01What a profile actually stores
A profile belongs to one game and records the packages installed in it, the version of each package, the enabled state of each one, and supported configuration. The Installed tab is that list. Switching profiles swaps the entire set at once, which is how you move between a vanilla session, a server pack and a test build without uninstalling anything. The profile does not contain the game, and it is not a copy of your saves, which sit with the game and are unaffected by profile changes. Treat a profile as a reproducible environment defined by package names and versions, not as a folder of DLLs.
02Build a three-profile baseline
Three profiles cover most situations. Keep a Loader-only profile with just the essential loader pack for comparisons, a Stable profile with the mod set you actually play, and a Lab profile for updates and new packages. Before any large change, open Settings → Profile and use Export profile → As a code, then build Lab on the profile selection screen with Create new and Import / Update from that code, so every version is reproduced and a failure in Lab leaves Stable playable. Name each one after its purpose, because the profile selection screen is where you decide what to launch and a clear name is the difference between the safe set and the experiment.
03Export from the Settings screen
Open the profile, go to Settings → Profile and press Export profile. Its two buttons — As a file and As a code — produce the same profile on import, so pick on size and convenience alone. As a code returns a short text string of the form 019eb41e-401b-a408-b431-2915043cbf7f that is small enough to paste into chat or an email. The file option writes a .r2z file, which is an r2modman zip, so it can be stored in cloud storage or attached to a message. The code suits a single recipient; the file survives being forwarded around a group. Take a fresh export after every significant change so nobody falls behind on versions.
04Import on the profile selection screen
Importing happens on the profile selection screen, not from inside a profile. Click Import profile and supply either the code or the .r2z file. For a new profile you are asked for a name, defaulting to the name that was exported; if a profile with that name already exists you must change it before the import proceeds. The update existing profile option asks for no name and instead replaces a profile you choose, which is destructive. Both paths finish with the packages downloaded from Thunderstore at the versions the export recorded.
05Know what an export leaves out
Manually installed and locally imported mods are not installed when a profile is imported, and choosing update existing profile removes any of them that the target held. Saves, screenshots and files written outside the profile are untouched by an export as well. Anything that is not a Thunderstore package is yours to supply separately, with the author's licence respected. Test an export by importing it into a clean profile on your own machine first; anything missing there will also be missing on a friend's machine, and a clean profile is the cheapest place to catch it.
06Share a profile with a group
When sending a profile to other players, include the code or .r2z plus a note naming the game build, the loader and the intended platform. Ask the recipient to press Import / Update on the profile selection screen and choose Create new rather than Update existing, so the profile they play is never written over. Multiplayer generally requires every client to run matching packages and versions, and server or anti-cheat rules still apply. Have each player launch the imported profile once before the session, so a dependency problem surfaces in a lobby of one rather than on the night. A short note about versions prevents most of the confusion that follows a failed join.
07Use exports as recovery points
Take an export from Settings → Profile → Export profile before updating a loader, a game or a large group of packages. Keep the previous code somewhere outside the manager, in a note, a file or cloud storage, because a profile you can re-import is worth far more than one you rebuild from memory. Delete an old profile only after checking that its saves are backed up elsewhere and that nothing else depends on local packages it holds. Re-importing a code or .r2z restores the package list; it does not restore a save or a locally imported file.
✦ Frequently asked questions
Common questions, answered directly.
What is the difference between a code and a .r2z export?
Nothing on import. A code is a short text string such as 019eb41e-401b-a408-b431-2915043cbf7f that is easy to paste into a message. A .r2z file is an r2modman zip that can be attached, stored or dropped into cloud storage. Both resolve to the same package list and versions for the recipient.
Do imported profiles include local mods?
No. Manually installed and locally imported mods are not installed when a profile is imported, and importing over an existing profile removes them from it. Send those files separately with installation notes, and only when the author's licence allows redistribution to other players.
Can two profiles share a name?
No. Importing a new profile pre-fills the exported name, and if a profile with that name already exists you must rename before the import continues. Renaming is the safe path; the update existing profile option replaces the target and drops any local mods it held.
Is a profile export a backup of my saves?
No. An export records installed packages, their versions, their enabled state and supported configuration. Game saves and files written outside the profile sit with the game or in the r2modman data folder and need their own copies. Back up a world or character before testing content-changing mods.
Can I use the same profile on another computer?
Yes. Install the build for that platform, verify Settings → Directories against the path Steam opens from Browse local files, then import the code or .r2z file. Locally imported packages must be supplied again, and the loader still has to match what that game community requires.
Each step on this page ends in a result you can see before the next one starts, so a failure points at one layer instead of the whole stack.
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.