How to Manage Your Load Order in Mod Organizer 2 with LOOT

Mod Organizer 2 keeps two separate orders, and most broken setups come from mixing them up. The left pane sets mod priority, which decides which loose file wins. The right pane sets plugin load order, which decides which record wins. Sort the right pane with LOOT, set the left pane by reading conflicts, and keep generated output at the bottom.

MO2 load order tools at a glance

There’s no single “MO2 load order sorter”. LOOT sorts the right pane, either through MO2’s Sort button or as a standalone app. Other tools only check the order, merge records, or let you share it. The table shows which tool does which job.

This guide assumes Mod Organizer 2 v2.5.2 or newer and a current LOOT release. The ModOrganizer2 team published MO2 v2.5.2 on GitHub on 4 August 2024, and later stable releases such as v2.5.3 have followed. It moved MO2 to Qt 6 and Python 3.11, so it needs Windows 10 1809 or newer, or Windows 11. A 2.6.0 release is in development.

The two orders in MO2: priority vs load order

MO2 shows two lists, and they solve two different problems. The left pane decides which mod’s files win when two mods ship the same file path. The right pane decides which plugin’s records win when two plugins edit the same form. Both follow the same rule: the item lower in the list (with the higher number) wins.

Left pane: mod priority and file conflicts

The left pane is MO2’s virtual file system order. Every mod sits in its own folder, and MO2 merges them into one virtual Data folder when you launch the game from MO2. If two mods contain textures\armor\iron\cuirass.dds, the one with the higher priority number is the one the game sees.

Here’s a worked example. A general armor retexture sits at priority 40 and a dedicated iron armor retexture at priority 55. The iron cuirass uses the priority 55 texture. Drag the general pack below it and the result flips. No plugin is involved at all. The same logic decides which loose script or mesh wins, so the left pane is where most visual “my mod isn’t working” problems get fixed.

Right pane: plugin load order and record conflicts

The right pane lists plugins, the files that carry game records. When two plugins edit the same record, the one that loads later wins the whole record. Records aren’t merged field by field.

Take a record conflict. A weapon balance plugin sets the Iron Sword’s damage, and a crafting overhaul edits the same weapon to change its keywords. If the crafting plugin loads last, its whole copy of the Iron Sword wins, including the vanilla damage value it carries. The balance change disappears unless a patch merges the two. LOOT can’t merge records. It sorts plugins and gives diagnostic messages, such as warnings about dirty plugins and missing patches, and patches do the merging (covered under “Merging record conflicts” below).

The right pane shows a Priority column and a Mod Index column. The Mod Index is the hexadecimal prefix the game gives each plugin’s form IDs. Light plugins use the FE range and typically show as FE:000, FE:001 and so on.

Loose files vs BSAs: why BSA order is tied to plugins

Archives (BSA in Skyrim, BA2 in Fallout 4 and Starfield) can be tied to plugins, but the rules vary by game and archive type. Fallout 4 BA2 archives can be associated with plugins, while other archives may load under separate rules. Where an archive is tied to a plugin, archive-against-archive conflicts follow plugin load order, not left-pane priority. Loose files always beat archived files, whatever the plugin order.

This causes a common surprise. Mod A packs its textures in a BSA and Mod B ships the same textures loose. Mod B wins even if Mod A sits lower in both panes. To get the archived version, hide or remove the loose files. Reordering won’t do it.

When the two panes should roughly match

The panes don’t need to match number for number. A common Reddit question asks whether a mod at #13 in plugins and #54 on the left needs fixing. Usually it doesn’t: plugin-less texture packs fill the left pane, and many mods carry no plugin at all.

Alignment matters in one case: two mods that each ship a plugin and also conflicting loose assets. If Mod B’s plugin wins the record but Mod A’s loose mesh wins the file, a record can end up pointing at the wrong mesh. Keep those pairs in the same relative order in both panes, so a mod’s plugin and its files win or lose together.

