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Before a major Final Fantasy XIV update, back up both categories of settings: client (system) settings and each character’s settings. They are separate, and saving one does not save the other. Use the in-game server backup controls for supported platform transfers, and use the launcher’s local export on Windows or Mac when you also want an offline copy. After the update, read the patch notes and change only the options that actually need attention; do not erase every configuration as a routine precaution.
What to protect before the update
Final Fantasy XIV stores settings in two different backup categories. Client settings apply to the game client and the current play environment. Character settings belong to an individual character. A backup of one category is not a backup of the other, so a complete pre-update check requires both.
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- Client settings: display, sound, input-device choices, accessibility options, theme, shared macros and other client-level data.
- Character settings: Character Configuration, HUD layouts, hotbars and cross hotbars, gear sets, keybinds, log filters and text colors, character-specific macros, social data and related miscellaneous data.
Record the environment before you start: Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch 2 where applicable; controller or keyboard-and-mouse input; monitor or television arrangement; and every character whose layout matters. Some system values depend on that physical setup and cannot be exported, so an environment note gives you something to compare against after the patch.
How to back up both setting categories in the game
1. Save client (system) settings
- Reach the Character Selection screen.
- Open the client-settings backup window with its gear icon.
- Choose Upload and wait for the operation to finish.
This server backup covers client-side display, sound, input-device, accessibility, theme, shared-macro and miscellaneous settings. It is separate from a character backup, and some environment-specific system values are excluded.
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2. Save every character’s settings
- On the same Character Selection screen, select the character you want to protect.
- Open that character’s backup window.
- Choose Upload.
- Repeat the process for each character whose configuration, HUD or hotbars you may need to recover.
Character uploads include Character Configuration, HUD layouts, hotbars and cross hotbars, gear sets, keybinds, log filters and text colors, individual macros, social data and miscellaneous character data. Screenshots, appearance data, item-sort settings and inventory location are not saved. Shared macros are part of client settings, not the individual-character backup.
How to make an offline backup on Windows or Mac
The launcher provides a second route for Windows and Mac users. It creates a local file that you can keep independently of the game installation or online backup.
- Open the launcher and select Config.
- Under Backup Tool, select Back Up.
- Choose a folder with enough free space and confirm the export.
- Verify that the folder contains
FFXIVconfig.fea. - Copy that file or its containing folder to storage separate from the computer if the goal is protection against drive failure.
For recovery, return to Config, open Backup Tool, choose Restore, and select the folder containing FFXIVconfig.fea. Keep the file until you have launched the game and confirmed that the intended settings are present.
The launcher export is useful for a local safety copy, but it is not a console-transfer method. It includes character configurations, HUD, hotbars and cross hotbars, gear sets, macros, log filters and log text colors; it does not export system configuration, screenshots or character appearances. Square Enix also describes copying the PC data folder to external storage as an additional PC backup practice. A small USB flash drive can hold this file, but buying storage is not required for the game’s server backup.
What each backup route includes
| Route | Coverage | Important limits |
|---|---|---|
| Launcher export (Windows/Mac) | Character configurations, HUD, hotbars and cross hotbars, gear sets, macros, log filters and log text colors | No system configuration, screenshots or character appearances; not a console-transfer method |
| Server client-settings backup | Display, sound, input device, accessibility, theme, shared macros and miscellaneous client data | Some values tied to the current play environment are not exportable |
| Server character-settings backup | Character Configuration, HUD, hotbars, gear sets, keybinds, logs, individual macros, social data and miscellaneous character data | No screenshots, appearance data, item-sort settings or inventory location; shared macros are stored with client settings |
| Import Character Settings | Selected HUD, hotbars, gear sets, Character Configuration and individual macros between characters on the same service account and device | Appearance data is not copied |
| Configuration Sharing | Selected HUD, hotbars, macros, Character Configuration, partial system configuration and miscellaneous data shared by a code | Temporary upload, one set per character at a time; applying it overwrites the recipient’s current configuration |
Use the server backups for routine recovery and supported cross-platform moves. Use the launcher export when you want a separate local copy. Treat Import Character Settings and Configuration Sharing as transfer tools, not replacements for a dated backup.
