Windows Registry overrides emulator executable location
Author: MabadmanCreated Sep 15, 2026Updated Sep 15, 2026
Labelsbug
Bug Description
If Windows Registry has a key for the emulator executable under either
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\ or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\
that points to a valid exe, then Playnite uses this exe no matter what the installation path is set to by the user.
Seems to be specifically a problem with emulators. Tried reproducing it with manually added (non-emulated) games but those work as intended.
To Reproduce
- Add an emulator & an emulated game.
- Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\in the Registry and add new key{Emulator}.exe, named as appropriate. Must match the actual emulator executable name. - Edit the Default string value so it points to a valid exe. Could be anything, e.g.
C:\Windows\notepad.exe - Try launching the emulated game using the emulator to see it instead runs the exe from step 3.
Diagnostics ID
a402de0b-8b51-4cfb-91c9-c7bfd00c09d9
Screenshots
Source: JosefNemec/Playnite