Does MO2 auto sort? The Sort button explained

MO2 doesn’t sort automatically when you install a mod. New plugins go to the bottom of the right pane until you sort them. The Sort button above the plugin list runs LOOT’s sorting engine with the LOOT masterlist and rewrites your plugin order in one click. The left pane is never sorted for you.

Using the built-in Sort button

1. Enable the mods you want in the left pane, then tick their plugins in the right pane.
2. Click Sort at the top of the Plugins tab.
3. Read the report MO2 shows when sorting finishes. It lists LOOT messages such as dirty plugins or missing requirements.
4. Check that any plugin you pinned on purpose landed where you expect.

The Sort button suits routine re-sorts. It’s a poor fit for exceptions, because you can’t create or edit rules from it.

Running standalone LOOT through MO2 (add as executable)

Standalone LOOT has to be launched from inside MO2. Started from the Windows Start menu, it only sees the real Data folder and finds no mod plugins. That’s the cause of the common “No ESPs showing in LOOT despite being activated in MO2” report.

1. Install the current LOOT release from its Nexus Mods page or the official LOOT download page.
2. In MO2, open the executables dropdown next to the Run button and choose Edit… (the Modify Executables dialog).
3. If LOOT isn’t listed, click the plus icon, choose Add from file, and select LOOT.exe.
4. Close the dialog, pick LOOT from the dropdown and click Run.
5. In LOOT, confirm the right game is selected, click Sort Plugins, review the proposed order, then Apply.
6. Close LOOT. MO2 refreshes the right pane with the new order.

MO2 usually detects an installed LOOT when you create an instance, so step 3 is often already done.

Sort button greyed out or sort failed: fixes

A greyed-out Sort button almost always means MO2 couldn’t download the LOOT masterlist. Common causes are no connection, a firewall or antivirus blocking MO2, or GitHub being unreachable from your network. Without a masterlist, MO2 has nothing to sort with, so it disables the button.

The MO2 LOOT plugin also has an enable_sort_button setting, on by default. If you or a modlist installer turned it off, the button disappears or stays disabled. You’ll find it under Settings > Plugins, in the LOOT plugin’s entry.

When the sort starts but fails, MO2 may not show the error output. Run standalone LOOT through MO2 and sort there. It downloads its own masterlist and shows the real reason, such as a cyclic interaction between two rules, a plugin with a corrupt header, or a missing master.

How LOOT decides the order (and why it sometimes looks wrong)

LOOT doesn’t rank mods by quality or popularity. It builds a graph of which plugins must load after which, then reads an order out of that graph. When a result looks strange, it’s almost always a hard rule beating a soft one, or a tie-break between two plugins nothing links.

LOOT developer Ortham’s write-up of the sorting changes in LOOT 0.19 and the current LOOT documentation describe the sequence:

1. Hard rules first. Masters load before the plugins that depend on them. Requirements and Load After rules (from the masterlist or your userlist) are also hard.
2. Hardcoded positions. The game’s official masters keep the positions the game forces on them.
3. Group rules. Each plugin belongs to a group (a default group plus early and late groups defined in the masterlist). Groups set a broad order.
4. Overlap edges. When two plugins edit the same records, LOOT loads the one that changes more records first, so the smaller, more targeted plugin wins. Newer versions also consider overlapping assets.
5. Tie-breaks. If nothing links two plugins, LOOT keeps their current relative order where it can. As a last resort, it compares filenames.

LOOT also sorts master-flagged plugins, Starfield’s blueprint masters and ordinary plugins as separate graphs, then joins the results. That’s why an ESM-flagged plugin never ends up among your ESPs, whatever its extension.

This explains “LOOT giving totally different load order for same mod setup.” Two setups that look identical can differ in masterlist version, active plugins, light or master flags, or the starting order fed into the tie-breaks. Any of these can move plugins that no rule links, and those moves rarely matter because nothing makes the plugins depend on each other.

Adding Load After rules and groups

Write your own rule when two plugins must load in a set order and the masterlist doesn’t say so. Patch authors often state this on the mod page (“load after X”).

