Editing Game Details and Fixing Incorrect Matches
Correct database matches, metadata, media, platforms, launch paths, emulator overrides, versions, and bulk edits without losing working files.
Written By launchbox
Last updated 6 days ago
Imports save time, but filenames and online matches are not always perfect. LaunchBox's game editor lets you correct a library entry without re-importing the game.
Beginner rule: First decide whether the problem is metadata, media, platform placement, or launching. Change only the part responsible for the problem, save, and test before making more changes.
✏️ Open the game editor
Right-click a game and choose Edit > Edit Metadata/Media..., or select the game and press Ctrl+E. The editor is organized into three main sections:
Metadata - title, platform, database match, release information, Notes, Custom Fields, Additional Versions, Additional Apps, and other library details
Media - images, videos, documents, links, music, and related files
Launching - the primary launch file and, when applicable, the emulator and its command-line parameters
Click OK to save the changes or Cancel to leave the game unchanged.
Most edits change LaunchBox's library data rather than the ROM, installed game, emulator, or storefront account. Removing managed media is an important exception, explained below.
🧭 Identify the kind of problem
🔍 Fix an incorrect database match
The database match links the entry to a specific record in the LaunchBox Games Database. It supplies the LaunchBox Database ID used when downloading metadata and media.
Open Metadata.
Set Platform to the system that this library entry belongs to.
Enter a clean, recognizable name in Title.
Click Search for Metadata.
Open the Title results list and choose the correct result under Best Match or Other Possible Matches.
Review the populated metadata fields. Selecting a result immediately changes the editor's database ID and fills available fields; there is no separate proposed-changes screen.
If you also need artwork, videos, or documents, go to Media, Images, Videos, or Documents and click Download Media....
Click OK, then verify the entry in the library.
Do not choose a result only because its artwork looks familiar. Ports, remakes, regional releases, and different games with the same title can have separate database records. Compare the platform, developer, release date, and region shown in the results.
If the current database ID is wrong, you can clear it from the control beside the Title field before searching again. A custom title can still be used after matching; the database ID, rather than the displayed title alone, identifies the record used for later downloads.
📝 Correct metadata manually
You can edit fields directly when no suitable database record exists or when you prefer your own library wording. Common changes include:
Title, Sort Title, and Alternate Names
Platform, release date, developer, publisher, version, and region
Genres, play modes, series, source, status, and progress
Notes and Custom Fields
Favorite, Hide, Broken, Installed, and other game properties
These values can affect searches, sidebar filters, badges, auto-populating playlists, and Big Box presentation. A manual edit does not change the corresponding LaunchBox Games Database record.
🖼️ Replace incorrect media safely
Correct the database match first when both the metadata and media are wrong. Then use Download Media... from the relevant Media page, or use Add Image on Media > Images to add your own artwork. An image you add from elsewhere is copied into LaunchBox's managed image folders when you save.
Download or add the replacement.
On Images, make sure each image is assigned to the correct image type, such as Box - Front, Clear Logo, or Screenshot - Gameplay.
Click OK and confirm the replacement appears in the LaunchBox view you use.
Reopen the editor and remove the incorrect image only after the replacement is confirmed.
Remove Image is not merely a visual preference toggle. When you click OK, an existing managed image removed from the editor is deleted from disk. Cancel the editor if you are unsure.
LaunchBox and Big Box views choose artwork according to their configured image type and image-type priorities. If an old-looking image remains, check which image type that view is displaying; replacing Box - Front does not replace a Clear Logo, background, or screenshot.
🎮 Move a game to the correct platform
Change Metadata > Platform only when the entry belongs under another system. The Platform value controls where the game appears and helps LaunchBox choose database matches and emulator associations.
Scrape As is a platform-level setting, not a per-game field. If you use a custom platform name, go to Tools > Manage > Platforms..., edit that platform, and confirm its Scrape As value identifies the corresponding LaunchBox Games Database platform. Scrape As lets the custom platform name remain visible while downloads use the correct online identity.
After changing a game's Platform, review all of the following before saving:
The database match and downloaded media
Launching > Emulation - LaunchBox may select the new platform's default emulator automatically
The ROM or application path
Any game-specific custom emulator parameters
When a new platform has a default emulator, changing Platform can assign that emulator and clear the game's previous custom emulator command line. Always recheck Emulation after moving an emulated game.
For a large platform correction, use the Bulk Edit Wizard. Its platform-change workflow can also offer to migrate the selected games' media. Test the result on a small selection first.
🚀 Understand Launching versus Emulation
Launching identifies the primary file or URI associated with the entry. For a native Windows game, this is commonly an executable, shortcut, batch file, or storefront URI. For an emulated game, enabling Use an Emulator changes the label to ROM File (Emulation is enabled); select the ROM, disc descriptor, playlist, or other file that the chosen emulator expects.
For a game that does not use an emulator, the Launching page also provides Application Command-Line Parameters and optional configuration-application fields. Those controls are disabled when emulation is enabled.
Under Launching > Emulation, verify:
Use an Emulator is enabled only when appropriate
The correct emulator is selected
Use Custom Command-line Parameters is enabled only if this game needs a deliberate override
Parameter precedence: A game's custom emulator command line replaces the normal parameters from the emulator's matching Associated Platforms entry (or the emulator's default command line). It is not appended automatically. Leave the custom option off when the platform defaults are correct.
After changing a path or emulator, click OK and test the same content directly in that emulator as well. If it also fails outside LaunchBox, correct the emulator, ROM, BIOS, firmware, or other dependency first.
If many games stopped launching after a folder or drive-letter change, do not repair every entry by hand. Use an appropriate bulk path-change or file-management workflow after creating a backup.
🧩 Additional Versions and Additional Apps
These two Metadata pages serve different purposes:
Additional Versions contains alternate playable editions, regions, discs, patches, or executables for the same game. Select a version and use Make Default when it should become the entry's primary launch choice; then recheck Launching, Emulation, Version, Region, and related metadata before saving.
Additional Apps contains setup programs, configuration utilities, bonus applications, or other companion programs. An additional app can have its own application path, parameters, and emulator choice.
Use these pages when a setup program opens instead of the game, the wrong edition launches, or a multi-version import combined items unexpectedly.
Deleting an item from Additional Versions or Additional Apps removes that LaunchBox launch option; it does not delete the referenced ROM or application file from disk. Even so, record the path before removing an item so you can rebuild the option if needed.
👥 Edit multiple games
Select multiple games, right-click the selection, and choose Edit > Edit Metadata/Media... to open the Bulk Edit Wizard. Use it only when a field should receive the same value across the entire selection, such as Platform, Emulator, Genre, Source, Favorite, or another shared property.
Bulk edits can overwrite correct information quickly. Confirm the selected game count, field, value, and final confirmation page. Start with a small group before applying the same correction to a large library.
Do not assign one database ID or one application's path to unrelated games. Correct database matches and title-specific media individually, or use the appropriate metadata and media update wizard for a reviewed selection.
🛟 Back up before a large correction
Use Tools > File Management > Create Data Backup... before a large bulk edit or platform move. A LaunchBox data backup protects library data and settings, but it does not include your game or media files. Keep separate backups of irreplaceable ROMs, installed games, custom artwork, videos, manuals, and other files.
✅ A safe correction workflow
Create a data backup before broad changes.
Correct one representative game.
Click OK and verify its metadata and media.
Launch it successfully.
Repeat the proven change for a small related group.
Only then apply a larger bulk change.
If you are unsure what changed, click Cancel, compare the entry with a similar working game, and verify the original file in its emulator or storefront before trying again.