Using LaunchBox with NAS, Network Drives, Cloud Sync, and Multiple PCs

LaunchBox for Windows can reference games and media on secondary drives, removable drives, mapped network drives, and UNC shares. It is also portable: its installation folder can be copied to another Windows PC. For most users, the dependable layout is to keep LaunchBox and its frequently written data local, while placing a large, mostly read-only game collection on stable shared storage.

Choose what to keep local

• LaunchBox and its Data folder: keep these on a local SSD when practical. LaunchBox stores library and configuration data in XML files under LaunchBox\Data, including per-platform and playlist files; it is not one monolithic library database.

• ROMs and disc images: good candidates for a NAS or secondary drive if both LaunchBox and the emulator can read the location reliably.

• Images, videos, manuals, and music: can live elsewhere, but network latency is most noticeable while browsing images or streaming videos.

• Emulators, BIOS, firmware, and active saves: usually work best locally. Individual emulators may store additional data in AppData, Documents, the registry, or other folders.

• Caches, temporary files, themes, plugins, and updates: keep local unless you have tested the exact configuration and maintain backups.

UNC paths and mapped drives

A UNC path names the server and share directly. For example:

\\Server\Games\Nintendo Entertainment System

A mapped drive gives that share a drive letter, such as:

G:\Nintendo Entertainment System

Either can work. A UNC path is independent of drive-letter assignments, while a mapped drive can be easier to browse. If you use mapped drives, every Windows account and PC must map the share to the letter stored in LaunchBox. A library entry pointing to G:\Games\Mario.zip will not automatically find the file when another PC maps the same share as R:.

Mapped drives belong to a Windows logon context. They can disappear when an application runs as another account, starts before the mapping reconnects, or runs elevated. If a path works in File Explorer but not in an elevated LaunchBox or emulator, compare the user and elevation context. Avoid running LaunchBox as administrator unless a specific component requires it.

Test the network location first

1. Sign in with the Windows account that will run LaunchBox.

2. Open the share in File Explorer and confirm that it reconnects after a restart.

3. Confirm read access. Grant write access only to folders that LaunchBox or an emulator must modify.

4. Launch a representative game directly through its emulator from the network path.

5. Test a large disc image as well as a small cartridge ROM.

If the emulator cannot open the file directly, fix its path support, permissions, credentials, or network availability before troubleshooting LaunchBox.

Import games without accidentally relocating them

Start the normal ROM import from Tools > Import > ROM Files... and browse to the mapped drive or UNC share. LaunchBox can also continue using network locations that have already been imported; no special network library format is required.

The wizard asks what to do with the files:

• Use the files in their current location keeps the originals on the NAS and stores paths to them in the LaunchBox library.

• Copy the files into my LaunchBox games folder creates copies under the destination Games folder.

• Move the files into my LaunchBox games folder relocates the originals. Do not select this for your only NAS copy unless that is intentional and backed up.

Read the final wizard page before starting a large import. Metadata and media downloading is separate from whether the ROM itself is left, copied, or moved.

Platform Games folders and existing game paths

The platform editor's Folders tab contains the platform's Games folder and media folders. A Games-folder setting supplies a destination or scanning location for relevant workflows, but changing it does not move existing ROMs or rewrite every game's application path.

After you have copied or moved existing ROMs yourself, select the affected games and use Tools > File Management > Change ROMs Folder Path for Selected Games.... This command changes paths; it does not move files. It keeps each selected ROM's filename and points it at the chosen folder. LaunchBox checks whether the expected files exist and asks how to handle missing matches. Test a small selection first, especially when games use subfolders, multiple discs, or Additional Applications.

Changing image, video, manual, or music folders is different: LaunchBox may offer to migrate media from the previous folders to the new ones. Read that prompt carefully before approving a large transfer.

Moving a platform to a NAS safely

1. Create a LaunchBox data backup and a separate backup of the files being moved.

2. Close LaunchBox and all emulators.

3. Copy one small platform to the network destination. Copying is safer than deleting the source first.

4. Compare file counts or checksums where practical.

5. Open LaunchBox, select a few games, and use Change ROMs Folder Path for Selected Games....

6. Test those games directly in the emulator and through LaunchBox.

7. Update the remaining entries in controlled groups, including multi-disc files and emulated Additional Applications.

8. Remove the old copy only after the full platform and your backups have been verified.

Disconnected drives and removal scans

LaunchBox can still show saved metadata and any media that remains available when a ROM drive is offline, but a game cannot launch if its application path is unavailable.

The same caution applies to automated platform scans and audits. Reconnect the share, verify credentials and drive mappings, and confirm that representative files open in File Explorer before making library changes. Reconnecting a drive does not require re-importing games whose stored paths are unchanged.

Relative paths and portability

LaunchBox can store paths inside its own folder structure as relative paths, which makes a self-contained installation easier to move. For example, a game inside the LaunchBox folder can remain reachable when the entire folder moves to another drive.

A file on an unrelated drive or NAS normally needs an absolute drive-letter or UNC path. Relative paths cannot make an arbitrary network share portable between PCs. Use the same server/share name or the same mapped letter on every machine.

Emulators may also contain their own absolute paths for BIOS, firmware, cores, saves, and ROM folders. LaunchBox portability does not automatically rewrite emulator configuration.

Running LaunchBox itself from a NAS

It may be technically possible in some environments, but it is not the recommended architecture. LaunchBox writes multiple XML files under Data and also updates logs, caches, downloads, media, themes, plugins, and other files. A network interruption or concurrent writer during those operations can leave partial or conflicting data.

