This guide will walk newcomers to modding through the steps necessary to find, download, and install our mod manager Vortex and use it to install their first mod.

Go to NexusMods.com and click Mods > Get Vortex in the top navigation.

Click “Download the latest version now”.

In the file section, download the file at the top described as “One-click installer” for Vortex (Manual Download). This is the preferred and recommended way of installing Vortex.

Once the download is finished, open the *.exe file to run the installation.

Note: some misconfigured anti virus programs might rename the *.exe to something else, in that case, rename the downloaded file to *.exe and open it to run the installation.

Vortex will install on C: (note that this is just Vortex and the files it requires to function which amount to around 70 MB). You may choose within Vortex later on where you want to download your mods to.

Once Vortex is installed, there are a few steps to be taken in order to set it up to manage and download mods for Skyrim Special Edition. There are also some things that you might (optionally) want to customise to your liking.

1. Manage your game with Vortex (YouTube)
2. Log in and link your account (YouTube)
3. Download and install the Skyrim Script Extender 64 (SKSE64) (YouTube)

While Vortex will always install the files it needs in order to work to your C drive, you are free to choose the location where you want your downloaded mods (i.e. the file archives) to be stored.

To change the default download location which is “C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Vortex\downloads” go to your Settings > Download:

You can specify any folder on your drive. Make sure to confirm your selection by clicking “Apply”.

This is the folder where Vortex stages your mods i.e. unpacks them to. Due to how the Bethesda games work (including Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition), the Mod Staging Folder must be on the same partition as the game.

The default location for the Mod Staging Folder is “C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Vortex\skyrimse\mods”. To change it, go to Settings > Mods and change the folder to an (empty) folder of your choice that is located on the same partition as the game.

You can change both your Download Folder as well as your Mod Staging Folder at a later point in time and even when you have already downloaded and installed mods. Depending on the amount of mods you have downloaded and/or installed, it will take a while for Vortex to move your folder(s). Please make sure that enough disk space is available and remain patient, as your mods will be copied over.

To download your first mod using Vortex, please refer to our introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYiO3__U5Y

The following mods are recommended for a basic setup. Note that the mod Sky UI requires SKSE64 - please refer to the initial setup section on how to install the script extender (SKSE).

Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP)
Sky UI
Immersive Armors
Immersive Weapons
A Quality World Map