Removing and Re-importing Games Safely

Removing a game from LaunchBox can mean several different things: removing it from one playlist, deleting its LaunchBox library record, deleting associated media, deleting emulated game files, or uninstalling a storefront game. These actions are not interchangeable, so read each confirmation before continuing.

Before a large cleanup: use Tools > File Management > Create Data Backup..., then separately back up any ROMs, saves, media, emulator folders, or other files you cannot replace. A LaunchBox Data backup contains library data and settings; it does not contain those external files.

Choose the result you actually want

• Remove from a manual playlist: keeps the game in your LaunchBox library and changes only that playlist's membership.

• Delete the library entry: removes that game's LaunchBox record, including its saved metadata, paths, play statistics, and relationships.

• Delete associated media: deletes recognized media files tied to the entry when the checkbox is selected.

• Delete ROM files: permanently deletes eligible emulated game paths when the safety option is enabled and you confirm the separate prompt.

• Uninstall a storefront game: removes the installed game through its storefront or installation-management process. Deleting its LaunchBox entry does not perform that uninstall.

Delete a game from the library

1. Select the game or games in LaunchBox Desktop.

2. Right-click the selection and choose Delete Selected.

3. In the permanent-delete confirmation, decide whether Delete associated media should be checked, then confirm the deletion.

4. If ROM deletion is allowed and LaunchBox finds eligible emulated paths, answer the separate ROM-file prompt. Its default answer is No.

If you leave Delete associated media unchecked and answer No to the ROM prompt, LaunchBox removes the library record but leaves those files on disk. You can import the game again later if its game file still exists.

Check the media box every time. LaunchBox remembers its most recent Delete associated media checkbox state and uses that state the next time the confirmation appears.

The ROM deletion safety option

Tools > Options > General > Allow deleting ROMs when deleting games controls whether LaunchBox offers the separate ROM-deletion prompt. When it is disabled, deleting a game does not offer to delete its emulated game files.

For the normal Delete Selected workflow, eligible targets are:

• The main Application Path when the game has an emulator assigned.

• An Additional App's Application Path when that app is configured to use an emulator and has an emulator assigned.

LaunchBox normalizes and de-duplicates these paths. A target can be either a file or a directory. If it is a directory, LaunchBox deletes that directory and everything beneath it recursively.

ROM deletion is direct and cannot be undone. Do not rely on the Windows Recycle Bin. Before answering Yes, check the main game and Additional App paths and make sure none points to a shared file or folder.

This prompt is limited to eligible emulated paths; it is not a general PC-game uninstaller. Keep the option disabled if you routinely reorganize and re-import entries or if other applications share your ROM folders.

What “Delete associated media” deletes

When selected, LaunchBox gathers existing files it recognizes for the game and deletes them directly. This includes:

• Images from LaunchBox's recognized image types, across regions.

• Videos from LaunchBox's recognized video types.

• The game's configured manual and music paths.

• The default manual and music paths LaunchBox calculates for the game.

This is not limited to media that LaunchBox originally downloaded. An explicitly configured manual or music path can point outside LaunchBox's standard media folders, and custom or shared media can be affected. Leave the option unchecked when you plan to re-import the game, use shared media, or have irreplaceable custom assets.

Remove a game from a playlist

While browsing a manually maintained playlist, Delete Selected first asks whether the selected game or games should also be permanently removed from the collection:

• Choose No to remove them only from that playlist.

• Choose Yes to remove them from the playlist and continue with permanent library deletion.

• Choose Cancel to change nothing.

There is one important difference: when deleting one game from a manual playlist and choosing Yes, LaunchBox proceeds without showing the usual permanent-delete dialog and its Delete associated media checkbox. It can still show the separate ROM prompt if ROM deletion is enabled. With multiple selected playlist games, LaunchBox shows the normal permanent-delete/media confirmation after the playlist prompt.

LaunchBox does not allow individual games to be deleted from an automatically populated playlist. Change the playlist's auto-populate rules or the game metadata used by those rules instead.

