01Get the current Windows installer
r2modman is a free, MIT-licensed, open-source mod manager by ebkr, built with Electron and published from github.com/ebkr/r2modmanPlus. The current release is v3.2.19, published on 2026-08-21, and the Windows installer is r2modman-Setup-3.2.19.exe at 165,156,122 bytes — about 157 MB. It is one of 117 public releases, and the Thunderstore package page reports 10.4M downloads and 1,394 upvotes. There is no macOS build in v3.2.19, so the r2modman Windows download is one of only two desktop platforms the project ships. Take the file from the release itself: the asset name carries the exact version, which is what you compare later when behaviour changes between builds.
02Installer or portable executable
The same release also ships a portable Windows build, r2modman-3.2.19.exe at 163,943,468 bytes, a few megabytes smaller because it has no installer wrapper. The setup build registers r2modman with Windows, adds a Start menu entry and an entry in the control panel for removal, and is what the built-in auto-update expects to replace. The portable build runs from wherever you put it and suits a USB stick, a locked-down work machine, or a quick side-by-side check of a second version. Pick one and stay with it, so a later repair, update, or uninstall targets the copy you actually use.
03Keep the manager out of the game folder
Install r2modman to a normal application location, never inside a Steam library or a game directory. Putting it inside a game install such as the Risk of Rain 2 folder produces a Failed to start Steam / unlink error and can interfere with Steam file validation. The default Steam directory C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam holds the Steam executable, not the game executable, so it is equally wrong as an install target. If r2modman already lives in the wrong place, uninstall it and reinstall elsewhere: profiles, imported mods, and the download cache are not lost by moving the application.
04Match Settings → Directories to Steam
Open Settings → Directories and compare the game directory field against Steam right-click → Manage → Browse local files. Both should describe the same folder. Two launch errors name the fault precisely: spawn ENOENT means no Steam executable was found at the configured Steam directory, and spawn EACCES means the Steam executable needs administrator rights. Fix the specific path or permission the message points at rather than running everything as administrator permanently, which masks the real misconfiguration. Multi-library setups and games on external drives are the most common source of a mismatch, because Steam records each library separately and r2modman can only inspect the ones it is told about.
05Create a profile and prove the loader works
A profile holds a game’s installed packages, their versions, and each package’s enabled state, so a clean test profile can sit beside your main one. In the new profile, open the Online tab and install the package carrying the blue Pinned tag, which is how Thunderstore marks the package a community treats as required — normally the loader, BepInEx or a community build of it. Then add a single mod and use Download with dependencies so required libraries come with it. Press Start modded to apply the profile and hand off to the loader. Launching the game through Steam starts the unmodded build by design, so a Steam launch is a deliberate comparison rather than a failure of the profile you just built.
06Where downloads and profile data live
Downloaded packages are cached locally and shared between profiles, so installing the same mod in a second profile is near-instant and needs no new transfer. The cache sits under r2modmanPlus-local/mods/cache, reachable through Settings → Directories → Data and profile folders → Browse. Export before large changes: Settings → Profile → Export profile writes either a short code you can paste into a chat message or a .r2z file you can send directly. Manually installed and locally imported mods are not installed on import, so a profile code alone will not reproduce unpublished or offline packages for someone else.
07Fix a failed install or a black screen
Installation Aborted is a rare installer fault, not a mod problem. Uninstall r2modman from the control panel first, because a failed install can still appear in that list; then remove its registry entry, delete the r2modman folders under %AppData% (Roaming) and %LocalAppData% (Local), and restart the PC before running the setup again. Installing as administrator can cause a separate fault where the Thunderstore mod list stays empty. A black screen at launch is a different symptom with its own fix: open Settings → Debugging and run Reset game installation, which clears the game folder and has Steam re-validate the files.
08Keep the controller working when modded
A controller that works in vanilla but not in a modded launch points at the loader rather than Steam or the game. The loader’s console window takes focus and consumes controller input; in BepInEx this behaviour is disabled through the BepInEx core config file. Those config files are generated on the first modded launch, so the setting does not exist until you have started the game modded at least once. Keep an unmodded profile for comparison, because that separates a loader-side input problem from a mod that rebinds keys or intercepts input on purpose.
✦ Frequently asked questions
Common questions, answered directly.
Is there a macOS version of r2modman?
No. v3.2.19 ships Windows and Linux assets only: a setup .exe and a portable .exe, plus AppImage, deb, rpm, pacman, tar.gz, and Flatpak packages for Linux. There is no macOS build in this release and no Apple Silicon or Intel package to download, so Mac users have no supported installer at this version.
Which Windows file should I download?
Use r2modman-Setup-3.2.19.exe at 165,156,122 bytes for a normal installation, because it registers with Windows, appears in the control panel for removal, and is what the built-in updater replaces. The portable r2modman-3.2.19.exe at 163,943,468 bytes suits testing, removable storage, or running a second version beside the installed one.
Does r2modman need administrator rights?
It should not need permanent elevation. A spawn EACCES error means the Steam executable itself requires administrator rights, so correct that specific permission or the configured Steam path. Routine elevation for the manager and the game hides path mistakes, weakens the security boundary, and makes later updates and troubleshooting harder to reason about.
Why does the game start unmodded from Steam?
Launching through Steam gives the unmodded game by design, because r2modman applies a profile and performs the loader handoff only when you press Start modded. A Steam launch is therefore the correct way to get a vanilla comparison, and it is not evidence that the profile, loader, or installed packages are broken.
How large is the Windows download?
The v3.2.19 setup file is 165,156,122 bytes, roughly 157 MB, and the portable build is 163,943,468 bytes. Both are complete Electron applications, so the size is expected rather than a sign of a corrupted or partial download. Compare the byte count against the release asset if a transfer was interrupted.
Every release keeps the assets, byte sizes and SHA-512 digests it was published with, so an older build can still be matched against its original metadata.
Next: download or update the current build, keep one profile with only the loader enabled, confirm a modded launch from Start modded, then add the rest of your mods in small batches.