1. Open LOOT through MO2.
2. On the plugin’s card, open the menu and choose Edit Metadata.
3. For a hard rule, drag the plugin it must load after from the sidebar into the Load After Files table.
4. For a group, pick one from the Group dropdown, or create a custom group in LOOT’s groups editor.
5. Save the metadata, then click Sort Plugins and Apply.

Load After is a hard rule; use it for a pair that must stay in order. Groups are soft; use them to place many plugins in a block, such as “all my patches late.”

Why your rule was ignored (cycles)

LOOT treats group rules as soft and drops any group rule that would create a cycle, including one that clashes with a hard rule. A plugin in a late group can still load early if something else has to load after it, such as a plugin that uses it as a master or a masterlist Load After rule.

Hard rules can’t be dropped. When two contradict each other, LOOT stops and reports a cyclic interaction naming the plugins involved. Remove or change one of your rules (or the conflicting group) and sort again.

So does the Sort button respect user-defined rules? Don’t rely on it. Rules you wrote are guaranteed to apply when you sort in standalone LOOT, so sort there whenever they must hold and check the result.

Back up userlist.yaml

Your rules live in userlist.yaml, in the game’s subfolder inside %LOCALAPPDATA%\LOOT. Reinstalling Windows, cleaning AppData or moving PCs can wipe it, and every custom rule goes with it. Copy that file whenever you change rules and keep it next to your MO2 profile backups.

To keep LOOT’s config inside your MO2 instance instead, Exit-9B’s LOOT Config Loader plugin for MO2 creates a “LOOT Config Files” folder in your instance. It virtualises everything in that folder into %LOCALAPPDATA%\LOOT when LOOT runs.

Setting left-pane priority by hand

No reliable automatic sorter exists for the left pane. You set it conflict by conflict, deciding which mod’s files should win and dragging that mod lower. Only mods that actually overlap need attention.

1. Install in category order. Frameworks, bug fixes and core resources near the top. Large overhauls (lighting, landscapes, armor packs) next, then smaller targeted mods, then patches.
2. Add separators. Right-click the mod list and create separators such as “Fixes”, “Textures”, “Gameplay”, “Patches” and “Output”. They don’t affect the game, but they make the list readable.
3. Scan the conflict flags. Any mod with a conflict icon overwrites or is overwritten by another.
4. Open the Conflicts tab. Double-click the mod. The info window lists each file it overwrites and which mod wins each file it loses.
5. Move the winner lower. Drag the mod you want to win below the mods that beat it.
6. Re-check the flags. A mod that now shows only “overwrites” won all its conflicts.

If dragging does nothing, check the column header. Sorting the view by Name or another column blocks drag-and-drop, so click the Priority column to restore the real order. That’s also the usual answer to “MO2 left pane order getting lost”. Other causes: switching profiles (each has its own modlist.txt), running two instances, or keeping the instance in a cloud-synced folder that rolls files back.

Reading conflict icons

MO2 marks conflicts with lightning-bolt icons in the conflicts and flags columns:

• A plus on the bolt: this mod overwrites files in another mod and wins those conflicts.
• A minus: other mods overwrite some of this mod’s files.
• Plus and minus together: it wins some conflicts and loses others.
• A greyed or crossed-out icon: the mod is redundant. Every one of its files is overwritten, so it does nothing in game.

Click a mod and MO2 highlights the mods it conflicts with. Click a plugin in the right pane and MO2 highlights the mod in the left pane that contains it. A redundant flag deserves a second look: sometimes it’s deliberate (a texture pack fully replaced by a better one), sometimes it means a mod you wanted is completely buried.

Where patches, compatibility fixes and the Overwrite folder go

Compatibility patches go below both mods they patch, in both panes. LOOT usually handles the plugin side because patches list their targets as masters. You handle the left side.

