fallout 4 Mod Manager not working.
Step 1: Go to the Search function on your Taskbar and type in ‘Windows Defender Firewall’. Open the Firewall application.
Step 2: On the left-pane, you’ll see an option called ‘Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off’. Tap on it.
Step 3: Under both ‘Private’ and ‘Public’ network settings, tap on ‘Turn off Windows Defender Firewall’.
Step 4: Click on ‘OK’ at the bottom of the screen.
Conclusion
I hope this guide has helped you to resolve the issue with Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working. I will always advice you to use the Vortex Mod Manager as it is currently the best and most stable mod manager out there.
You can also download your Fallout 4 mods from Nexus () as they have quite a large community working 24/7 to perfect and deliver the best mods for your game.