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Blender 4.x Import Settings detection of portable installations on Windows
Zo Dey
0 reputation · 18 Jul 2020, 11:17 UTC
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0 reputation · 18 Jul 2020, 11:17 UTC
Blender isolates each major version's configuration in a versioned directory (e.g., %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.0\ on Windows). On first launch of a new major release, the splash screen presents an Import Settings option that copies preferences, keymaps, themes, and enabled add-on metadata from the most recent previous version. However, the import logic relies on detecting the prior version's configuration path through the standard installed location.
Portable installations — where Blender runs from a self-contained folder with a portable subdirectory — do not follow the standard %APPDATA% layout. The splash-screen import routine may not locate these portable configuration directories, leaving users without a guided migration path. Additionally, the import process copies add-on metadata (enabled/disabled state) but not the add-on modules themselves, and it excludes custom scripts stored in scripts/startup or scripts/addons.
What is the documented detection logic for locating the previous version's configuration when the prior installation was portable? Does the import dialog fall back to a manual directory selection, or does it silently skip migration? Are there environment variables or command-line flags that can direct the import routine to a non-standard configuration path?
Blender 4.x Import Settings only searches the standard AppData configuration paths (e.g., %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.0\) for previous version configurations. It does not detect portable installations stored in a portable subdirectory within the application folder.
blenderportable\config\3.xx\) to the new version's AppData path: %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.0\config\BLENDER_USER_CONFIG to point to your portable configuration directory before launching Blender 4.x. This can influence where the application looks for and stores configuration data.--import-preferences command-line argument, though this still requires the source configuration to be in an accessible location.The Import Settings feature copies preferences, keymaps, themes, and add-on metadata (enabled/disabled states), but does not include:
scripts/startup or scripts/addonsTo confirm this behavior in your environment:
One diagnostic detail needed: Does your portable installation use the default portable subdirectory structure, or have you customized the configuration storage location?
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