The Overwrite folder always sits at the very bottom of the left pane and beats everything. It collects any file a tool writes while running through MO2: logs, generated meshes, caches, configs. Leaving files there is risky because they silently win every conflict. Right-click Overwrite and use Create Mod… to move its contents into a named mod you can place and disable on purpose.

Generated output last (Nemesis/Pandora, BodySlide, LOD)

Tools that read your whole setup and generate files run after everything else is final. Their output belongs at the bottom of the left pane, above only the Overwrite folder:

• Behaviour engines: Nemesis Unlimited Behavior Engine or Pandora Behaviour Engine+ output.
• Body and outfit meshes: BodySlide and Outfit Studio output.
• LOD and terrain: xLODGen terrain LOD, TexGen output, then DynDOLOD output last.

Point each tool’s output to its own empty mod folder, and rerun it whenever you add, remove or reorder mods it reads. DynDOLOD’s plugins also need to load near the end of the plugin list, and LOOT places them there.

Checking your load order before launch

A sorted load order can still crash or quietly lose changes. Before you launch, check for missing masters, unresolved LOOT warnings, unintended record conflicts and plugin count. Each check takes minutes and catches the main causes of main-menu crashes.

1. Missing masters: look for a red warning triangle in the Plugins tab flags column.
2. LOOT messages: read every warning card in standalone LOOT, especially “requires” and “incompatible”.
3. Dirty plugins: clean the ones LOOT flags with xEdit’s Quick Auto Clean, where the mod page or LOOT says it’s safe.
4. Record conflicts: load your list in xEdit (SSEEdit for Skyrim SE), apply the conflict filter, and confirm each winner is the plugin you intended.
5. Merged patches: rebuild your Bashed Patch or Synthesis output after any plugin change.
6. Plugin count: compare full and light totals against the limits below.

Missing or misordered masters

A plugin with a missing master is the most reliable way to crash Skyrim or Fallout 4 at the main menu. MO2 flags it with a red triangle; hover over it to see which masters are missing. Then install and enable the missing master’s mod, tick a plugin you left unticked, or untick the dependent plugin until you have its requirement.

Misordered masters shouldn’t survive a LOOT sort, because masters are hard rules. They turn up after manual drags or with locked positions, and a re-sort fixes them. For a second opinion, ForgottenGlory’s MO2 Load Order Checker on Nexus Mods (v1.0.0, July 2023) flags plugins that load before their masters. It only checks.

Merging record conflicts: Bashed Patch and Synthesis

You often need a patch when two plugins you want to keep both edit the same record and both changes matter, though whether you do depends on the records involved and the result you want. Synthesis or a manual patch may suit some cases better than a merged patch. Leveled lists are the classic case: two mods each add new weapons to the same leveled list, and without a merge only the later plugin’s additions spawn. Sorting can only pick a winner, so a patch has to combine the records.

Back to the Iron Sword. If the balance plugin’s damage and the crafting overhaul’s keywords both need to survive, three routes exist:

Bash Tags tell Wrye Bash which parts of a record a plugin changes, and LOOT’s masterlist supplies tag suggestions for many plugins. Mator Smash, run through zEdit, offers a similar automated merge, but Wrye Bash and Synthesis are the tools current Skyrim SE guides lean on. Many lists run both, since Synthesis patchers can distribute leveled-list entries the Bashed Patch doesn’t reach.

To build either patch in MO2:

1. Sort with LOOT first. Both tools read your current order.
2. Add Wrye Bash or Synthesis as an MO2 executable and launch it from MO2, so it sees the virtual Data folder.
3. In Wrye Bash, rebuild the patch on the Bashed Patch, 0.esp entry. In Synthesis, add your patchers and run them.
4. Close the tool. Its output lands in Overwrite, so right-click Overwrite and use Create Mod… to move it into its own mod, such as “Bashed Patch” or “Synthesis Output”.
5. Keep the patch plugin near the end of the right pane, after everything it merges. Community Synthesis guides note that it ignores plugins loaded after Synthesis.esp.

Because each MO2 profile can carry a different patch, keeping the output in a named mod also stops one profile’s patch from leaking into another.

