Purpose of the Sort Tool

The Sort Mod List tool helps you organize your MO2 mod list to resolve conflicts and match the collection author's intended install order. It provides:

Why Sort Order Matters: In MO2, mods lower in the list (higher priority number) overwrite mods higher up. The collection author carefully ordered mods so that patches, fixes, and compatibility files load after the mods they modify. Following this order ensures everything works together correctly.

Basic Workflow

  1. Click Preview - Loads all mods and detects file conflicts
  2. Review the list - Check for conflicts (red/green highlighting)
  3. Make adjustments - Drag mods to reorder if needed
  4. Click Apply Sort Order - Apply the new order to MO2
Important: You must click Preview before you can apply changes. This ensures you see the current state before modifying anything.

Table Columns

ColumnDescription
No.Row number showing the current position in the sort order
StatusMod status indicators (enabled, disabled, problem, etc.)
Mod NameThe mod's display name, with tags if applicable
CategoryThe mod's assigned category from MO2
VersionThe mod's version number
ConflictsCount of overwrites/overwritten files with other mods

Status Indicators

IndicatorMeaning
✔ EnabledMod is active and will be loaded
✖ DisabledMod is inactive (only shown with "Show disabled" option)
⚠ ProblemMod has invalid data or missing Nexus ID
🌐 UnmanagedMod is in game Data folder (DLC, Creation Club)
📦 BundleMod was installed from a collection bundle

Row Highlighting

ColorMeaning
Red backgroundThis mod is being overwritten by the selected mod (losing)
Green backgroundThis mod is overwriting the selected mod (winning)

Tags

Mods may display tags next to their name indicating special status:

TagMeaning
User RuleYou've manually reordered this mod. A custom load order rule is active.
No collectionThis mod isn't part of any loaded collection (can be hidden in settings).
BundleThis mod was installed from a collection bundle.
User Rule Tag: When you drag a mod to reorder it, the tool creates a "load after" rule and shows the User Rule tag. This rule persists through restarts and will be reapplied each time you preview.

Conflicts Pane

The left pane shows detailed conflict information for the selected mod:

Using the Conflicts Pane

  1. Click any mod in the main table to select it
  2. The conflicts pane shows all mods that share files with it
  3. Click a conflict to highlight it in the main table
  4. Drag mods within the conflicts pane to reorder them

Collapse/Expand

Use the arrow button (◀/▶) to collapse or expand the conflicts pane. When collapsed, a highlighted expand button appears on the left edge for quick access.

Drag-Drop Basics

You can manually adjust the sort order by dragging mods:

  1. Click a mod to select it
  2. Drag it to the desired position
  3. Release to drop it after the target mod
Drop Position: Mods are always placed after (below) the mod you drop them on. If you drop mod A onto mod B, mod A will appear directly below mod B.

What Happens When You Drag

Multi-Select Drag

You can drag multiple mods at once:

  1. Ctrl+Click to select multiple individual mods
  2. Shift+Click to select a range of mods
  3. Drag the selection to the target position
  4. All selected mods are placed after the target, preserving their relative order

How Multi-Drag Rules Work

When you drag multiple mods, the tool creates chained rules to preserve their relative order:

Example: If you select mods A, B, C and drop them on mod X, the rules created are: A loads after X, B loads after A, C loads after B. This keeps A, B, C together in order below X.

User Rules

User rules are "load after" relationships you create by dragging mods. They are the primary way to customize your load order beyond what collections provide.

Rule Behavior

Moving to Top

If you drag a mod to the very top of the list (above all other mods), its "load after" rule is removed. The mod returns to its natural position based on collection order.

Strict User Rules

By default, user rules are "relaxed" - a mod just needs to be somewhere after its target. Enable Apply strict user rules in Settings for precise positioning.

ModeBehavior
Relaxed (default)Mod loads somewhere after the target. Other mods may be between them.
StrictMod is positioned directly after the target. Always adjacent.
Use with caution: Strict rules force mods to be directly adjacent. This can cause unexpected results if you have many rules, as they may conflict with each other. Only enable this if you need precise positioning.

Isolation Mode

Isolation mode filters the view to show only mods related to a specific conflict:

  1. Right-click any mod in the table
  2. Select Isolation Mode - Show Only Conflicts
  3. The table now shows only that mod and mods that conflict with it
  4. Make your adjustments in this focused view
  5. Right-click and select Exit Isolation Mode to return

Deep Isolation

When Show conflicts of conflicts is enabled in Settings (default: on), isolation mode also shows mods that conflict with the conflicting mods. This reveals the full dependency chain.

Tip: Isolation mode is ideal for resolving complex conflicts. Focus on one problem mod, see exactly what it conflicts with, reorder as needed, then exit to see the full picture.

Collection Order

The tool can automatically sort mods based on collection install order. This is applied when you click Preview.

Collection Selector

In Settings, choose which collection's order to use:

How Sorting Works

  1. Mods are matched to collection entries by file ID or name
  2. Matched mods are sorted by their position in the collection
  3. Collection phases are respected (phase 0 before phase 1, etc.)
  4. User rules are applied on top, overriding collection order where specified
  5. Unmatched mods appear at the end

Filter Options

Access these options via the ⚙ Settings button:

OptionDefaultDescription
Only show mods with conflictsOffHide mods that have no file overlaps
Show disabled modsOffInclude inactive mods in the list
Sort problem mods to topOnAlways show mods with issues at the top
Sort unmanaged mods to topOnPut DLC and game files at the top
Sort bundles lastOnAlways keep bundle mods at the bottom
Show 'No Collection' tagOnMark mods not part of any collection

Isolation Mode Settings

OptionDefaultDescription
Show conflicts of conflictsOnIn isolation, also show mods that conflict with the conflicting mods

Managing User Rules

The Settings dialog includes tools to view and manage your user rules:

View User Rules

Click View User Rules... to open the rules manager:

Delete All Rules

Click Delete All to remove all user rules:

  1. A confirmation dialog appears
  2. Type DELETE (in all caps) to confirm
  3. All rules are cleared and mods return to collection order
Rules persist automatically: Your user rules are saved to MO2's settings and survive restarts. You don't need to save them manually.

Save/Load Order

Save Order

Export your current sort order to a file for backup or sharing:

  1. Click Save Order
  2. Choose a location and filename
  3. The file includes mod positions and your user rules

Load Order

Import a previously saved sort order:

  1. Click Load Order
  2. Select the saved order file
  3. The table updates to match the loaded order
  4. Click Apply Sort Order to apply it to MO2
Sharing: You can share saved order files with others who have the same mod list. Useful for troubleshooting or sharing an optimized order.

Applying Changes

Click Apply Sort Order to apply the displayed order to MO2:

  1. Each mod's priority is updated to match its position in the table
  2. MO2's mod list updates immediately
  3. Your game will now use this load order
Caution: Applying changes modifies your actual MO2 mod order. If you're unsure, use Save Order first to create a backup you can restore later.

Best Practices

Recommended Workflow:

When to Manually Reorder

When to Reset to Collection Order

Understanding Conflicts