How to Enable All Mods at Once in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 has a thriving modding community, and whether you're loading up a fresh playthrough or returning to a saved game, getting all your mods active simultaneously is a common goal — and a source of common frustration. Here's a clear breakdown of how the mod system works, what tools are involved, and what variables determine whether enabling all mods at once goes smoothly or sideways.

How BG3's Mod System Works

Baldur's Gate 3 supports mods through two main pathways: the in-game mod manager introduced with Patch 7, and third-party mod managers like BG3 Mod Manager (a community-built tool). Each handles mod loading differently, and which one you're using shapes the entire process.

The in-game system, launched alongside official mod support, lets players browse, install, and activate mods through a built-in menu. Third-party tools, by contrast, give more granular control over load order — the sequence in which mods are read by the game engine — which matters significantly when multiple mods touch the same game systems.

Using the In-Game Mod Manager to Enable Multiple Mods

Within BG3's native mod menu (accessible from the main menu under Mods), mods appear in two columns: an inactive list on the left and an active list on the right. To enable all mods at once:

1. Open the Mods menu from the main screen
2. Look for the "Enable All" button — this was added to streamline the process of activating your full mod list
3. Click it to move all available mods to the active column
4. Confirm the load order if prompted, then save and restart the game

If you don't see an "Enable All" option, your game version may be outdated or the button may be absent depending on the current patch state. Keeping the game updated through Steam or GOG is the baseline requirement for accessing the full mod interface.

Using BG3 Mod Manager for Bulk Activation 🎮

The BG3 Mod Manager (available on platforms like Nexus Mods and GitHub) is the preferred route for players managing large mod lists. It gives you a visual interface for drag-and-drop load ordering and batch operations.

To enable all mods at once using BG3 Mod Manager:

1. Launch the tool and ensure it's pointed to your correct BG3 installation directory
2. Mods in the left panel are inactive; mods in the right panel are active
3. Use Ctrl+A to select all inactive mods, then drag them to the active panel — or right-click for a "Move All to Active" option depending on your version
4. Arrange the load order so that dependency mods (like ImprovedUI or Script Extender-dependent mods) sit in the correct position
5. Click "Export Order to Game" to write the configuration
6. Launch BG3

The export step is critical. Without it, the game doesn't read your active list, and mods won't load regardless of what the manager shows.

The Role of BG3 Script Extender

Many mods — particularly those that alter mechanics, add new features, or expand the UI — require the Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender (BG3SE). This is a separate tool that sits underneath mods and expands what the game engine can do.

If you're enabling all mods at once and some fail to activate or throw errors, Script Extender compatibility is one of the first variables to check. Mods that depend on it won't function without it installed and running correctly.

What Can Go Wrong When Enabling All Mods at Once ⚠️

Bulk activation works cleanly in simple mod lists. With larger or more complex collections, a few issues commonly appear:

• Mod conflicts: Two mods editing the same file will cause one to override the other, or cause instability. This isn't resolved by enabling all mods — it requires load order management or choosing between conflicting mods.
• Missing masters: Some mods depend on other mods being present and active. Enabling all at once helps here, but only if all dependency mods are actually in your list.
• Outdated mods: A mod built for an earlier patch may break on the current version. Enabling it won't fix underlying incompatibility.
• Save file conflicts: Enabling new mods mid-playthrough — especially those that add mechanics or alter game systems — can destabilize existing saves. Starting a new game with a full mod list is generally more stable than adding mods to an ongoing run.

Load Order Still Matters

Even when all mods are enabled, load order determines which mod wins when there's a conflict. As a general principle:

• Frameworks and dependencies (Script Extender hooks, UI base mods) load first
• Overhaul mods load in the middle
• Smaller tweaks and cosmetics load last

BG3 Mod Manager lets you drag mods up and down the active list to set this sequence. The in-game manager offers more limited control over ordering.

How Your Setup Changes the Outcome

Whether "enable all mods at once" is a one-click action or a troubleshooting session depends heavily on the specifics of your mod list. A player running five compatibility-tested mods from the same modding ecosystem will have a different experience than someone loading forty mods from different authors across multiple BG3 patch versions.

The size of your mod list, the patch version each mod was built for, whether Script Extender is configured correctly, and whether you're starting fresh or loading into an existing save — all of these factors shift the result considerably. The mechanics of bulk enabling are straightforward; the variables underneath them are where individual outcomes diverge.