Mods you downloaded yourself

Sometimes lmm can’t download a mod for you:

  • the mod’s author has turned off downloads through apps,
  • your NexusMods account isn’t Premium, or
  • the mod isn’t on any site lmm connects to.

In every case you download the file in your web browser yourself, and then give it to lmm. lmm still installs it, keeps track of its files, and can take it out again later.

When an install or update fails

If lmm can’t download a mod you asked for, it tells you, with a link to the mod’s page. In the browser, an Install from file… button (or Update from file… for an update) appears right next to that link:

  1. Click the link and download the file from the mod’s page.
  2. Click Install from file… and choose the file you downloaded.

lmm already knows which mod it is, so it can still tell you about updates for it later. In the terminal, the error message prints the full command to run, with everything filled in except the file. It looks like this:

lmm install --id 12345 -s curseforge --file 67890 --from-file ~/Downloads/SomeMod-2.0.zip
lmm update 12345 --from-file ~/Downloads/SomeMod-2.1.zip

A mod that isn’t on any site

To add an archive (a .zip, .7z or .rar file) lmm has no record of, use Add mods ▾ → Import an archive… in the library, or ⚙ Setup → Archive import. In the terminal:

lmm import ~/Downloads/CoolMod-1.0.zip

lmm names the mod after the file. It’s installed and managed like any other mod, but since lmm doesn’t know where it came from, it can’t check it for updates.

If you later find the mod on NexusMods or CurseForge, you can tell lmm where it came from with Re-link… in the mod’s ⋯ menu (lmm mod edit in the terminal). After that, lmm checks it for updates like any other mod.

Mods already in the game folder

If you copied mods into the game by hand before using lmm, lmm can find them and take them over. Use Add mods ▾ → Adopt untracked mods… or ⚙ Setup → Adopt. In the terminal:

lmm import

lmm looks up each mod on your connected sites by name. It only matches a mod when it’s confident, so a mod with a similar name is never mistaken for yours. Whatever it can’t match is still adopted and managed, just without update checks.

Steam Workshop items

Mods you subscribe to on the Steam Workshop are installed by Steam, and Steam keeps them up to date. lmm can track them, so they show up in your library and lmm tells you when they’ve changed. Use Add mods ▾ → Track Steam Workshop items…, or:

lmm import --workshop

lmm never moves or deletes the files Steam manages. To remove a Workshop mod, unsubscribe in Steam.