Settings

Settings

This page explains what settings exist in FiveLaunch, what they do, and common problems you might run into.

Where settings live

FiveLaunch stores its own config under Electron “userData”. On Windows this is typically:

• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\settings.json (app settings)
• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\clients.json (client profiles)
• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\clients\<clientId>\... (per-client storage)

If you’re unsure, use the in-app buttons (Open client folder / Open FiveM folder / Open CitizenFX folder) rather than browsing manually.

App settings (global)

gamePath

What it is: A manual override for where your FiveM.app folder is.

Used for: Finding the real FiveM folders/files (like mods, plugins, citizen, and FiveM.app/settings.xml).

Default behavior: If gamePath is not set, FiveLaunch uses the standard install location:

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\FiveM\FiveM.app

Common issues

• Wrong folder selected: The app expects the FiveM.app directory (not the base FiveM folder). If you pick the wrong folder, linking/launch will fail.
• Moved install / portable installs: If you moved FiveM somewhere custom, set gamePath to that custom FiveM.app path.
• Permissions / antivirus: If file operations fail with access errors, run FiveLaunch as admin once, or whitelist the install folder.

Client settings (per profile)

Each client profile has a linkOptions object that controls what gets linked/synced during launch.

mods (boolean)

What it does: Uses a junction to map FiveM’s FiveM.app/mods folder to the client’s mods folder.

Common issues

• OneDrive / cloud sync folders: If your FiveM install is inside a cloud-synced directory, junctions can behave oddly.
• File locks: If FiveM/GTA is running, Windows may lock files; close both before switching clients.

plugins (boolean)

What it does: Enables per-client handling of FiveM.app/plugins.

If disabled, FiveM uses whatever is already in FiveM.app/plugins.

pluginsMode (junction | sync)

This only matters if plugins: true.

junction (default)

• FiveM.app/plugins becomes a junction pointing to the client’s plugins folder.
• Fastest and simplest.
• Some plugins/tools will “resolve” the real path and end up reading/writing inside the client folder directly.

sync (copy/sync mode)

• FiveM.app/plugins stays a real folder.
• FiveLaunch copies client plugins into FiveM.app/plugins at launch.
• While the game is running, it only syncs a small set of “safe” config files back to the client folder.
• After the game exits, it finalizes a sync of safe files.

When to use which

• Use junction for most setups.
• Use sync if you run into ReShade/addon weirdness (see the Plugins docs) or anything that hard-requires files to physically exist under FiveM.app/plugins.

citizen (boolean)

What it does: Links the client citizen folder into FiveM.app/citizen.

Warning: Linking citizen can easily break FiveM if the client folder is incomplete. Keep it off unless you know exactly what you’re doing and have backups.

gtaSettings (boolean)

What it does: Applies per-client GTA graphics settings by copying the client’s gta5_settings.xml into multiple locations that FiveM/GTA may read:

• %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml (primary for FiveM)
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml (some installs)
• FiveM.app/settings.xml (some flows still read/override from here)

To keep settings from being immediately overwritten, FiveLaunch also runs a short “enforcement” loop after launch that re-applies the client settings if something overwrites them.

Common issues

• Settings reset to defaults: FiveM can overwrite settings after launch. FiveLaunch re-applies for a short window, but if your settings keep resetting, check:
  • fivem_sdk.cfg under %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\ (FiveLaunch tries to back it up and remove it when applying settings)
  • Any external “optimizer” tools
  • Read-only/permission problems on the target settings files
• Empty/invalid XML: An empty or malformed settings file can cause GTA/FiveM to regenerate defaults.

citizenFxIni (boolean)

What it does: Keeps %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\CitizenFX.ini synced with the client’s CitizenFX.ini while the game runs.

Common issues

• APPDATA missing (rare): If the environment can’t resolve %APPDATA%, this can’t sync.
• Edits not sticking: Another tool (or FiveM itself) can rewrite the INI; the two-way sync is best-effort.

GTA settings editor/import

FiveLaunch supports importing gta5_settings.xml from:

• Your existing install (it searches common locations like %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml)
• A template XML shipped with the app (resources/settings-template.xml)

The template includes configSource=SMC_USER which is important for preventing GTA from “auto-detecting” and wiping your manual settings.