Portable Mode

Create a truly portable OpenTrack installation on a USB stick or external drive

OpenTrack supports portable mode, allowing you to run the application from a USB stick or external drive without installation. This is perfect for using OpenTrack on multiple computers or at LAN parties without needing administrator rights.

What is Portable Mode?

Portable mode means:

No Installation Required

Run OpenTrack directly from a USB drive without installing on the host system

Self-Contained

All settings, profiles, and configuration files are stored on the USB drive

No Registry Changes

Leaves no traces on the host computer’s registry or system folders

Multiple Computers

Use the same OpenTrack installation and profiles across different computers

Creating a Portable Installation

1. Download OpenTrack

   Download the latest Windows release from the OpenTrack releases page.

   Choose either:

   • .7z archive (recommended for portable use)
   • .exe installer (you’ll extract files after installation)

   Both installers and portable versions support USB stick “truly portable” installations.

2. Prepare Your USB Drive

   Format your USB drive with:

   • File System: NTFS (recommended) or FAT32
   • Size: At least 500 MB free space
   • Label: Optional (e.g., “OpenTrack”)

   Create a folder for OpenTrack:

   E:\OpenTrack\       (or any drive letter/path)
   
3. Extract OpenTrack Files

   From .7z Archive

   Extract the archive contents directly to your USB drive folder:

   E:\OpenTrack\opentrack.exe
   E:\OpenTrack\platforms\qwindows.dll
   E:\OpenTrack\opencv_world*.dll
   E:\OpenTrack\Qt*.dll
   ...
   

   From .exe Installer

   1. Install OpenTrack normally on your computer
   2. Navigate to the installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\opentrack)
   3. Copy all files and folders to your USB drive:

   E:\OpenTrack\opentrack.exe
   E:\OpenTrack\platforms\qwindows.dll
   ...
   
4. Create Portable Flag File

   Create an empty file named portable.txt in the OpenTrack directory:

   Windows (Command Prompt)

   cd /d E:\OpenTrack
   type nul > portable.txt
   

   The presence of portable.txt tells OpenTrack to store all settings and profiles in the current directory instead of system folders.

5. Verify Portable Mode

   Run opentrack.exe from the USB drive. Verify portable mode is active:

   1. Launch OpenTrack
   2. Change a setting or create a profile
   3. Close OpenTrack
   4. Check for new files in the USB directory:

   E:\OpenTrack\settings\       (configuration files)
   E:\OpenTrack\profiles\       (tracking profiles)
   

   If these folders appear on the USB drive, portable mode is working correctly.

Directory Structure

A complete portable OpenTrack installation looks like:

E:\OpenTrack\
├── portable.txt              # Enables portable mode
├── opentrack.exe             # Main executable
├── opencv_world*.dll         # OpenCV libraries
├── Qt*.dll                   # Qt libraries
├── platforms/
│   └── qwindows.dll          # Qt platform plugin
├── settings/                 # Created on first run
│   └── opentrack.ini         # Main settings
├── profiles/                 # Created when saving profiles
│   ├── default.ini
│   └── my-profile.ini
└── modules/                  # Plugin modules
    ├── opentrack-tracker-*.dll
    ├── opentrack-filter-*.dll
    └── opentrack-proto-*.dll

Configuration Files

Settings Location

In portable mode, all configuration is stored locally:

Portable Mode

E:\OpenTrack\settings\opentrack.ini
E:\OpenTrack\profiles\*.ini

Normal Installation

C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\opentrack\settings\
C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\opentrack\profiles\

Backup Your Configuration

With portable mode, backing up is simple:

# Copy entire directory
xcopy E:\OpenTrack D:\Backup\OpenTrack\ /E /I /H

# Or just copy settings and profiles
xcopy E:\OpenTrack\settings D:\Backup\settings\ /E /I
xcopy E:\OpenTrack\profiles D:\Backup\profiles\ /E /I

Using OpenTrack Portably

On Multiple Computers

1. Plug In USB Drive

   Insert your USB drive into the target computer.