LaunchBox has protections against opening duplicate instances on the same Windows system, but those protections are not a cross-PC lock. Two computers can still attempt to write to the same network-hosted installation. Keep a local LaunchBox installation on each PC or move one closed portable copy between PCs; do not treat a shared folder as a multi-user database.

Three practical multi-PC designs

Separate local LaunchBox installations with a shared ROM library

Each PC has its own LaunchBox, Data, media, settings, and emulators, while both reference the same read-only ROM share. This is the safest design for simultaneous use. Metadata, playlists, play counts, and settings are independent unless you deliberately transfer them.

One portable LaunchBox folder copied between PCs

Close LaunchBox, copy the entire folder, wait for the copy to finish, and then open it on the destination PC. Relative paths inside the LaunchBox folder travel well; absolute paths, storefront clients, runtimes, controller drivers, and emulator-specific locations may need adjustment.

A closed LaunchBox folder synchronized between PCs

This can work as a carefully managed one-PC-at-a-time workflow, but synchronization is not file locking. Close LaunchBox and emulators everywhere, let the source finish uploading, let the destination finish downloading, check for conflicts, and only then open LaunchBox on one PC.

Cloud sync and Files On-Demand

OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Syncthing, and similar products synchronize changes; they are not substitutes for versioned backups. Deletion, corruption, or a bad edit may be replicated to every computer.

A cloud placeholder can appear in File Explorer even though its contents are not local. Opening it may trigger a download, time out, or fail while offline. Mark LaunchBox data, emulator configuration, BIOS/firmware, saves, and any frequently played games as always available offline before depending on them.

Avoid syncing a live LaunchBox\Data folder while LaunchBox is writing to it. Do not manually merge conflict copies of platform, playlist, settings, or emulator XML files unless you fully understand their structure. Restore a known-good complete version instead.

Emulators and saves on multiple PCs

Sharing the same ROM does not make emulator setups identical. Each PC may need the same emulator version, BIOS or keys, cores and plugins, command-line configuration, controller mappings, graphics drivers, and per-game settings.

Save files are written by emulators, not by a universal LaunchBox save system. Locate the actual save, memory-card, and save-state folders for each emulator before synchronizing them.

• Use one writer at a time and close the emulator before syncing.

• Wait for the newest save to reach the other PC before playing there.

• Prefer normal in-game saves for transfers between different emulator versions; save states are often version- or core-sensitive.

• Back up shared memory-card files carefully because one file may hold progress for several games.

• Enable version history or keep independent backups so an older save does not silently replace a newer one.

Permissions

A ROM-only share can usually be read-only for daily use, reducing the chance of accidental deletion. Write access is required wherever a workflow actually creates or changes files, including copy/move imports, media downloads, Automated ROM Imports, emulator updates, emulator configuration, and saves.

LaunchBox also needs write access to its own installation data and working folders. If you relocate a media folder to a read-only share, media downloads and migrations cannot complete there.

Performance expectations

Small cartridge ROMs may be nearly indistinguishable from local files. Large ISOs, CHDs, compressed archives, texture packs, videos, and manuals are more sensitive to Wi-Fi quality, NAS disks, antivirus scanning, and cloud downloads.

• Prefer wired Ethernet for large disc-based libraries.

• Keep LaunchBox Data and caches on a local SSD.

• Avoid extracting a large archive across the network on every launch.

• Test image browsing and video playback before relocating all media.

• Keep actively played or latency-sensitive systems local if network performance is inconsistent.

Back up everything needed for recovery

LaunchBox's built-in data backup protects its library data and settings; it does not automatically back up every ROM, media file, emulator, BIOS file, or save stored elsewhere. A complete recovery plan can include:

• LaunchBox\Data and other LaunchBox settings;

• custom themes and plugins;

• images, videos, manuals, and music;

• ROMs, disc images, and installers;

• emulators, BIOS/firmware, configuration, cores, shaders, and controller mappings;

• saves, states, and memory cards; and

• documentation of share names, drive mappings, and required credentials.

Keep versioned copies and test a restoration periodically.

Common problems

• Every network game suddenly appears unavailable: reconnect the share and check credentials, DNS/server name, and drive mapping before editing or removing anything.

• The path works in File Explorer but not LaunchBox: compare the Windows account and elevation context, then test the exact stored path.

• A removed-ROM scan finds an entire platform: cancel it and restore the missing connection.

• Games launch slowly: test the emulator directly, wired networking, archive extraction, antivirus, cloud placeholders, and NAS throughput.

• LaunchBox reports corrupt XML after sync: close every instance, pause syncing, and restore a known-good backup rather than combining partial files.

• Save progress rolls back: stop playing on both PCs, use sync version history or a backup, and re-establish one-writer discipline.

• A mapped drive disappears when elevated: run LaunchBox normally or make the path available in the same security context.

• Changing the platform Games folder did not fix existing entries: use Change ROMs Folder Path for Selected Games... after the files are present at the destination.

Recommended starting architecture

Keep LaunchBox, Data, caches, emulators, BIOS/firmware, and active saves on each PC's local SSD. Put large ROM and disc-image collections on a reliable NAS or secondary drive, preferably exposed through a consistent UNC path. Share that ROM location read-only when possible, back up both local and network data, and use only one writer for any LaunchBox, emulator, or save files that are synchronized between computers.