How to Export a GearSwap Equipped Set in FFXI

If you've spent time fine-tuning your gear sets in GearSwap — the popular Lua-based gear management addon for Final Fantasy XI — you already know how much work goes into building the perfect equipped set. Whether you're optimizing for max damage, survivability, or situational swaps, getting those sets out of GearSwap and into a shareable or backup-friendly format is a task that trips up a surprising number of players.

This guide breaks down exactly how exporting equipped sets works in GearSwap, what variables affect the process, and why the right approach depends heavily on your own setup.

What Is a GearSwap Equipped Set?

Before diving into the export process, it helps to understand what you're actually working with. In GearSwap, a gear set is a Lua table — a structured block of code that maps gear slots to specific item names. A set looks something like this:

sets.idle = { head="Twilight Helm", body="Twilight Mail", hands="Bathy Choker +1", } 

When GearSwap loads your Lua file, it reads these tables and equips the corresponding gear automatically based on triggers like job abilities, spells, or combat states. An equipped set specifically refers to what your character is currently wearing — the live snapshot of gear on your character at any given moment.

Exporting that snapshot means capturing it in a format you can reuse, share, or paste into a Lua file.

How to Export Your Currently Equipped Gear 🎮

GearSwap includes a built-in command that does exactly this. The core tool is the /gs export command, typed directly into the FFXI chat window:

/gs export 

When executed, this command reads your character's currently equipped gear and writes it as a formatted Lua table to a file. That file is saved locally on your machine, typically at:

/Windower/addons/GearSwap/data/exports/ 

The output file will be named after your character and will contain a properly formatted Lua gear set block that you can copy directly into your GearSwap Lua file. This means you can:

• Manually equip the gear you want via the in-game menu
• Run /gs export
• Open the exported file and copy that set block
• Paste it into your Lua file under a set name of your choosing

This is one of the fastest ways to build out a new set — equip everything by hand, then let GearSwap document it for you.

Key Variables That Affect the Export Process

Not every player's export experience is identical. Several factors shape how smoothly this works and what you'll need to do with the output.

Your Windower Version

GearSwap is a Windower addon, and its behavior is tied to the Windower version you're running. Older Windower installations may have a GearSwap version that handles the export command differently or writes files to a slightly different path. Keeping Windower updated generally ensures the /gs export command behaves as expected.

Your Lua File Structure

The exported set is a raw Lua table snippet — it doesn't automatically integrate into your existing file. If you're using a heavily customized Lua setup with conditional logic, inheritance, or set merging (common with frameworks like Mote-lib or Sel-lib), you'll need to manually place the exported block in the right location within your file's structure. Simply pasting at the bottom won't always work cleanly.

Item Names and Augmented Gear

GearSwap exports item names as strings. Augmented gear — items with player-specific stat modifications — may export with augment data or may require you to manually add augment specifications depending on your GearSwap version. If an augmented piece doesn't equip correctly after import, the augment line in your Lua file likely needs adjustment.

Character and Job Context

The export captures whatever is currently equipped — it has no awareness of which job you're playing or what the set is intended for. If you run /gs export while on the wrong job or with placeholder gear still equipped, that's what gets exported. Precision matters here; equip exactly what you intend to capture before running the command.

Different Player Setups Lead to Different Outcomes

The spectrum of GearSwap users is wide, and that affects how export functions in practice.

Players using pre-built community Lua files (downloaded from resources like the BG Wiki or Elmer the Pointy's templates) may find the export output needs reformatting to match the naming conventions and organizational style of that specific file.

What the Export Doesn't Do

Understanding the limits of /gs export saves frustration. It does not:

• Automatically name or categorize the set for you
• Insert the set into your existing Lua file
• Validate that all items are accessible or correctly augmented
• Account for situational logic like aftercast swaps or midcast conditions

The export is a snapshot tool, not a complete build automation system. It captures what's there and puts it in a usable format — the surrounding logic is still your job to write or adapt. ⚙️

File Location and Accessing the Export

After running the command, navigate to your Windower installation directory. The default path on most Windows setups is:

C:WindoweraddonsGearSwapdataexports 

Look for a .lua file named after your character. Open it with any plain text editor — Notepad++ is widely used in the FFXI community for Lua editing — and you'll see the formatted set ready to copy.

If the exports folder doesn't exist yet, GearSwap typically creates it on first use of the export command. If you don't see the file at all, double-check that GearSwap is loaded and active (/gs commands should respond in chat) and that your Windower installation has write permissions for that directory.

How useful the exported set becomes from that point depends entirely on how your Lua file is organized, what framework you're working within, and how much the exported gear reflects your actual intended set — all of which varies from one player's setup to the next. 🗂️