Controlling the Global User Directory

= Windows =

Moving Saves from Older Versions
Using saves from an older versions of Dolphin to 4.0-era builds is easy. The default location of the Global User Directory is C:/[your username]/My Documents/Dolphin Emulator. Just copy the the GC and Wii folders from your old build's User directory to the Global User Directory. You can even copy all of the contents of your old User folder if you like, though the GameConfig folder will be ignored.

Choose the Location of the Global User Directory

 * Open the registry. Just type "Regedit" in the search bar of the Start Menu and it should appear immediately.
 * Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER
 * Right click Software and select New > Key. Name the key "Dolphin Emulator"
 * Right click the new Dolphin Emulator key, and select New > String Value. Name the value "UserConfigPath"
 * Double click the "UserConfigPath" value and an Edit String dialog appears. Under "Value Data", enter the path to the custom User directory. Make sure that you include "User" in it, since it will assume whatever path it is directed to is the User folder. If point to to the Desktop for example, you'll have a very messy situation.

Use a Shortcut to Use a Specific User Directory for a Specific Build
You can use a shortcut to tell a specific build to use a specific user directory.
 * Create a shortcut to the Dolphin build you want to use, say on the desktop
 * Edit the target field. After the path to dolphin, add -U [Path to user folder]</tt>. When complete the target field should look like the below.

X:\Path\To\Dolphin\Build\Dolphin.exe -U X:\Path\To\User

Any time you want that build to use the specified user directory, just run the shortcut. If you run the EXE directly it will use the Global User Directory.

Restore the Old Behavior with "LocalUserConfig" registry key
If you just want nothing to do with this whole Global User Directory thing, and want Dolphin to use an individual User directory in the same place as the EXE as it used to, than you can disable the Global User Directory system entirely with a registry key. From now on, when you run a new Dolphin build it will create a User folder next to the EXE, just like it used to.
 * Open the registry. Just type "Regedit" in the search bar of the Start Menu and it should appear immediately.
 * Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER</tt>
 * Right click Software</tt> and select New > Key</tt>. Name the key "Dolphin Emulator"
 * Right click the new Dolphin Emulator</tt> key, and select New > String Value</tt>. Name the value "LocalUserConfig"
 * Double click the "LocalUserConfig" value and an Edit String dialog appears. Under "Value Data", type the number 1</tt>.

.reg Files
You can use .reg files to jump back and forth between Local User Directories and a Global User Directory. This is very handy for testing specific save files without messing with your personal saves in your Global User Directory.

To create the LocalUserConfig registry key, use a .reg file containing: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Dolphin Emulator] "LocalUserConfig"="1"

To remove the LocalUserConfig registry key and revert back to the Global User Config system, create a .reg file containing: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Dolphin Emulator] "LocalUserConfig"=-

Simply run the create key when you want to use a Local User Directory, and run the remove key to remove the Local User config and return to the Global User Directory system.

= Linux and OSX =

Linux and OSX have always used a Global User Directory. However, with the Global User Directory changes in 4.0 you can now choose your own directory. Use the following command:

/path/to/dolphin/build/dolphin-emu -U /path/to/user/directory