Skyrim Script Extender SKSE looks up for old Skyrim

I had previously brought Skyrim and had installed it through Steam with SKSE.

I recently brought Skyrim Anniversary Edition and wanted to use SKSE with it (Special Edition showing in Steam), but when I try to launch it, it looks up for Skyrim, the first installed.

How can I make it lookup for the new installation?

Best Answer

There are different versions of SKSE for each released version of Skyrim. If you previously bought the Legendary Edition of Skyrim (i.e. the version before there was a "Special Edition"), then the SKSE for that version of Skyrim is incompatible with Special/Anniversary Editions of the game. You need to download the SE or AE version which is appropriate for your version of Skyrim.

Note also that the AE version of SKSE is still marked "preliminary," meaning that it is still under development and might not work exactly right. The current recommendation is to use this tool to downgrade Skyrim to 1.5.97. You will still be able to use all of the new content in Anniversary Edition (provided you choose the "best of both worlds" version of the downgrader), but it will be compatible with the SE version of SKSE (because AE is ultimately "just" an updated SE with some extra DLC, rather than an entirely separate game as Legendary Edition was). The differences between 1.5.97 and 1.6.x are very minor and generally do not affect gameplay or stability to any noticeable degree.

If you intend to install any SKSE-based mods which contain native code (.dll files), you will need to ensure that you download the version of those mods appropriate to either SE or AE. Some of these mods have not been updated for AE at all, and others are still in development. See this Reddit thread for further discussion of related issues.

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Why does SKSE not work for Skyrim Special Edition?

The Skyrim Script Extender or the game itself may not have the elevated privileges to access certain system files. Some of the Mod Manager settings on your computer may not be properly configured. The SKSE may not be installed correctly on your computer.

Is SKSE backwards compatible?

Future versions of SKSE will be backwards compatibile, so including a potentially old version can cause confusion and/or break other mods which require newer versions.

What is Skyrim Script Extender SKSE?

The Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) is a tool used by many Skyrim mods that expands scripting capabilities and adds additional functionality to the game. This is the same version that is hosted on our main website, but should be the most user-friendly to install and update.

Does SKSE work with Skyrim?

Compatibility: SKSE will support the latest version of Skyrim available on Steam, and only this version (currently 1.9.32 with any other numbers following). It is extremely unlikely that any future non-SE Skyrim updates will be released. SKSE cannot support any potential Windows Store release of Skyrim.

Setting up the Script Extender (SKSE) in Vortex

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Pixabay, Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio