#hotbars

For the sake of this guide, let's say I've made an alt, Guguzan Nanazan, and I want to copy the settings from my main character, Guinevere Ashe, onto this new character.

We need to find Guinevere's character data and cache so we can copy the relevant information.

First step: log in on this new character so they actually exist. You need to create/establish them in game, not just in the character creator, to ensure they get a folder and data in the FFXIV - ARR folder. 

Just for good measure, talk to a few NPCs and hang out for a little before logging out. 

Next: Exit the game. I don't know what will happen if you futz with this stuff while the game is running, or while you're playing the character in question, and I don't want to find out. Play it safe!

Now, make your way to the base FFXIV – A Realm Reborn folder. It should look something like this:

Each of those CHARA_##.dat files is saved Appearance Data from the Character Creator. Each FFXIV_CHR### folder is a character that you’ve created and started a game with/logged in on at least once so they actually exist in-game. It contains everything from their appearance data to the UI layout, gearsets and keybinds that character has.

And now we have to figure out which folder is whose. 

The folders don't have the character's name (ell... Technically they kinda do, but in hexadecimal) and their 'date modified' is the date the character was created, not the date the character was last played.

If you're hexadecimal savvy, you can open the FFXIV.cfg file (in Notepad) and compare the latest login data to the hexadecimal conversion of the character folder names. The last character you logged in on should sync up with one of the folders! The last logged character's folder name is basically FFXIV_CHR + [hexadecimal LastLogin1] + [hexadecimal heaLastLogin0] If the information in FFXIV.cfg reads LastLogin0 4B407901 LastLogin1 00400017 The character’s folder name will be: FFXIV_CHR 00400017 4B407901 

But if you can’t do that, there’s another way: using the character's chat logs and dialogue. Once we find a chat log that corresponds with the original character, we’ll be in the right folder with the right .dat files.

Select a character folder and open it. (I like to start from the top and work my way down)

The 'Log' folder is the one we want here, it contains records of the General, Battle and Event logs from the character this folder is for.

Once you find the one you think you want, open it up.

While they look pretty nondescript, all of these files have up-to-date Modified dates, and whichever file was recently modified is the log from your most recent play session on that character.

**These logs can take time, sometimes hours, to show up on new characters.**

Open up the Log in Notepad. It’ll start with a bunch of weird hieroglyphics and squiggles, but eventually it will start listing words and snips of dialogue.

CTRL+F and type your character’s name, or anything else you’re confident should be in their log (another player you talked to, a spell or attack they used...) to confirm you’re in the right place.

Now that we found the base/original character, open another copy of the FFXIV-ARR folder and use the same process to find your new character— in my case Guguzan Nanazan.

Seeing how I just made him he doesn't have a Log yet, even though I did some quests on him. Buuuuut…..

...I’m at least 3% sure that’s him.

Good! Now we have both.

I recommend trying to make some note of which folder is whose once you have them figured out, so you don’t have to go through all this trying to identify them again in the future. 

We can't rename the character folders, that will mess with the game and that would be *MAXIMUM B A D*. Instead, create a new, empty folder in the base FFXIV – ARR folder. (Don't worry, it won't mess with anything!) Title this folder something that will point you towards the character folder you’re looking for. I don’t store anything in these placeholder folders, I just use them to keep track of which character is which.

I use the Server, the Name of the character and the last 6-10 characters from their hexadecimal ID Base folder looks like this:

My placeholder/reminder folder looks like this:

Now: Copying things over...

Go back to your original folder, in this case Guinevere's. You'll see this list of .dat files.

Here's what they are…to the best of my knowledge.

ACQ -- A list of people you have received tells from or sent tells to, for the ALT+R cycling. So mostly names of RMT characters

ADDON -- Everything UI related, including HUD layout and window locations and sizes.

COMMON -- The Character Config settings, AKA the settings located in Character Settings menu.

CONTROL0 -- Keyboard/Mouse Settings

CONTROL1 -- Gamepad/Controller Settings

GEARSET -- List of gear sets saved to your character.

HOTBAR -- The contents of your Hotbars, such as spells and attacks, but not their positions.

ITEMFDR -- Item location data. When you right click on an item and choose to search, this is the local file that's referenced to tell you where similar items are (your inventory, your retainer, etc…)

ITEMODR -- Item locations in your and your retainer's inventories.

KEYBIND -- Self-explanatory.

LOGFLTR -- Chat log filter and color settings.

MACRO -- Title, Icon and Line list of custom macros on your character.

UISAVE -- Contains content cashed in the UI, such as the retainer venture timer, and possibly other stuff

There is a backup/restore function for these .dat files the launcher if anything gets messed up or goes missing. HOWEVER! Be warned: that function is all or nothing. It will back up and/or restore everything, not just individual components.

Now, copy the .dat files you want from the base character to the new one, and choose to ‘replace’ the files in the new folder. 

Protip: Don't get your folders/characters mixed up.

You'll go from scrub UI…

 To THIS!.... Or your variation thereof!

Hotbars? More like hot MESS It's a clustfuck I know, don't @ me lol

Copying over the hotbars also copies the icons on them, even if the new character doesn’t have the same items, mounts and moves. Nothing to worry about. On the bright side, it’s easy way to make sure you have the exact same button layout between characters!