How do I fix Fallout 4 mods not working?

The Windows firewall or antivirus utility might be blocking Fallout 4

by Matthew Adams

Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things... read more

Updated on July 22, 2022

Reviewed by Vlad Turiceanu

Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more

• Fallout 4 is unique in the sense that its excellent modding community takes care of releasing new game mods.
• If you haven't properly set up certain INI files for the game, Fallout 4 modifications won't function.
• Texture modifications not functioning and other game modding difficulties may be resolved using Windows antivirus software.

The gaming world has kept growing, and with updates and upgrades in tech, the experience has also improved. Sadly, there are the occasional bugs, and recently Fallout 4 gamers have observed that mods are not always working.

Fallout 4 has a thriving modding community that releases new mods for that game. These mods alter the game in various ways.

For example, when downloading mods that enhance visuals or add new features to Fallout 4, in some cases, the mods don’t work or show up in the game.

We introduce you to the best fixes in this article, and if Fallout 4 mods are not loading or Fallout 4 texture mods are not working, these solutions should help.

Why do my Fallout 4 mods not work?

Fallout 4 mods won’t work if you haven’t configured certain INI files for the game as required.

The Windows firewall or antivirus utility might be blocking Fallout 4 or its mods manager. Or the mods manager for Fallout 4 might not have admin privileges.

Faulty (corrupted) or outdated mods can also stop other mods from working.

General issues with the game will arise when there are faulty mods. For example, Fallout 4 might crash with regularity or, in the worst case, not start at all because of broken mods.

How do I get mods to work in Fallout 4?

1. Run Nexus Mod Manager (or Vortex) as administrator

1. First, open the folder that includes your Nexus Mod Manager (or Vortex modding software) for Fallout 4.
   
   
2. Right-click the EXE file for your Fallout 4 mod software and select Properties.
3. Then select the Compatibility tab shown in the screenshot directly below.
   
   
4. Select the Run this program as administrator setting, and click the Apply option.
   
   
5. Click OK to exit the properties window.

2. Configure INI files for Fallout 4 modding

1. First, press the Windows + E hotkey to open File Explorer.
2. Then open the Fallout 4 folder at this path:
   Documents\MyGames\Fallout4
3. Right-click the Fallout4Custom.ini file and select Open with.
   
   
4. Click Notepad to open Fallout4Custom.ini with that text editor.
   
   
5. Copy the following code with the Ctrl + C hotkey:
   [Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=
6. Paste that code into your Fallout4Custom.ini file with the Ctrl + V hotkey, then save it.
   
   
7. Right-click the Fallout4Custom.ini file and select Properties.
   
   
8. Click on the General tab, and uncheck theRead-only attribute checkbox.
   
   
9. Again, right-click Fallout4Prefs.ini within the same Fallout 4 folder and select Open with to open the file within Notepad.
10. Enter the code below within the Fallout4Prefs.ini file beneath bEnableFileSelection=1
    [Launcher]
    
    
11. Then select the Save option on Notepad’s File menu.

If your Fallout 4 folder doesn’t include a Fallout4Custom.ini file, set up a new file for that folder by clicking File > Save as in Notepad.

Select All Files on the Save as type drop-down menu. Then enter Fallout4Custom.ini in the file title box, and press the Save button.

3. Enable Fallout 4 through Windows Defender Firewall

1. Click the Start button, type firewall, then select the Windows Defender Firewallapplet.
   
   
2. Click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
   
   
3. Press the Change settings button.
   
   
4. Then select both the Public and Private checkboxes for Fallout 4 and Nexus Mod Manager (or Vortex if you use that).
5. Select the OK button.

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If you can’t find Fallout 4 and your mod manager listed within Allowed apps, click the Allow another app option.

Then you can press the Browse button to select and add the Fallout 4 and mod manager apps to the list.

4. Add a Fallout 4 exclusion to Windows Security

1. Click on the Start menu, type Windows security, and then select the Windows Security applet. 
   
   
2. Click the Virus and threat shield button on the left side of Windows Security, then select Manage settings on the right pane.
   
   
3. Scroll down and click Add or remove exclusions.
   
   
4. Press the + Add an exclusion button, then click the Folder option, and select the Fallout 4 directory.
   
   
5. Then click the Folder option, and select the Fallout 4 directory.

5. Disable and re-enable mods one at a time

1. Open the Nexus Mod Manager window.
   
   
2. Then select Fallout 4 in Nexus Mod Manager to open a list of its installed mods.
3. Disable all your mods by right-clicking them and selecting their Deactivate options.
   
   
4. Play Fallout 4 after deactivating all the mods. If deactivating the mods fixed previous issues for the game, at least one of the mods is faulty.
5. Thereafter, active a mod; and play Fallout 4 after activating it to check for issues. Keep on testing the game after reactivating one mod at a time until you can identify a faulty one.
6. Deactivate the corrupted mod you discover.

When Fallout 4 mods are not working in Xbox, PC, PS4, and PS5, you should try disabling and re-enabling the modes.

6. Reinstall Nexus Mod Manager to update it

1. To open the Run accessory, press the Windows + R keys.
2. Click the OK button after entering this command in Run’s text box:
   appwiz.cpl
   
   
3. Select your Fallout 4 mod software, and click the Uninstall button.
   
   
4. Restart Windows after removing the mod software.
5. Click the Manual Download button for the latest Nexus Mod Manager version on the NMM download page.
6. Alternatively, you can click the Download button on the Vortex page to save the setup wizard for that Fallout4 mod software.
   
   
7. Install the mod manager software you downloaded.

Here is a good fix for Fallout 4 Vortex mods not working and Fallout 4 Nexus mods not working.

Make sure you reinstall the mod manager software on the same hard drive as the Fallout 4 game.

There’s a pretty good chance the resolutions above will fix Fallout 4 mods not working. However, you can click the Submit A Ticket button on Bethesda’s support page if you still need more potential resolutions for Fallout 4 mods not showing up.

When Fallout 4 mods are not working on PCs, INI files for Fallout4 might not have been configured as required, there might be a corrupted mod, or the Windows firewall or antivirus utility might be blocking Fallout 4 and its modding software.

Adjusting property settings for Fallout 4 might fix Fallout 4 mods not appearing in-game.

Windows antivirus utility and firewall exceptions can feasibly fix Fallout 4 texture mods not working and other modding issues for that game.

Editing specific configuration files can also fix Fallout 4 mods not showing up. Lastly, you will find our guide helpful if your Nexus mod manager is not set up to work with Skyrim.

Let us know which solution worked for you in the comments area below.

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