how to apply 1 startup theme to all my games

[DonellHD]

Hi everyone. I set my startup theme to be stage box, applied it, but I still see the default startup theme on some occasions. How do I apply stagebox on every game I load in LB?

[JoeViking245]

11 hours ago, DonellHD said:

Hi everyone. I set my startup theme to be stage box, applied it, but I still see the default startup theme on some occasions. How do I apply stagebox on every game I load in LB?

Can you break down "some occasions" a little?  Does the Default Startup Theme show on games in a certain platform?  Do you have any other .xaml files in with your \Stagebox\ folder (ither than Defaul.xaml and Default Shutdown.xaml)?

[DonellHD]

On 9/29/2025 at 9:55 AM, JoeViking245 said:

Can you break down "some occasions" a little?  Does the Default Startup Theme show on games in a certain platform?  Do you have any other .xaml files in with your \Stagebox\ folder (ither than Defaul.xaml and Default Shutdown.xaml)?

Like for one instance, it may work for windows but it won't work for wii u for example. No there are no other xaml files but the one that comes with stagebox

[JoeViking245]

To clarify, for Wii U, is there no startup screen then?  It you switch startup screens, does one then appear for Wii U?  If not, check that startup screens are not disabled for the emulator.  If it's only certain games in the Wii U platform that don't show it, they may have an override set, disabling them.

[DonellHD]

On 9/30/2025 at 8:16 PM, JoeViking245 said:

To clarify, for Wii U, is there no startup screen then?  It you switch startup screens, does one then appear for Wii U?  If not, check that startup screens are not disabled for the emulator.  If it's only certain games in the Wii U platform that don't show it, they may have an override set, disabling them.

So it wasn't actually wii u. It was windows. Every game I load in retroarch does it fine, cemu as well and my other emulators but windows never changes. All I have is the default and stagebox startup themes installed and I keep going to the options to set it but it still won't show in windows... windows is using the default one still.....

Edited October 3 by DonellHD

[DonellHD]

@JoeViking245 where should I look to find the override??

[JoeViking245]

On 10/4/2025 at 1:35 AM, DonellHD said:

where should I look to find the override??

The override is only for disabling the startup screen.

The only "option" to display a different startup up screen per-platform is to have an xml file in your selected startup theme's folder named the exact same as the platform.

And note, that is per-platform. Not per-emulator. As in, the emulator is (should be) irrelevant.

 

Example: look in your \LaunchBox\StartupThemes\Default\ folder.  If you launch a game from your "Sony Playstation 2" platform, it will use the "Sony Playstation 2.xml" file for the startup theme.  If you launch a game from your Windows platform, since there isn't a Windows.xml file, it'll use the Default.xml.

 

Since you're using the StageBox startup theme and it ONLY has its' Default.xml file (no platform-specific xml files), setting StageBox as your Startup Theme in LaunchBox, all platforms will use the same file when loading a game.  Unless you disable it specifically for the platform or a game(s).  When disabled, it won't show any startup screen.

 

Why your Windows platform is using the Default.xml from the /Default/ theme folder instead of the /StageBox/ folder, I have no idea.

Can you share screenshots of the loading screen when launching from a platform it does work in, and then one when launching a game from your Windows platform.

 

[DonellHD]

17 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

The override is only for disabling the startup screen.

The only "option" to display a different startup up screen per-platform is to have an xml file in your selected startup theme's folder named the exact same as the platform.

And note, that is per-platform. Not per-emulator. As in, the emulator is (should be) irrelevant.

 

Example: look in your \LaunchBox\StartupThemes\Default\ folder.  If you launch a game from your "Sony Playstation 2" platform, it will use the "Sony Playstation 2.xml" file for the startup theme.  If you launch a game from your Windows platform, since there isn't a Windows.xml file, it'll use the Default.xml.

 

Since you're using the StageBox startup theme and it ONLY has its' Default.xml file (no platform-specific xml files), setting StageBox as your Startup Theme in LaunchBox, all platforms will use the same file when loading a game.  Unless you disable it specifically for the platform or a game(s).  When disabled, it won't show any startup screen.

 

Why your Windows platform is using the Default.xml from the /Default/ theme folder instead of the /StageBox/ folder, I have no idea.

Can you share screenshots of the loading screen when launching from a platform it does work in, and then one when launching a game from your Windows platform.

 

I FOUND IT. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!