Skip to content

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 or later (64-bit). Xenia Manager is a Windows app (WinExe target).
  • .NET 10 Runtime - the Windows build is framework-dependent (SelfContained=false), so a .NET 10 runtime must be installed separately. The Desktop variant works (it includes the base runtime); the app is graphical, so install a runtime with desktop support.
  • Enough disk space for the manager plus at least one Xenia variant (each variant is a few hundred MB plus your games, content, and patches).
  • (Optional) Steam - only needed if you want to create Steam shortcuts (see Steam Shortcuts).

Tip

If Windows reports a missing dotnet runtime on launch, install a .NET 10 runtime with desktop support and try again. The Linux build story does not apply here - Xenia Manager targets Windows.

Installing the Application

  1. Download the latest release ZIP from the releases page.
  2. Extract the archive to your preferred location (for example C:\Tools\XeniaManager\). The app is portable - settings, library (Config/games.json), emulators (Emulators/), and logs (Logs/) live next to the executable.
  3. Run XeniaManager.exe.
  4. On first startup you will see the welcome/first-run flow - continue with the Quickstart to install Xenia and add games.

Note

Keep the whole extracted folder together. Moving only XeniaManager.exe without its folders orphans your library and emulators - Config/, Games/, and Logs/ are recreated as empty on launch, while Emulators/ and Cache/ only reappear once you install a variant or download artwork.

Folder Layout (What Gets Created)

After the first launch, next to XeniaManager.exe you will find:

XeniaManager.exe
Config/ # config.json, games.json (library), dashboard-settings.json
Emulators/ # Xenia Canary/, Xenia Mousehook/, Xenia Netplay/ (+ Content/ when unified)
Games/ # default location for game files (you can scan any folder)
GameData/ # per-game data managed by Xenia Manager
Cache/ # Images/, Database/ (x360db, patches, compatibility)
Downloads/ # temporary downloads (Xenia builds, patches)
Backup/ # profile/save backups
Logs/ # NLog log files - attach these when reporting bugs

Per-emulator layout (example for Canary) is documented in Manage Xenia.

Updating Xenia Manager

  • If Check for updates on startup is enabled (default, see Manager Settings), the app notifies you when a new Manager release is available.
  • Experimental/preview builds are tracked separately from stable builds - see Manager Settings for the Use experimental build toggle.
  • To update manually, download the new release ZIP and extract it over your existing install, or into a fresh folder and copy your Config/ folder across.

Next Steps

  • Follow the Quickstart to install your first Xenia build and import a game.
  • Want to build from source instead? See Development.