Metadata and Media Basics

Learn how LaunchBox matches games, downloads metadata and media, handles existing content, stores files, and fixes missing or incorrect results.

Written By launchbox

Last updated 6 days ago

LaunchBox can turn a folder of game files into a rich, browsable library by matching each library entry to descriptive information and artwork from supported sources. This guide explains what metadata and media are, how matching works, what the download choices mean, and how to correct missing or incorrect results.

The short version: Metadata describes a game. Media is the artwork, video, audio, or documents used to present it. Neither is the ROM, executable, or storefront installation itself.

📝 What is metadata?

Metadata is descriptive information stored on a game entry. It can include:

  • Title and alternate titles

  • Platform, release date, region, and version

  • Developer and publisher

  • Genres, play modes, series, and maximum players

  • Description, ratings, and controller-support information

  • A LaunchBox Games Database ID and storefront identifiers

Good metadata improves searching, sorting, sidebar filters, badges, auto-populating playlists, and Game Discovery. Incorrect metadata can place a game under an unexpected filter or keep it out of a playlist whose rules it should match.

🖼️ What is media?

Media is the visual, video, audio, or document content associated with a game, platform, category, or playlist. Common game media includes:

  • Box fronts, box backs, spines, and 3D boxes

  • Clear logos, icons, banners, carts, and 3D carts

  • Gameplay, title-screen, background, and fanart images

  • Gameplay videos and video themes

  • Music and PDF manuals

The active LaunchBox or Big Box theme and view decide which media groups they use. A file can be downloaded correctly without appearing in every view.

🌐 Where metadata and media come from

LaunchBox Games Database

The community-maintained LaunchBox Games Database provides game metadata and many image types. A successful match assigns the game a LaunchBox Games Database ID, which identifies the exact database record to use on later updates.

Storefront sources

For supported storefront games, LaunchBox can also obtain certain metadata and images directly from providers such as Steam or GOG. Provider and priority choices appear only when they apply to games in the selection.

EmuMovies

EmuMovies can provide additional supported artwork, videos, manuals, music, and other media after you connect an EmuMovies account. Artwork is available with a free account; a supporting membership unlocks additional content such as videos, manuals, and music. The media offered also depends on what EmuMovies has for that platform and game.

Your own files

You can assign your own images, videos, music, and manuals in the game editor. This is useful for homebrew, hacks, custom entries, preferred regional artwork, or any title without a suitable online match.

🔍 How LaunchBox matches a game

LaunchBox first uses an existing LaunchBox Games Database ID when the game already has one. Otherwise, it searches using information such as the game title, filename, and platform. Supported storefront identifiers, such as a Steam application ID, can also help identify a game.

A reliable match depends most heavily on:

  • A recognizable title or filename

  • The correct platform

  • The correct Scrape As value for a custom-named platform

  • Region or alternate-title information when several releases are similar

What “Scrape As” means

Scrape As maps your platform name to a standard LaunchBox Games Database platform. For example, a custom platform called My Nintendo 64 Collection can scrape as Nintendo 64. It does not rename the platform shown in your library.

Set or correct it under Tools > Manage > Platforms, edit the platform, and choose the appropriate Scrape As value. Import wizards also offer this choice when creating or selecting a platform.

LaunchBox removes many common filename details when comparing titles, but abbreviations, release-group text, hacks, prototypes, multi-disc labels, and unusual names may still require manual review.

Artwork appearing is not proof that the correct edition was matched. When a result looks uncertain, check the title, platform, release information, description, and database ID before updating a large selection.

⬇️ Downloading during import

Game matching and metadata lookup are normally part of an import. Import wizards also let you choose which LaunchBox Games Database images to download and, when configured, which EmuMovies media to request.

For a first library:

  1. Confirm the platform and Scrape As choice.

  2. Choose a focused set of images, such as box fronts, clear logos, gameplay screenshots, and backgrounds.

  3. Connect EmuMovies only if you want media from that service.

  4. Use the per-image-group limits if you do not need several images of the same kind for every game.

  5. Review the proposed game list before finishing the import.

More media can create a richer library, but it also increases download time, storage use, backup size, and image-cache work. Media downloads may continue in the background after the games have been added.

🔄 Updating games already in your library

Select one or more games, then go to Tools > Download > Update Metadata and Media for Selected Games. If no games are selected, the menu instead offers Update Metadata and Media for All Games.

The wizard lets you choose applicable data sources, source priorities, image types, EmuMovies media, image limits, and how existing content should be treated. Test the process on one or two games before updating a large customized library.

⚖️ Fill missing content or replace it?

The wizard presents two important update modes:

  • Yes, but do not replace any existing fields or media (recommended) - fills empty metadata fields and downloads media that is not already present. Use this for routine updates and libraries containing manual edits.

  • Yes, download and replace all existing metadata and media - replaces local metadata and the selected existing media with newly downloaded content. Use this deliberately when you want to reset incorrect or outdated information.

The replace option can overwrite custom titles, notes, genres, and hand-picked artwork. Back up your LaunchBox data and test a small selection before using it across the library.

🧹 Correcting a bad match

  1. Right-click the game and choose Edit.

  2. On the Metadata page, verify the title and platform.

  3. Click Search for Metadata.

  4. Select the correct LaunchBox Games Database result. This assigns its database ID to the game.

  5. Review the populated fields, then use Download Media if you want artwork or other media for the corrected match.

  6. Save the game and confirm the result before removing old files.

Changing metadata or media does not normally change the game's ROM, executable, emulator configuration, or storefront installation.

📁 Where media is stored

Downloaded media normally goes into folders beneath your LaunchBox installation, including Images, Videos, Music, and Manuals. These are generally organized by platform and, for images, by image type. Media that you browse to manually can instead reference a file in another location.

LaunchBox discovers many files through its expected folders, media types, game titles, and stored paths. Renaming or moving files directly in File Explorer can therefore make media disappear until its name, location, or assigned path is corrected.

When adding or replacing media, the game editor is the safest starting point. If you intentionally change image files outside LaunchBox, return to LaunchBox and use View > Media > Refresh Selected Images or Refresh All Images as appropriate.

👻 Missing-media filters after manual file changes

LaunchBox can hide games that are missing selected kinds of media. If you added or removed files outside LaunchBox and a missing-media filter now looks wrong, use View > Media > Refresh All Missing Media to rebuild that information.

❓ Why is media missing or stale in Big Box?

Check these in order:

  1. Open the game in LaunchBox and confirm that the expected media is actually present.

  2. Confirm that the active Big Box theme and current view use that media type. Themes can request different image groups and video types.

  3. Switch temporarily to the Default theme. If the media appears there, the issue is likely specific to the custom theme or view.

  4. If the correct file exists but Big Box still shows an old or missing image, go to Big Box System Menu > Options > Image Cache. Refresh the affected cache, or choose Refresh All Images when you are unsure which cache is involved.

🗑️ Clean up media carefully

The Media Cleanup Utility can identify duplicate media and files that are not used under your current image priorities or themes. “Unused” does not always mean unwanted: another theme or a future priority change may use that file.

Review the reason and path for every flagged item. When possible, choose Move Checked Files to Folder first so the files remain recoverable. Delete Checked Files permanently removes them.

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