Where does vortex saves installed mod files?

[SwanRusNight]

Hello everyone, I've just investigated that vortex somehow saves downloaded and installed mod files not only in game directory but somewhere else, I'll try to explain the situation as much understandable as I can, sorry for bad English.

So what happened:

I installed Fallout 4 and Vortex on same hard drive about 2 days ago, I set the mods download and stage directory on that hard drive too, so the mod files, game and vortex were all on one hard drive, but then I've managed to reinstall the game and vortex on SSD, I've deleted game and vortex and fully cleared the hard drive they were installed on, so it is fully empty now, no folders or something. I also cleared Fallout 4 directory at My Documents folder, just in case to fully renew installation on SSD. But after I installed Fallout 4 and Vortex on SSD, I've opened vortex and it showed me up that all my mods I have installed previously on hard drive are just not enabled, they weren't at "Downloads" section, they were in "Mods" that as I knew is only for downloaded mods just to manage them. I've tried to enable one of them and... It just installed and enable it without downloading from somewhere or any errors, like they were on PC all that time, but I surely don't have them anywhere. It couldn't be even fast download because mod files size is 230 Mbs so it definitely just has mods files somewhere else, not only in game folder or folders made for mods stage. Please can you tell me how is that happening and where to search them? I should know that cause I don't have much memory on my HDD and SSD, and so on if it stores mods somewhere else I don't know one day I will delete game, vortex and mods but there still be some unused bunch of files that just will be taking space without any need.. I hope that I wrote it correctly and you can understand my problem, please if somebody knows where to find them tell me

P. S. I've checked out game folder now : yes, there are mod .ba and .esp files, and their size is same as should be, didn't checked in game, but will do tomorrow

[rmm200]

Well your first line is wrong. Vortex has only one copy of your mods, and that is in the mod staging directory.

Vortex puts hard links to your enabled mods into your game directory when you Deploy. Not the mods - just a link to them.

Windows will report those hard links as if they were the real mod in size. They are not.

If you ever move your game directory to a different drive without Purging first, Windows will replace each of those hard links with the full mod. Don't do that. That will double the used space.

[HadToRegister]

[SwanRusNight]

Well your first line is wrong. Vortex has only one copy of your mods, and that is in the mod staging directory.

Vortex puts hard links to your enabled mods into your game directory when you Deploy. Not the mods - just a link to them.

Windows will report those hard links as if they were the real mod in size. They are not.

If you ever move your game directory to a different drive without Purging first, Windows will replace each of those hard links with the full mod. Don't do that. That will double the used space.

Does it means that technically I can just install those mods again and they will work? Or it's just showing up like full sized mod files and none of them would work correctly since I enable them in Vortex? Should I better delete them through vortex, download and install again as usually?

[SwanRusNight]

Thanks, so now I know that vortex doesn't put files in any other places, but does windows saves them and if yes, where to? If I delete mods through vortex, would it delete their files in directories that windows used to save them? Or maybe there is other way to clean out all mods files that could be saved by windows properly?

[SwanRusNight]

Just have checked out does those mods work on a couple of them - yes, they does work correctly, and f4se too (didn't downloaded it as didn't anything after reinstalling game and vortex), so last check I need is to find where does those files stored to purge them. Any ideas?

[HadToRegister]

Just have checked out does those mods work on a couple of them - yes, they does work correctly, and f4se too (didn't downloaded it as didn't anything after reinstalling game and vortex), so last check I need is to find where does those files stored to purge them. Any ideas?

 

 

The Mods you DOWNLAOD are in the DOWNLOAD folder.

 

The MODS you have Installed are in the MOD STAGING FOLDER

 

You do NOT want to manually delete any of them, and if you want to purge them, then you use the PURGE button in Vortex.

 

You can check where you Download and Mod Staging Folder are located in Vortex.

 

 

DOWNLOAD FOLDER LOCATION

 

 

 

 

MOD STAGING FOLDER LOCATION