How to confirm that your backup is current
After each upload, note the date and the character name in your own checklist. Before restoring anything, compare that date with the last time you changed hotbars, keybinds, macros or HUD elements. A backup made before a major layout change may be valid but still be the wrong version to restore.
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FFXIV can remind you when backups are overdue. In the game, open System, then System Configuration, then Other Settings, and find System Configuration Backup. Enable Notify after a set time has elapsed since the last backup if you want an in-game prompt. The Patch 7.1 notes describe the prompt as appearing when more than 90 days have passed without a backup; the reminder is Off by default. This reminder concerns the backup interval, not a guarantee that every setting has been saved or that a patch will reset anything.
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Read the notes before changing anything
Start with the update’s official patch notes. Look for renamed options, new controls, changed defaults and notes that explicitly say a value was adjusted for all players. Then inspect the corresponding menus in System Configuration and Character Configuration.
Patch 7.3, for example, documents the Character and Object Quantity setting being switched to Automatic for all players. That is evidence of a deliberate uniform change for that option; it does not establish that every update resets all settings. Keep the new default when it suits your hardware and preferences, or change only that option.
Compare the settings that affect play first
- Display and performance: resolution, display mode, frame-rate or quality choices, and any setting called out in the notes.
- Input: active device, keybinds, controller layout, cross-hotbar behavior and confirm/cancel assignments.
- HUD and combat information: HUD layout, hotbar visibility, log filters, text colors and battle-effect presentation.
- Audio and accessibility: master and channel volumes, language or voice choices, text size, color or contrast options, and accessibility toggles.
- Macros and social data: shared macros from the client backup and character-specific macros or social settings from the character backup.
Take screenshots or handwritten notes of values that cannot be exported, especially monitor-specific display choices, controller behavior and other environment-dependent options. Do not call a setting “reset” merely because a menu now shows a different default; first check whether the patch notes document the change.
Should you reset FFXIV settings before an update?
A wholesale reset is usually the wrong preparation. It removes working layouts and keybinds without creating a safer update, and it can make it difficult to tell whether a later problem came from the patch or from the reset. The safer meaning of “reset” is selective: make backups, inspect the notes, then restore a specific value or return one menu to its default only when you have a reason.
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Use a selective reset when
- A newly changed option conflicts with your hardware, accessibility needs or preferred controls.
- A single HUD, hotbar, keybind or display value is demonstrably broken after the update.
- You are troubleshooting and can identify one configuration area to test without destroying unrelated settings.
Do not reset everything when
- You have not yet made both client and character backups.
- You are moving to a different device and need to preserve a known-good layout.
- The only evidence is that a patch was installed; installation alone does not prove a reset occurred.
How to restore settings safely
Restore a client or character backup
- Confirm the target platform, service account and character name.
- Check the backup date and choose the newest known-good upload.
- Open the appropriate backup control from Character Selection.
- Choose the download or restore action for the client or selected character data.
- Launch the game and verify display, input, HUD, hotbars, macros and logs before making further edits.
Restoration can replace current data. If you have made changes since the backup, save a fresh backup first so those changes are not lost if the older version is unsuitable.
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- Machinist: DPS - Deal damage from afar using a combination of firearms enhanced with various attachments, and mechanical turrets deployed on the battlefield
- Included in this expansion pack is a new race called The Au Ra, a new City-State - Ishgard, new Primals Bismarck and Ravana, and Flying Mounts
Restore a local launcher export
- Exit the game and open the launcher.
- Select Config, then Backup Tool, then Restore.
- Point the tool to the folder containing
FFXIVconfig.fea. - Start the game and inspect the target character and client settings.
