Settings

FiveLaunch has two kinds of settings. App settings apply everywhere, and link options belong to one client and control what happens when that client launches.

Where settings live

FiveLaunch keeps its data in its own directory:

• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\settings.json: app settings
• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\clients.json: clients and their options
• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\clients\<clientId>\...: each client’s files
• %APPDATA%\FiveLaunch\backups\: the backup store

Tip

Skip the file browsing. The Folders menu under each client opens the client folder, the FiveM folder, FiveM plugins, and the CitizenFX folder directly.

App settings

gamePath

This is FiveM.app location in Settings. It overrides where FiveLaunch looks for your FiveM.app folder.

FiveLaunch uses it to find the real FiveM folders and files: mods, plugins, citizen, and FiveM.app/settings.xml. Leave it empty and FiveLaunch uses the default, %LOCALAPPDATA%\FiveM\FiveM.app.

Common problems:

• Wrong folder. Point it at FiveM.app itself, not the FiveM folder above it. Otherwise linking and launch fail.
• Moved or custom install. Set gamePath to wherever your FiveM.app lives now.
• Access errors. If file operations fail with permission errors, run FiveLaunch as admin once or add its folder to your antivirus allow list.

Updates

FiveLaunch updates itself. When a new build is out, the footer shows Update available: vX. Click it to download and restart. You only install by hand the first time. See Support for more.

Client link options

Each client has link options that decide what FiveLaunch links or syncs at launch.

mods (boolean)

Points FiveM.app/mods at the client’s own mods folder through a junction.

Common problems:

• OneDrive or other cloud-synced folders. Junctions inside a synced folder can misbehave.
• File locks. Windows locks the files while FiveM or GTA runs. Close both before you switch clients.

plugins (boolean)

Turns on per-client handling of FiveM.app/plugins. With it off, FiveM uses whatever is already there.

pluginsMode (junction | sync)

Only applies when plugins is on.

junction is the default. FiveM.app/plugins becomes a junction to the client’s plugins folder. It’s the fastest option, but some tools resolve the real path and read or write inside the client folder.

sync keeps FiveM.app/plugins as a real folder. FiveLaunch copies the client’s plugins in at launch, syncs a short list of safe config files back while you play, and finishes the rest on exit.

Use junction for most setups. Use sync for ReShade with add-ons, or anything that needs its files physically under FiveM.app/plugins.

Plugins, ReShade & ENBWhich mode to pick and what breaks.

citizen (boolean)

Links the client’s citizen folder into FiveM.app/citizen.

Danger

If the client’s citizen copy is incomplete, FiveM won’t start. Leave this off unless you know why you need it and you have a backup.

gtaSettings (boolean)

Writes the client’s gta5_settings.xml to every location FiveM and GTA read from:

• %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml, the main one for FiveM
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml, used by some installs
• FiveM.app/settings.xml, used by some launch flows

FiveLaunch writes the real file instead of linking it, so the game reads the exact bytes you saved. After launch, FiveLaunch watches the file for a short window and re-applies your settings if something changes them.

Validation and repair (v2.6+)

GTA is strict about this file. If it’s missing, cut off, or has a value or structure GTA doesn’t expect, GTA throws it away and regenerates auto-detected defaults. That caused the old “FiveLaunch reset my settings” reports.

Since v2.6, FiveLaunch validates and repairs the file when you save it and again right before launch:

• It checks every value against a schema. Booleans must be true or false, enums must be values the in-game menu writes, and numbers and resolutions must parse. FiveLaunch replaces anything invalid. Since v2.7 the schema matches files the game writes itself, so hidden below-menu values like -1 quality from low-end configs stay as they are.
• It fills in missing settings, including the version node the game needs.
• It repairs from your live game settings first and only then from the template, so a new client inherits your real settings.
• It writes atomically. FiveLaunch writes a temp file, renames it, and reads it back, so the game never sees a half-written file.

When you save in the GTA settings editor, FiveLaunch lists every fix it made.

Common problems:

• Settings reset to defaults. FiveM can still rewrite settings after the re-apply window ends. If yours keep resetting, check for:
  • fivem_sdk.cfg in %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\. FiveLaunch backs it up and removes it when it applies settings.
  • “optimizer” tools
  • read-only files or permission problems on the target files
• Empty or broken XML. GTA and FiveM regenerate defaults from a malformed file. FiveLaunch repairs the file before it applies it, but it can’t stop another tool from breaking it after launch.

GTA settings XML referenceEvery element, its allowed values, and what it does.

citizenFxIni (boolean)

Keeps %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\CitizenFX.ini in sync with the client’s copy while the game runs.

Common problems:

• %APPDATA% doesn’t resolve. Rare, but then there’s nothing to sync to.
• Edits don’t stick. FiveM or another tool can rewrite the ini. FiveLaunch syncs it on a best-effort basis.

Pure mode (Off | Level 1 | Level 2)

Passes FiveM’s pure-mode flag at launch. Off passes nothing, Level 1 passes -pure_1, and Level 2 passes -pure_2. Only turn it on for servers that ask for a pure level, since the wrong value can keep you from connecting.

Importing GTA settings

The GTA settings editor can load a starting point from two places:

• Import from game reads your real GTA V settings. It tries Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA V\settings.xml first, which Steam, Rockstar, and Epic installs all use. FiveLaunch finds that folder through the Windows known-folder API, so OneDrive-redirected Documents folders work. If that file is missing, it falls back to the FiveM copies, like %APPDATA%\CitizenFX\gta5_settings.xml.
• Load example loads the template that ships with the app.

The template sets configSource=SMC_USER. That value stops GTA from auto-detecting your hardware and wiping your manual settings on the next launch.

Since v2.7, the editor shows each option with the same name and values the in-game menu uses, so you can compare it side by side with GTA’s settings screen.