Plugin limits: 254 full + 4096 light (Skyrim SE)

Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4 allow 254 full plugins (ESM or ESP) in slots 00 to FD. Slot FE is reserved for light plugins, which share it, and up to 4,096 fit there. Skyrim SE 1.6.1130 also expanded the range of new records a light plugin with the newer header version can hold, which made ESL-flagging practical for larger mods.

MO2 counts active plugins at the top of the Plugins tab, with light plugins shown separately. Staying under the limit doesn’t guarantee stability. Large lists still need correct masters and patches.

ESM, ESP, ESL and ESPFE flags

The header flag decides where a plugin loads, not the extension. Plugins with an .esp extension but an ESM or ESL flag aren’t “false flagged”: the flag is what the game reads.

• An .esp with the master flag loads in the master block, and LOOT sorts it with the masters.
• An .esp with the light flag (ESPFE) loads among regular plugins in its sorted position, but uses an FE slot.
• An .esl file is always treated as master and light, so it loads in the master block.

Only add the light flag when the mod page says it’s safe or xEdit confirms the plugin qualifies. Flagging a plugin that adds too many records, or one other plugins already reference, can break saves.

Troubleshooting common load order problems

Export, back up and share your MO2 load order

Your load order is stored as plain text files in your MO2 profile folder. Copy those files to back up, share or move a setup. Reach them through Open Profile Folder in the folder icon menu at the top of MO2.

Where the files live

A portable MO2 install keeps profiles in the profiles folder next to ModOrganizer.exe. A global instance keeps them under %LOCALAPPDATA%\ModOrganizer\<instance name>\profiles. Each profile has its own folder and its own copy of these files.

So loadorder.txt lives in the active profile’s folder, not the game folder. MO2 writes the game’s plugins.txt into the virtual file system at launch. The copy in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Skyrim Special Edition only matters when you launch outside MO2, which is why starting from Steam directly seems to “change” your load order.

Sharing a load order for help

When you ask for help on the Nexus Mods forums or a subreddit, share plugins.txt (or loadorder.txt) and modlist.txt. Plugin order alone hides left-pane problems, and a mod list alone hides plugin problems. Load Order Library lets you upload these files and send one page instead of three attachments.

To export a mod list in priority order, right-click an empty area of the left pane and choose Export to CSV. You can pick columns and restrict it to active mods, with no third-party tool. Note that modlist.txt itself lists mods from highest priority down, the reverse of the left pane.

Restoring an order or cloning a profile

Before a big change, use the backup option in the mod list and plugin list menus to save a timestamped copy, and Restore Backup to bring it back. To try a new setup safely, open the Profiles dialog, select your profile and click Copy. The copy starts identical, then goes its own way.

Two profile options matter here. Profile-specific save games keep test saves away from your main playthrough. Profile-specific INIs stop a test profile from changing your main game settings.

Game-specific notes

The two-pane method works in every Bethesda game MO2 supports, but the plugin rules underneath differ. Skyrim SE/AE and Fallout 4 behave the same way. Starfield adds medium and blueprint masters. Oblivion Remastered adds a separate pak order, and the VR and older editions lack native light plugins.

Skyrim SE / AE

Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition share one plugin system. The official masters and Anniversary Edition Creation Club plugins load in fixed positions, and LOOT treats them as hardcoded. MO2 shows Creation Club content you didn’t install through MO2 as unmanaged entries in the left pane.

SKSE64 sits outside the load order. It goes in the game folder, and you launch the game through MO2’s SKSE executable. LOOT’s Skyrim SE masterlist is its most complete, flagging dirty plugins and missing patches as well as ordering. Re-sort after each batch of new mods.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 uses the same 254 full plus FE light slot system as Skyrim SE. Its archives are BA2 files, which can be associated with plugins, and loose files beat archives. Fallout 4’s launcher and in-game Creations menu can rewrite plugins.txt, so launch through MO2 (with F4SE where your mods need it).

