Playing an alt can be unappealing if you’re the sort of Final Fantasy XIV player that has a custom HUD and keybinds. You’ve already got a bunch of classes leveled on your main and you’ve got to deal with your keybinds again? One might wonder why you’d even bother.
There are a few reasons to make an alt. Maybe you want to play with friends on another datacenter before Endwalker, are just an altaholic, or perhaps you’ve got an RP alt idea (Crystal represent). Whatever the reason, you don’t have to suffer through manually adjusting your HUD and keybinds with each character. All you need to do is move some files.
This method only works on the PC version of FFXIV. It does not work on either PS4 or PS5, since you can’t exactly play around with your files in this same manner on console.
FFXIV: How to Transfer Character Keybinds and HUD Between Characters
This is a relatively simple process, so don’t be intimidated.
First you’ll want to navigate to your game’s file folder, which should be located at C:UsersUSERNAMEDocumentsMy GamesFINAL FANTASY XIV – A Realm Reborn for any Windows 10 user.
Replace the bolded USERNAME portion of the above with your Windows username and you’re on your way. (It’s worth noting this is also the folder where your screenshots folder is located.)
Your folder will look something like this, with the amount of FFXIV_CHR004 folders and their corresponding .dat files varying based on how many characters you’ve logged into on this computer.
The game creates a character’s folder when it’s first logged into or made, so you’ll need to determine which folder is the one containing the HUD and keybinds you want to transfer based on the date the folder was modified last.
The date a folder was modified which will indicate the date that character was created or first logged onto if the character was created on another platform or a different computer.
You must figure out which folder is the one for the character you want to lift the settings from, and the folder you want to apply them to.
Inside one of these folders should look like this:
If you think you found the right character, copy all of these files from their folder and paste them into the folder for the newer character. Say yes to replacing any files, then launch the game to confirm it worked.
The only risk here is accidentally replacing the settings of the character you want to transfer from. Create a backup folder and paste the target folder’s files into it first, just to be sure.
That’s all you really need to know about how to move your settings from one character to the next in FFXIV. Check out some of our guides on the game, and have fun alt-hopping!
