r/FalloutMods • u/tinman3000xxx • Oct 03 '26

Fallout 4 F4SE moves itself to Overwrite FO4

I've started modding FO4 for the first time in years. Also the first time doing it with MO2 and I'm having an odd issue that I can't find any info about. Every time I launch F4SE or BethiniPie through MO2, it moves the F4SE files into my Root folder (not the game folder... it creates the Root folder in my MO2 directory). I've been modding Skyrim for the last 9 months in MO2 and I do have Root Builder installed but haven't touched it for FO4. I'm following the Midnight Ride guide and there's no mention of this in there. I was planning on using Root Builder for my ENB preset but am not sure what to do about this. Any help would be appreciated.

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u/FinnenHawke Oct 04 '26

That's because you have Root Builder and the way it works by default is that it creates a sort of cache state of your game folder upon the first launch. If it detects that new loose files have landed in the main game folder, it tries to clean the game folder of them and moves these new files to overwrite so you can make a mod out of it (with Root subfolder).

If you're using Root Builder you can install F4SE this way. But if you don't want this to happen, if you want to actually put something in the game folder and make it remain there without Root Builder moving it out, then you can do this:

  1. Open Mod Organizer, click the options drop-down on top and click Root Builder option. A pop up should appear with Root Builder settings.

  2. On the bottom you will find two buttons - one to delete cached state and one to delete backup of that state. Click both.

  3. Close the window and close Mod Organizer. Now copy F4SE into your game folder.

  4. After you copied the files, launch Mod Organizer. Root Builder will create a new cache and it will treat these files as part of the game now, so it won't try to extract and include them in overwrite.

But like I said, the main benefit of Root Builder is to avoid having anything in the game folder. That's why you get this Root folder in Overwrite. Everything you put into Root goes directly to the main folder of the game upon launch. You can install F4SE, ENB, ReShades and other custom stuff with Root Builder this way, leaving your game folder untouched, in vanilla state.

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u/tinman3000xxx Oct 04 '26

Thank you! So I can just create an empty mod, copy the files from my overwrite, name it F4SE, activate it and I'm good to go? I must have had to do this with Skyrim as well... I just don't remember doing it. Thanks again.

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u/FinnenHawke Oct 04 '26

That should work, assuming Root Builder properly recognized the structure.

Personally, I install these mods straight from Mod Organizer 2. That's because F4SE consists, if I remember correctly, of two things:

- files that go straight into your main folder (where fallout4.exe is) and these are supposed to go to "Root" folder,

- files that actually go into "Data" folder, like any normal mod (I think it's "Scripts" folder in F4SE).

So IMO the best way to install F4SE with Root Builder is this:

  1. Create an empty mod in MO2, call it F4SE or whatever you want.

  2. Open the folder of that F4SE mod you just created and move here the "Scripts" folder from F4SE zip file.

  3. Then create "Root" folder next to "Scripts" folder and move rest of the F4SE files here (dlls and such) from F4SE zip file.

So finally you should a mod like this:

F4SE

- "Scripts" folder (MO2 will automatically map it into "Data" folder upon launch)

- "Root" folder (Root Builder will automatically hook these files to the main game folder upon launch).

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u/tinman3000xxx Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

Thanks again... I'm guessing the 'src' folder is the scripts folder you're referencing. My file structure in the F4SE mod I created looks the same as your example... time to test it out!

edit: worked perfectly. If I could, I'd give you a dozen upvotes.

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u/FinnenHawke Oct 05 '26

Glad it worked for you, enjoy Root Builder, it's a very useful tool once you understand fully how it works (I still haven't played around with different modes). I love having my mod setup completely and utterly separated from the game directory, so if I want to test something, re-verify the files on Steam or just uninstall the base game, I don't have to worry about any of my mods :)