How to Unlink Vortex from Nexus Mod Manager (and What Happens After)
As a passionate Skyrim modder, I often get questions from fellow gamers about whether they should unlink their install of Vortex Mod Manager from Nexus Mods.
It‘s an understandable question – sometimes fully resetting the relationship between tools seems simpler. However, there may be better options depending on your goals.
In this guide, I‘ll cover:
- Why Some Users Want to Unlink Vortex and Nexus
- Step-by-Step Instructions to Unlink Vortex
- What Happens to Your Mods After Unlinking
- Alternatives to Completely Removing Linkage
- Helpful Tips to Smoothly Managing Mods
Let‘s get into it!
Why Would You Want to Unlink Vortex and Nexus?
First, it‘s worth understanding why some users want to completely unlink Vortex Mod Manager from managing their Nexus mods. A few common reasons:
- You want to switch to using a different mod manager like Mod Organizer 2.
- You are having persistent issues with conflicts, crashes, etc. and want a "clean slate."
- You‘ve accumulated old/outdated mods over time and prefer to prune things back.
In essence, fully unlinking Vortex from Nexus Mods gives you a reset switch – but it isn‘t always necessary for resolving mod issues.
I‘ll cover some alternatives later, but let‘s first walk through the full unlink process.
Step-by-Step Guide to Unlinking Vortex and Nexus
The process for telling Vortex "forget my Nexus stuff!" only takes a minute.
Here is what to do:
Launch Vortex and click on the game name in upper right corner (for example, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition):
In the dropdown menu, choose Stop Managing:
Confirm you want to halt management when prompted.
That‘s it! Vortex will cease handling mods from Nexus Mods for that game.
Behind the scenes, Vortex basically dissociates itself from profiles, load orders, etc. that link into your Nexus account.
But it does not touch anything already installed mod-wise. Which raises an important question…
What Happens to Your Mods After Unlinking Vortex?
It‘s a common misconception that unlinking Vortex will instantly remove all your installed mods.
This is not the case.
Here is what happens instead when you stop Vortex from managing a Nexus-sourced game:
- Vortex loses awareness of what mods are present. It can no longer see, enable/disable mods etc.
- However, mod files stay intact in your game folder. Unless you uninstall them, all mods keep working as they were before.
I like to compare it to ripping sensory nerves out of a body part – the part still exists, but the brain has no idea what‘s going on with it anymore!
So if you still load that game after unlinking, your mods will generally function the same as before. Vortex just stops actively tracking them.
Of course, this makes mod management more manual. Without Vortex integrating things on Nexus Mods side, you‘ll have to directly tinker with files to update, remove, or troubleshoot mods.
So why doesn‘t Vortex automatically delete unlinked mods? Because wiping out mods unintentionally would make users pretty unhappy! Leaving them in place avoids breaking your saved games.
Now what should you actually do with mods after unlinking Vortex? Let‘s cover best practices…
Post-Unlink Mod Management
After stopping Vortex from handling Nexus mods for a particular game, I recommend:
Double checking your mods work by loading the game and verifying things look/behave as expected.
Backing up saves before making file-level changes.
Using a direct mod manager like Nexus Mod Manager to enable full manual control.
Alternatively, you can:
- Do selective uninstalls of unneeded mods with a mod cleaner tool.
- Perform targeted fixes on troublesome mods causing crashes or conflicts.
I don‘t advise simply leaving stacks of unmanaged mods forever though! It gets messy over time.
For smoother sailing, either use a manual tool or be strategic about which mods to remove.
Below I cover smarter alternatives to completely nuking the Vortex and Nexus linkage…
Do You Really Need to Fully Unlink Vortex?
Before you pull the emergency unlink lever based on mod issues, consider two easier options:
Temporarily disable troublesome Nexus mods instead removing everything.
Make a clean save with mods then load that after resetting Vortex profiles.
The first technique lets you selectively toggle mods off and on to pinpoint problems.
The second allows "factory resetting" your setup without losing prior modded progression.
Either can fix many instability problems without fully separating Vortex and Nexus linkage. So try them first!
Only if you want TOTAL separation should you do a full unlink in my opinion…
Of course if you ultimately still wish to nuke things from orbit, that Vortex menu awaits. 😉
Next let‘s cover reconnecting affairs later on…
Re-Linking Vortex and Nexus After Unlinking
Did you unlink Vortex but change your mind? You can always relink things!
Get back to the happyintegrate state via:
- Clicking "Add Game" in Vortex top toolbar.
- Choose the game you unlinked (re-add Skyrim, Fallout 4 etc).
- Sign back into Nexus Mods when prompted.
Vortex will rebuild profiles, load order etc. based on what‘s currently installed mod-wise.
One tip though: MANUALLY remove obsolete mods first before relinking to avoid conflicts.
Alright, last up in my guide – general advice for prospering in the land of modding…
My Top Tips as a Mod Creator
After nearly a decade making mods for Elder Scrolls, Witcher, Cyberpunk, and other games, I‘ve got some hard-earned wisdom to share:
For mod health:
- Update mods sequentially rather than all at once
- Thouroughly read mod descriptions before installing
- Clean orphaned scripts/files with each uninstall
For load order:
- Use LOOT but also manually review for errors
- Ensure ESM files always load before ESP files
For testing:
- Keep pristine backup save files for troubleshooting
- Check FPS impacts when evaluating performance
- Verify both interiors AND exteriors after installing
Follow those guidelines and you‘ll dodge so many headaches!
For more tips from me visit my website. I have a newsletter packed with insider tricks. 😎
Let‘s wrap up with an FAQ…
Unlinking Vortex and Nexus Mods: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will uninstalling Vortex delete my installed mods?
A: No, removing Vortex does NOT touch actual mod data files already added to your games.
Q: Can I pause Nexus Premium membership if I unlink Vortex?
A: Yes, as Premium isn‘t tied specifically to Vortex usage. Just the account overall.
Q: What happens to mod staging folders?
A: These get removed ONLY for the unlinked game during "Stop Managing". Other games are not impacted.
Q: If I re-link Vortex later, will my mods automatically reappear?
A: No, you‘d need to set things up again or migrate files over manually first. Clean start!
And that wraps up this guide! Let me know if you have any other questions about disconnecting our mod manager buddy Vortex from Nexus service.
Happy modding!