A local restore cannot supply data that the export never contained, such as screenshots, appearances or system configuration. Re-enter environment-specific values manually.
Moving a HUD or hotbar to another character
Use Import Character Settings for a controlled copy
When the source and destination characters are on the same service account and device, Import Character Settings lets you select categories such as HUD, hotbars, gear sets, Character Configuration and individual macros. Select only what the destination needs. Appearance data is not included, so the destination character’s look remains separate.
Use Configuration Sharing for temporary, selective sharing
Configuration Sharing produces a code for selected HUD, hotbar, macro, Character Configuration, partial system-configuration and miscellaneous data. It is useful when another character needs a quick copy, but it is not a durable archive: one set can be uploaded per character at a time, the upload is temporary, and applying it overwrites the recipient’s current configuration. Make a backup of the recipient before applying a code.
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The launcher export is limited to Windows and Mac. The server backup method is the official route described for moving settings between supported platforms, but it still follows the inclusion and exclusion rules in the table above. A console or another computer may not reproduce monitor, audio-device or controller-specific behavior exactly, because those values depend on the new environment.
Before switching devices, make both server uploads while the original setup is still available. If you also use Windows or Mac, retain the FFXIVconfig.fea file. On the destination, restore the server data first, then adjust hardware-specific options and test one character before changing every character.
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- Customer must have Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to play Stormblood
- Increased level cap up to level 70
- New Jobs – Red Mage and Samurai
- New Beast Tribe and Primal
- New Alliance Raid
Pre-update and post-update checklists
Before installing the update
- Record platform, input method, display arrangement and characters to protect.
- Upload client settings from Character Selection.
- Upload each character’s settings separately.
- On Windows or Mac, create a launcher export and verify
FFXIVconfig.fea. - Store the local copy away from the computer if it is intended as a disaster-recovery copy.
- Note backup dates and any environment-specific values that cannot be exported.
- Enable the 90-day backup reminder if a prompt would help you maintain the routine.
After installing the update
- Read the patch notes for configuration changes and changed defaults.
- Inspect System Configuration and Character Configuration rather than assuming a full reset.
- Check display, input, HUD, hotbars, logs, audio, accessibility and macros in that order.
- Restore only the client or character data that is actually missing or wrong.
- Verify the target character and backup date before any restore, import or sharing operation.
- Make a new backup after you finish post-patch adjustments.
Common failure modes and fixes
“My settings backup did not restore my hotbars.”
Check that you uploaded and restored the character settings for the correct character. Hotbars are character data; a client-settings upload alone will not contain them. If you used a launcher export, confirm that the export was created after the last hotbar change and that the selected folder contains FFXIVconfig.fea.
“My shared macros are missing.”
Shared macros belong to client settings, while character-specific macros belong to character settings. Restore the appropriate category instead of assuming that a character restore includes both.
“The restored setup looks right, but the display is wrong.”
Some system values are tied to the current play environment and are not exportable. Recheck monitor, resolution, audio device and controller-specific choices manually on the new setup.
“Configuration Sharing replaced the recipient’s layout.”
That is the expected behavior when shared data is applied. Before using a code, create a backup of the recipient. For routine recovery, use server backup or a local launcher export rather than a temporary sharing code.
“A patch changed one option and I assumed everything was reset.”
Compare the observed change with the patch notes. A documented change, such as Patch 7.3 setting Character and Object Quantity to Automatic for all players, is different from an undocumented wholesale reset. Restore only the affected setting unless you have evidence that additional data was lost.
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Keep two independent kinds of protection: a current server upload for client settings and every important character, plus a local launcher export on Windows or Mac when an offline copy is valuable. Review patch notes before touching defaults, treat imports and sharing as potentially overwriting operations, and use selective restoration instead of deleting all configuration. That approach preserves the layouts you know, makes genuine patch changes easy to identify and leaves a recoverable copy if the local device fails.
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