How do you delete those damn folders?

[PadeMoNiuM Prods]

How do you get rid of those annoying folders in LaunchBox? Have you ever wondered about that?☝️😅

In the Images folder, a lot of folders keep appearing. You can delete them, you can even uncheck them in the options, but they keep coming back anyway.

The thing is, LaunchBox has a bit of an archivist obsession: it automatically recreates the standard image folders whenever it needs them. As soon as a game is scanned, a theme checks for media, or a scraper looks for a specific image type, LaunchBox recreates the missing folders inside LaunchBox\Images. The result is simple: you delete them, and a few minutes later they reappear. Pretty annoying.

But there are three things to understand.

First, unchecking media types in the options does not prevent the folders from being created. That option only prevents media from being downloaded. LaunchBox still keeps the folder structure ready just in case.

Second, some themes or Big Box views can trigger the recreation. If a view looks for something like Steam Banner or Background, LaunchBox will recreate the folder to check whether images exist there.

Third, the most effective solution is often to simply leave the folders but hide them.

There are two easy ways to do this.
Right-click the folder, open Properties, and set it as Hidden. The folders will still exist, but you won’t see them anymore.
Another option is to place a small .gitkeep or .ignore file to keep things visually clean.

Many LaunchBox theme creators do this because fighting the automatic recreation of folders is almost impossible.

The only way to really limit the proliferation is to check two places. In Options → Media, disable everything related to Steam, Fanart, and similar media sources. And in Options → Scrape / Metadata, disable any providers you don’t actually use.

Even then, LaunchBox will still keep its basic image folder structure.

From a software design perspective, the logic is actually quite interesting. The program prefers to recreate an empty folder rather than risk breaking a view or a media load. It’s a very “digital museum” philosophy. The structure always exists, even if the display case is empty.

I hope this helps you understand why it happens.😉

[Suhrvivor]

Yeah, it's kinda annoying that the app keeps creating folders that might never have any file in it. I mean, there's no need for the Nintendo Switch or any other handheld to have an "Arcade Cabinet" folder.

I'm my case I see it as a lost battle, I just let it be, I see the folders as part of the software itself, I don't bother deleting them anymore.