BeamNG Mod Presets: Switch Mod Sets Without Reinstalling

If you race one evening and crash cars the next, you probably want different mods for each. BeamNG.drive doesn’t have a preset switcher, but there are three practical ways to keep separate mod sets and swap between them.

Why keep separate mod sets

Load times. Every enabled mod is something the game has to load, so fewer mods usually means faster loading.
Conflicts. Mods that change the same files can clash. Keeping unrelated mods apart reduces the chances.
Keeping it manageable. A common community rule of thumb is to keep around 20–30 mods enabled at once.
BeamMP. Servers bring their own mods, so a lean personal set is less likely to clash with them.

Method 1: the in-game Mods Manager

The official documentation says the in-game Mods Manager lets you enable and disable mods individually. It doesn’t describe any pack or preset feature.

To switch sets this way:

Open the Mods Manager from the main menu.
Disable the mods you don’t want for this session.
Enable the ones you do.
Restart the game if the changes don’t take effect.

Good for: small libraries. Downside: with dozens of mods, toggling them one by one is slow, and nothing remembers a set for you.

Method 2: folders of zips you swap by hand

BeamNG reads mods from the mods folder in your user folder, so you can keep sets in separate folders and move them in and out.

Close the game.
Create a folder outside the game, for example C:\BeamNG Mod Sets, with one subfolder per set, such as Racing, Crashing and BeamMP.
Move each mod’s .zip into the set it belongs to. Keep them zipped.
To use a set, move its zips into %LOCALAPPDATA%\BeamNG\BeamNG.drive\current\mods (or wherever the launcher’s Manage User Folder points — see where is the BeamNG mods folder).
To switch, move the current zips back to their set folder first, then bring in the next set.
Start the game.

Not sure where your mods folder is? See where is the BeamNG mods folder.

Downsides:

It’s easy to lose track of which zip came from which set.
Copying instead of moving leaves you with a second copy of every mod you use.
A mod you want in two sets has to live in two folders, or be moved around each time.
Big mods take time to move, especially between drives.

Method 3: a mod manager with Loadouts

Several third-party mod managers let you save a set of mods and switch to it in one step. Depending on the tool, these are called presets, packs, profiles or Loadouts. You keep one library, save a set, and activate it when you want it. The tool handles which mods are on and off.

What to look for:

One library, many sets. A mod should be able to appear in several sets without you keeping copies.
Fast switching. Activating a set should be one action, not a file shuffle.
Easy to undo. You should be able to go back to the game’s own Mods Manager at any time.

Best mod managers for BeamNG, compared covers which tools offer this.

Example: a racing set and a BeamMP set

Say you want two sets, using Method 2. Create C:\BeamNG Mod Sets\Racing and C:\BeamNG Mod Sets\BeamMP. Put your track and race-car zips in Racing, and a few lightweight cars you like to drive online in BeamMP.

Tonight you want to race. With the game closed, move the zips from Racing into your mods folder and start the game. Tomorrow you’re joining a server. Close the game, move the racing zips back into Racing, then move the zips from BeamMP into your mods folder. Start the game and join. Because you always move zips back before switching, each zip lives in exactly one place and your mods folder only ever holds one set. BeamMP mods not downloading explains where the servers’ own mods go.

Tips

One set per activity. Racing, crashing, a specific map, a project car. Small, focused sets are easier to troubleshoot than one huge one.
Keep BeamMP separate. Server mods download into the BeamMP launcher’s own folder. Join servers with a lean personal set so your mods don’t clash with theirs.
Name sets clearly. “Racing (no maps)” beats “Set 2”.
Test after changes. If something breaks after switching, the last mod you added to that set is the first suspect.

New to mods? Start with how to install BeamNG mods.