Remove an Additional App or Additional Version

In the game editor's Additional Apps/Versions area, Delete Additional App or Delete Additional Version removes that relationship from the editor. Save the game edit to commit the change. This editor action does not delete the referenced file from disk and does not show the ROM-deletion prompt.

Before removing an item, check whether it is a required disc, regional or revised ROM, document, helper program, configuration tool, or executable. Deleting the parent game through Delete Selected is a different workflow: eligible emulated Additional App paths can be included in its ROM-deletion targets.

Scan for files removed outside LaunchBox

If ROMs were intentionally deleted or moved outside LaunchBox, use one of these commands:

• Tools > Scan > For Removed ROMs in Any Platform...

• Tools > Scan > For Removed ROMs in Currently Selected Platform... (the selected platform name appears when applicable)

The scan checks emulated platforms and presents missing records for confirmation. It can remove a game whose main path and usable emulated versions are all missing, remove missing emulated Additional Apps, or promote an existing usable emulated version when the former main path is missing. Review the results before accepting them.

The scan changes library records; it neither deletes nor recovers the missing files. If files were moved, update their paths instead so you preserve the existing records. See Managing Game Files, Folders, and Paths.

Storefront games: deletion is not uninstallation

Deleting a Steam, GOG, Epic, Amazon, EA, Ubisoft, or Xbox/Microsoft Store entry removes it from LaunchBox but does not uninstall the game. To remove the installed files, use the storefront's uninstall process or the supported Manage Installations gear in LaunchBox's Game Details pane.

When a deleted game has a recognized storefront-style identifier or URI, LaunchBox records it in LaunchBox\Data\ImportBlacklist.xml. This prevents automatic storefront discovery from immediately adding it again. LaunchBox also records recognized storefront identifiers from eligible Additional Apps when their parent entry is deleted.

Re-import a deleted storefront game

To restore a blacklisted storefront title deliberately, use its dedicated wizard under Tools > Import > [Storefront] and explicitly select the game. That wizard can import a title even while it is blacklisted. By contrast, Tools > Scan > For Storefront Games... respects automatic-import suppression.

See Managing Storefront Games in LaunchBox for storefront setup and import details.

If you need future automatic scans to discover the title again, the current storefront guide also documents removing its specific entry from LaunchBox\Data\ImportBlacklist.xml. Close LaunchBox first, make a Data backup, remove only the intended entry, preserve valid XML, and never delete or rewrite the file casually.

Re-import a ROM or manually added game

1. Confirm that the game file still exists. If possible, test it directly with its emulator or application.

2. Choose the appropriate wizard under Tools > Import.

3. Use the intended platform and Scrape As value.

4. Review Additional Versions and Additional Apps so discs and variants do not become unintended duplicate games.

5. Review the final import list, complete the import, and test the restored entry.

A normal local ROM path is not added to the storefront import blacklist merely because its library entry was deleted. If only its path changed, update the existing entry instead of deleting and re-importing it; that preserves play history, custom metadata, playlist membership, and other record-specific data.

What a Data backup can recover

A Data backup can restore LaunchBox library records, settings, and import-blacklist state from the backup date. It cannot restore ROMs, media, saves, or other files that were deleted from disk. Restoring an older backup also rolls other library changes back to that point.

Use a Data restore for substantial library-state recovery, not as a substitute for a separate file backup. See Backing Up and Restoring Your LaunchBox Setup.

Safer alternatives

• Edit the game and mark it Hidden to preserve its record while excluding it from normal browsing. View > Hide Games > Marked Hidden controls whether hidden games are excluded.

• Remove it only from a manual playlist when the library entry is still useful.

• Correct its platform, title, metadata match, emulator, or path instead of rebuilding the record.

• Move files to a temporary holding folder first, then update paths after verifying the result.

• Test the workflow with one game before deleting a large selection.

Final safety check

• Are the correct games selected, and are you viewing a playlist or the broader collection?

• Is Delete associated media checked from a previous deletion?

• Could any ROM target be a shared file or an entire directory?

• Do you need to uninstall a storefront game separately?

• Will a blacklist entry affect later automatic imports?

• Do you have both a current Data backup and separate backups of important files?