2. Run OpenTrack

   Navigate to the OpenTrack folder and run opentrack.exe.

   E:\OpenTrack\opentrack.exe
   
3. Install Required Drivers

   Some trackers require drivers:

   • Webcam trackers: Usually work with built-in drivers
   • TrackIR emulation: May require freetrack drivers
   • Oculus Rift: Requires Oculus runtime installation

   Driver installation typically requires administrator privileges.

4. Configure for Host System

   Adjust settings for the host computer:

   • Select appropriate camera device
   • Update output protocol if needed
   • Test tracking before gaming

Creating Shortcuts

Create a batch file for quick launching:

launch.bat

@echo off
cd /d "%~dp0"
start "" opentrack.exe

Place launch.bat in the OpenTrack directory.

Portable Mode on Linux

OpenTrack portable mode also works on Linux:

1. Extract or Build OpenTrack

   Extract a portable build or install locally:

   mkdir -p /media/usb/OpenTrack
   cd /media/usb/OpenTrack
   
2. Create Portable Flag

   touch portable.txt
   
3. Run from USB

   cd /media/usb/OpenTrack
   ./opentrack
   

On Linux, you may need to mark opentrack as executable:

chmod +x opentrack

Troubleshooting Portable Mode

Settings Not Saving to USB Drive

Problem: Settings are still being saved to system folders.

Solutions:

1. Verify portable.txt exists in the OpenTrack directory:

   dir E:\OpenTrack\portable.txt
   

2. Ensure the USB drive is writable (not write-protected)

3. Check file permissions on Linux:

   ls -la portable.txt
   chmod 644 portable.txt
   

4. Run OpenTrack as administrator (Windows) if permission errors occur

Missing DLL Errors

Problem: Application fails to start with “missing DLL” errors.

Solutions:

1. Ensure all files were extracted/copied:
   • Qt*.dll files
   • opencv_world*.dll
   • platforms/qwindows.dll
2. Install Visual C++ Redistributables on the host computer:
   • Download VC++ 2015-2022 Redistributable
3. Check USB drive for file corruption:
   chkdsk E: /F
   

Camera Not Detected

Problem: OpenTrack can’t find the webcam on the host computer.

Solutions:

1. Check camera permissions in Windows Settings:

   • Settings → Privacy → Camera

2. Try a different camera if available

3. Update camera drivers on the host system

4. Select the correct camera in OpenTrack:

   • Options → Camera → Device

Slow Performance from USB Drive

Problem: OpenTrack runs slowly when launched from USB.

Solutions:

1. Use a USB 3.0 drive and port for better read speeds

2. Use NTFS instead of FAT32 for better performance

3. Consider using an SSD-based USB drive for best performance

4. Defragment the USB drive (NTFS only):

   defrag E: /O
   

Can't Run on Different Windows Versions

Problem: OpenTrack works on one computer but not another.

Solutions:

1. Ensure the host has compatible Windows version:

   • Windows 7 SP1 or later

2. Install required Visual C++ runtimes

3. Use the same architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit)

Best Practices

Use Quality USB Drives

Invest in a reliable USB 3.0 drive with good read speeds (100+ MB/s)

Backup Regularly

Copy your settings and profiles to a backup location periodically

Test Before Gaming

Always test tracking on a new computer before launching games

Keep Updated

Update your portable installation when new OpenTrack versions are released

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

No installation required on host computer

Settings and profiles travel with you

No traces left on host system

Quick setup on new computers

Easy backup and restore

Limitations

Some trackers require driver installation (needs admin rights)

USB 2.0 drives may have slower load times

Host computer must have compatible hardware (webcam, etc.)

Visual C++ runtime may need installation on some systems

See Also

Building from Source

Build your own portable version from source

Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues

Quick Start Guide

Learn how to use OpenTrack

Configuration

Configure tracking and output settings