How to Install DSMapStudio

Most failed installs share one cause: people click the green Code button on GitHub, download Source-code.zip, unpack it, and find no DSMapStudio.exe anywhere — because that archive is the C# source, not the program. DSMapStudio is a portable Windows tool with no installer wizard, so "installing" it is three things: download the correct release zip, add two runtimes Windows doesn't ship by default, and extract somewhere it can write files.

Step 1 — Download the correct file

Go to the download page or GitHub Releases. Under the latest release (v1.11.1), open the Assets dropdown and download DSMapStudio.zip (sometimes version-suffixed). That's the built program.

⚠️ Do not download "Source code (zip)." GitHub auto-generates that link on every release and on the green Code button — it's .cs source, not a runnable build, so it extracts to a src folder with no DSMapStudio.exe. This single mistake is the most-reported "DSMapStudio won't run" issue. Already did it? Delete it and grab the asset zip from the Releases page instead.

GitHub Releases → Assets: the built program is the DSMapStudio…zip, above the "Source code" links.

Since v1.09 the zip also ships a Low Requirements executable. No Vulkan-capable GPU — most Intel-integrated laptops — that build runs the Param and Text editors without the 3D Map Editor. No separate download; both executables live in the extracted folder.

Step 2 — Install the Visual C++ x64 and .NET 7 runtimes

DSMapStudio is a C# app (Veldrid + ImGui.NET) that depends on two Microsoft runtimes a clean Windows install often lacks:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable (x64) — aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe. Install the x64 build specifically; x86 won't satisfy the dependency. Its absence is the classic silent failure: with the x64 VC++ runtime missing, v1.11.1 opens no window at all — no error dialog, the process just never appears, which is exactly why people mistake it for a corrupt download.
• .NET 7 Desktop Runtime (x64) — DSMapStudio moved to .NET 7 in v1.08. Install the Desktop Runtime (not ASP.NET, not the plain runtime) from Microsoft's .NET download site.

Install both before first launch and reboot if the VC++ installer asks.

Step 3 — Extract it

Right-click DSMapStudio.zip → Extract All to a writable folder you control — C:\Modding\DSMapStudio\ or a Desktop folder both work. It writes project files, logs, and a Paramdex cache beside its executable, so it needs a writable location.

⚠️ Avoid C:\Program Files and Program Files (x86). Windows protects those paths; DSMapStudio's config/log writes there can fail silently or throw permission errors on launch.

After extracting you should see DSMapStudio.exe, a Low Requirements executable, and supporting .dll files and asset folders. A src folder or a .sln instead means you extracted the source archive — back to Step 1.

Step 4 — First launch

Double-click DSMapStudio.exe. On a Vulkan GPU you get the full window with editor tabs along the top; first run may take a few extra seconds while it initializes Paramdex.

A blue SmartScreen "Windows protected your PC" prompt is expected for an unsigned open-source tool — More info → Run anyway. If antivirus quarantines the executable (some flag the file-injection libraries it bundles), restore it and add the folder to exclusions. A startup crash that drops a log file in the folder is almost always a missing runtime from Step 2 — open the log and it names the missing dependency.

Step 5 — Create your first project

DSMapStudio doesn't edit your game directly — you create a project that points at your game's files and writes mod output to a separate folder. On launch, New Project, then:

1. Project Name — any label.
2. Project Directory — an empty folder for the mod's edited files.
3. Game Directory — the folder with your game's executable and data. For Steam titles, inside steamapps\common\... — but DSMapStudio reads UXM-unpacked files, not the packed install, and the path differs per game.

Set Game Type to your game explicitly (it controls which param definitions load). Because directory paths and the UXM step vary across the nine games, that process has its own walkthrough.

→ Continue: Creating Your First DSMapStudio Project.

System requirements

Whether you get the full tool or only Param/Text depends entirely on your GPU:

On an Intel iGPU, don't fight the Map Editor — use the Low Requirements executable and see Intel GPU: no Vulkan.

Keeping it updated

DSMapStudio added auto-update checking in v1.08, so a current build tells you when a newer release exists. Because it's portable, "updating" is the same as installing: download the new DSMapStudio.zip and extract it over (or beside) the old folder — your projects live in separate directories, so replacing the app files doesn't touch your work. One FromSoftware caveat: a game patch can change param layouts faster than a tool release ships, which is why v1.11.1 (June 2024) can't read Elden Ring patch 1.12+. Current build but still hitting "Unknown DCX format"? The mismatch is with the game patch, not your install — that's where Smithbox comes in.

Install troubleshooting

Extracted, runtimes installed, launching cleanly? Next, point it at your game: first-project setup, then the Param Editor hub. An "Unknown DCX format" later when opening regulation.bin is a version issue, not install — fix.