Starfield

MO2 added Starfield support in v2.5.0, publicly released on 27 November 2023, including the core plugins whose positions the game sets itself. Starfield also introduced medium masters, which use the FD slot, and blueprint masters, which LOOT sorts as their own graph. Core plugin order was a known source of confusion in early Starfield support, so update MO2 before you trust any Starfield sort.

Oblivion Remastered

Oblivion Remastered uses two separate orders. Its plugins follow a Skyrim LE-style system: loadorder.txt sits next to Plugins.txt, and LOOT supports it. Unreal Engine pak mods have no real load-order system; the game loads them in reverse alphabetical order.

The ModOrganizer2 basic_games plugin adds a Paks tab for those files and stores the order in paks.txt in your profile. Support is still in progress, and the 2.6.0 release is expected to bring Oblivion Remastered support back in its full release, so check the basic_games wiki before relying on it.

Skyrim LE, Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR and Oblivion

LOOT supports all four, and Skyrim VR and Fallout 4 VR now use the same masterlists as Skyrim SE and Fallout 4. The MO2 and LOOT workflow is the same. What changes is how many plugins fit and whether light plugins work at all.

Skyrim LE. No ESL or ESPFE exists, so 255 active plugins is a hard ceiling. Many Skyrim LE lists rely on merged plugins and a Bashed Patch to stay under it. Older Skyrim LE guides, including some Step Modifications pages, still describe MO1-era tools like BOSS and FNIS; use LOOT and current tools instead.

Skyrim VR. The base game doesn’t read light plugins. The Skyrim VR ESL Support mod, an SKSE VR plugin on Nexus Mods, adds it, after which light plugins stop counting toward the full limit. Some SKSE mods need its separate patches, such as the RaceMenu and PapyrusUtil VR ones.

Fallout 4 VR. Light plugin support comes from Daytripper, which needs F4SEVR and the VR Address Library. Without it, any .esl has to be renamed to .esp and have its light flag removed in xEdit, and it then takes a full slot.

Oblivion. The original game sets order by plugin timestamps. MO2 manages them, so you still sort in the right pane with LOOT. Wrye Bash’s Bashed Patch started on this game and remains standard for its leveled lists.

Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3

Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3 have no light plugins and also set load order by file timestamps. MO2 manages those, so you sort in the right pane exactly as in Skyrim, and LOOT supports both games. Community guides on Nexus Mods and the long-running Viva New Vegas guide recommend keeping the plugin count modest, because these older engines hit stability problems well before any slot limit.

After a game update or tool update: what to recheck

Game updates break script extender plugins far more often than they break load order. A five-minute recheck after any game, MO2 or LOOT update catches the rest:

1. Script extender and frameworks. Confirm SKSE64, F4SE or SFSE match the new game version, along with Address Library-style dependencies.
2. Masterlist. Run standalone LOOT once so it updates its masterlist, then sort.
3. Missing masters. Check for red triangles, especially if the update added or renamed official plugins.
4. New Creations. Free content added by an update appears as new plugins or unmanaged entries. Sort again.
5. Patches and output. Rebuild the Bashed Patch, Synthesis output and any generated files that read changed plugins.
6. Profile backup. Copy your profile folder and userlist.yaml before you chase a fix.

Most “my load order broke after the update” reports turn out to be outdated script extender plugins failing to load. Check the script extender log before you start reordering.

MO2 load order on Xbox?

MO2 doesn’t run on Xbox or PlayStation. It’s a Windows tool that also runs on Linux and Steam Deck through Proton with community installers. On consoles, Creations are ordered in the game’s own menu: open Creations, find the load order option, and move entries there.

The principles carry over. Content that patches other content loads after it, and the last item to edit a record wins. Console Creations can’t ship script extender plugins, so most PC conflicts never come up. For games outside the Bethesda family, MO2 is one option among several; Vortex and game-specific managers cover many games MO2 doesn’t.

FAQ

Does MO2 auto sort load order?

