Backing Up and Restoring Your LaunchBox Setup

LaunchBox has a built-in way to protect your library data and settings. That is useful for undoing a bad bulk edit or recovering damaged data, but it is only one part of a complete backup plan.

💾 What a LaunchBox data backup contains

Tools > File Management > Create Data Backup... creates a .7z archive from the contents of the LaunchBox\Data folder. That folder contains the XML data and settings LaunchBox and Big Box use to describe your library and configuration, including platforms, games, playlists, emulator assignments, and many application preferences.

This makes a data backup well suited to recovering from accidental library changes or corrupted data. It is not a copy of every file used by your setup.

🚫 What a data backup does not contain

Anything outside LaunchBox\Data is not included in the built-in data archive. Common examples are:

• ROMs, disc images, installed PC games, and storefront content

• Downloaded or custom images, videos, music, and manuals

• Emulator program folders, BIOS, firmware, keys, saves, and emulator configuration stored elsewhere

• LaunchBox, Big Box, Startup, and Pause theme files

• Plugin files and any plugin configuration stored outside Data

• License files, update installers, and other files outside Data

🛠️ Create a manual data backup

1. Finish or cancel active imports, downloads, and bulk edits.

2. In LaunchBox, select Tools > File Management > Create Data Backup....

3. Choose a name and location for the .7z file. The save dialog opens in LaunchBox\Backups, but you can choose another location.

4. Wait for the success message.

5. Copy important archives to another physical drive or trusted backup destination.

A descriptive name can help when creating a backup before a large metadata download, platform rename, bulk edit, migration, or other significant change.

🔁 Understand automatic data backups

When Automatically back up the LaunchBox XML data files (recommended) is enabled, LaunchBox creates an automatic data backup when LaunchBox starts, when LaunchBox shuts down, when Big Box starts, and when Big Box shuts down.

Automatic archives are timestamped .7z files in LaunchBox\Backups. LaunchBox keeps the newest 25 files whose names begin with Automatic and removes older automatic archives. That limit is shared across the LaunchBox and Big Box startup and shutdown backups. Manually named archives are not part of this automatic-file rotation.

Review or change this setting under Tools > Options > Backups.

⏪ Restore a data backup

1. Choose an archive from before the unwanted change or problem.

2. Before restoring, make a separate copy of the current LaunchBox folder, or at minimum the current Data folder, so you can return to it if needed.

3. In LaunchBox, select Tools > File Management > Restore Data Backup....

4. Select the desired .7z file.

5. Read the confirmation carefully and start the restore.

6. Let the operation finish. LaunchBox restarts automatically after a successful restore.

7. Verify your platforms, games, playlists, settings, emulator assignments, and several representative game launches.

Restore replaces the current contents of LaunchBox\Data with the contents of the selected archive. Library and settings changes made after that backup will no longer be present in the active data.

Because game files and media are outside the archive, restoring data does not roll those files back. A restored library can also refer to a ROM, emulator, or media file that has since been moved or deleted.

📦 Create a more complete LaunchBox backup

To protect the files that live inside your LaunchBox installation:

1. Close LaunchBox and Big Box completely.

2. Confirm that no import, download, emulator, or other process is writing to the installation.

3. Copy the entire LaunchBox folder to another drive or backup destination.

4. Check that the copy includes the folders your build actually uses, such as Data, Images, Videos, Music, Manuals, Themes, Plugins, Emulators, and Games.

5. Back up anything stored outside the LaunchBox folder separately.

LaunchBox itself is designed to be portable, so a complete folder copy captures much more than a data archive. It can still be incomplete if your games, emulators, saves, BIOS files, or other dependencies live elsewhere.

📁 Account for external games and emulators

Keep an inventory of important external locations, including:

• Game folders on other drives or network shares

• Emulators installed outside LaunchBox\Emulators

• BIOS, firmware, keys, saves, and configuration stored outside portable emulator folders

• Storefront clients and games that may need to be reinstalled or authenticated

• Cloud and local saves not stored within the LaunchBox folder

Record drive letters and paths so they can be recreated or corrected after a restore or migration. Also check each emulator's documentation: some emulators keep settings or saves in Windows user folders even when the emulator program is inside LaunchBox\Emulators.

🧠 Which backup should you use?

✅ A practical routine

• Leave automatic LaunchBox data backups enabled.

• Create a named manual data backup before major library work.

• Copy the complete LaunchBox folder on a schedule appropriate for your setup.

• Back up external games, emulator data, and saves separately.

• Keep at least one copy on another physical device or trusted remote destination.

• Occasionally confirm that archives can be opened and copied folders contain the expected files.

📚 Related guide

For migration-specific steps, see Moving Your LaunchBox Instance to a New PC.