How to Fix Fallout 4 Mod Manager Not Working Issue in Windows 10

This post highlights some helpful tweaks to deal with a widespread issue on the Fallout 4 mod manager that’s not working in Windows 10. Read on to learn more.

One of the common factors that could result in black screen and game crashing issues is an erratic mod. In fact, a lot of Fallout 4 players have claimed that a problematic mod triggered various issues to occur in the game. If by any chance, you will encounter the same issue about a dysfunctional Fallout 4 mod manager, particularly Vortex, on your Windows 10 PC, I’ve mapped out some helpful workarounds that you can use to rule out every possible trigger. 

What causes Fallout 4 Mod Manager errors?

There are many factors that can prevent mods from working as intended. Among the usual culprits include an antivirus software or Windows firewall, misconfigured .ini files in the game, conflicting directories, permission issues, as well as corrupt or outdated mods being used. In some cases, an outdated version of the Nexus Mod manager is found to be the underlying cause of the problem. 

These are the common factors that you should consider ruling out when dealing with modding issues in Fallout 4.

Troubleshooting Fallout 4 Mod Manager that’s not working in Windows 10

The steps depicted in the following procedures are specifically applied to two of the most popular modding tools for Fallout 4 namely the Vortex and Nexus Mod Manager.

First Fix: Run Mod Manager as Administrator

One of the reasons as to why a computer application or program including mod manager may not work as intended is because it’s only granted with limited access to system resources. Should this be the underlying cause of the mod manager issue in Fallout 4, running the mod as administrator will likely fix it. Here’s how:

  • On your computer, access the folder that contains your modding software either Nexus Mod manager or Vortex for Fallout 4.
  • Once you’re inside that folder, right-click on the executable (.exe) file for Fallout 4 mod software then select Properties.
  • On the succeeding window, navigate to the Compatibility tab.
  • Under Settings, check the box to Run this program as an administrator.
  • Click Apply then OK to save the recent changes.

Administrative access is now granted to your Fallout 4 mod manager. At this point, you can run some tests to see if the mod manager is already working as intended.

Second Fix: Reconfigure .INI Files for Fallout 4 modding

Files with .INI extensions are configuration files used by Windows apps to initialize program settings. These files usually contain sections or segments for settings and preferences. If any of these files are not properly configured, errors are more likely to occur in the Fallout 4 mod manager. 

To rule out faulty .ini files from the underlying cause, then try to reconfigure these files with these steps:

  • Access the Fallout game folder or directory. The actual path may vary depending on where you saved the game file on your computer. But more often, it’s saved in Documents. To get there, open the File Manager on  your computer then click Documents.
  • Select My Games then open the Fallout 4 folder.
  • Inside the Fallout 4 folder, right-click the file named Fallout4Custom.ini then select the option to Edit or Open in Notepad++ (if available). That ini file is empty by default.
  • To continue, copy and paste the following lines of code:

[Archive]

bInvalidateOlderFiles=1

sResourceDataDirsFinal=

  • Once you’re done copying and pasting the code, Save the Fallout4Custom.ini file then close Notepad or text editor.
  • After closing the text editor, open the Properties for Fallout4Custom.ini by right-clicking on the file name and then remove the check from the Read-only box next to Attributes.
  • Click Apply then OK to save the recent changes.
  • After that, open the Fallout4Prefs.ini file in the same (Fallout4) folder.
  • Scroll down to code section named [Launcher] then add this line:

bEnableFileSelection=1

  • If the line is already there, then just change the value to 1.
  • Save the recent changes and then close the configuration file.

Close the file manager and then retry opening the Fallout 4 game with your mods and see if everything is working properly.

Third Fix: Disable and re-enable individual mods.

If you suspect that an outdated or corrupt mod is the main culprit, then try to delete the suspected mod and see if that solves the problem. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Open the Nexus Mod Manager client on your computer then select Fallout4 game. A list of installed mods will then be displayed.
  • Disable all the mods in that list and see if the problem is fixed. If the game works with all the mods disabled, it means that any of these mods is causing the problem. 
  • To figure out the problematic mod, disable them one by one and then see if the game works. 

Once you’ve identified the erratic mod, deactivate it.

Fourth solution: Reinstall mod manager.

Over time and due to several factors, the mod manager may become corrupted. When this happens, it won’t be able to work as intended or may not work at all. To fix the problem, reinstalling the mod manager on the computer is recommended. Here’s how:

  • Press both the Win + R keys to launch the Run app on  your computer.
  • In the Run box, type appwiz.cpl then press Enter or OK.
  • On the succeeding window, select your Fallout4 mod software then click Uninstall.
  • After uninstalling the mod software, restart your computer.
  • As soon as the system is finished rebooting, download and install the latest version of your Mod Manager software straight from the developer’s site.
  • Just follow the instructions on the setup wizard.

Once the mod manager software is completely installed, retry modding in your Fallout4 game and see if the problem is fixed.

Other Suggestions

  • Update game and mod manager. Keeping the mod manager tool and the game up-to-date is highly recommended to ensure optimum performance and bug-free platform. Several issues have been reported by those who are using older versions of the Nexus Mod manager, particularly with the plugin files. To clear that out, be sure to use the latest version of Nexus Mod Manager. If necessary, you can uninstall the old version then download and install the latest version straight from the software developer’s website.
  • Disable firewall/antivirus software. If you have an antivirus or firewall enabled in the system, try to disable it temporarily. Doing so will help you determine whether or not the problem is attributed to some security issues like when the antivirus is flagging your mod manager tool or the game itself. After disabling your antivirus or firewall, retry modding in Fallout 4 and see if everything is already working properly. If no issues occur while the security software is disabled, that’s an indication that you need to reconfigure it to set exceptions for your Fallout mod manager.

Hope this helps!

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