No. MO2 doesn’t sort when you install a mod, and new plugins go to the bottom. Click Sort in the Plugins tab to sort with LOOT’s masterlist, or run standalone LOOT through MO2. The left pane is never sorted automatically.

Is there an MO2 load order sorter besides LOOT?

Not for plugins. MO2’s Sort button uses LOOT’s engine, and tools like the MO2 Load Order Checker and Load Order Library only check or share an order, while xEdit inspects records and can also edit them and create patch plugins. Wrye Bash and Synthesis build merged patches rather than sorting.

How do I know what order to load mods in MO2?

Let LOOT sort plugins. For the left pane, install in category order (fixes, overhauls, specific mods, patches, output), then resolve each real conflict in the Conflicts tab by moving the mod you want to win lower. Explicit instructions on a mod page take precedence over general habits.

Do I need a Bashed Patch if I use LOOT?

For most lists with leveled-list mods, yes. LOOT picks which plugin wins a record but can’t combine two plugins’ changes to the same list. A Bashed Patch or Synthesis patch merges them, and it goes near the end of the plugin list.

How do I export my load order from MO2?

Open the profile folder from MO2’s folder menu and copy modlist.txt, loadorder.txt and plugins.txt. For a readable list, right-click the left pane and use Export to CSV, which can include only active mods in priority order.

How does Mod Organizer 2 priority work?

Each mod gets a priority number in the left pane, starting at 0 at the top. When two mods contain the same file, the higher number (lower in the list) wins. The Overwrite folder sits below everything and beats all mods.

What is the difference between mod priority and load order in MO2?

Mod priority (left pane) decides which mod’s loose files the game sees: meshes, textures, scripts. Load order (right pane) decides which plugin’s records win, such as items, NPCs and quests, plus which archive wins where archives are tied to plugins.

Should my left pane match my right pane in MO2?

Not exactly, and the numbers will never line up. Keep two mods in the same relative order in both panes only when both ship a plugin and conflicting loose files, so their records and assets win or lose together.

Why is the Sort button greyed out in MO2?

MO2 couldn’t download the LOOT masterlist, usually because of a connection, firewall or antivirus block. The LOOT plugin’s enable_sort_button setting can also be turned off. Run standalone LOOT through MO2 as a workaround; it fetches its own masterlist.

Where is loadorder.txt in MO2?

In your active profile’s folder: profiles\<profile name> in a portable install, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\ModOrganizer\<instance>\profiles\<profile name> in a global instance. Open Profile Folder in MO2 jumps straight there.

Should I use LOOT with MO2?

Yes. LOOT is the standard sorter for Bethesda games, and MO2’s Sort button is built on it. Use the button for quick re-sorts and standalone LOOT for the first sort, custom rules and failed sorts.

Why is a plugin greyed out or missing in MO2’s plugin list?

Usually the mod is disabled, or it was packaged with an extra folder level so MO2 sees no valid game data. Reinstall and point the installer at the correct data folder. Official masters appear greyed with locked checkboxes because the game always loads them, which is expected.

What changed

• Nov 13, 2026 First published.

About the article

MN

Written by Marek Novak

Marek handles GTA, strategy and simulation mods and the modding guides, from mod managers to setting up a clean install. He writes for people trying mods for the first time as much as for experienced modders.

• Fact-checked by Hollis Tremaine against the sources listed below before publication.
• Published November 13, 2026

Sources (8)

1. Mod Organizer 2 v2.5.2 release (GitHub) (github.com)
2. ModOrganizer2/modorganizer v2.5.2 release notes (newreleases.io)
3. modorganizer2-linux-installer releases (MO2 2.6.0 status) (github.com)
4. Mod Organizer 2 files on Nexus Mods (nexusmods.com)
5. LOOT files on Nexus Mods (nexusmods.com)
6. LOOT – Load Order Optimisation Tool on Nexus Mods (nexusmods.com)
7. LOOT package on Chocolatey (community.chocolatey.org)
8. LOOT sorting optimisations (Ortham) (ortham.github.io)

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