diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 76dcd33a..b973a3f5 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.21.1)
 
 option(ENABLE_VCPKG "Enable the vcpkg package manager" ON)
+option(PORTABLE "All data created and maintained by Cemu will be in the directory where the executable file is located" ON)
 set(EXPERIMENTAL_VERSION "" CACHE STRING "") # used by CI script to set experimental version
 
 if (EXPERIMENTAL_VERSION)
@@ -30,6 +31,10 @@ set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)
 
 add_compile_definitions($<$<CONFIG:Debug>:CEMU_DEBUG_ASSERT>) # if build type is debug, set CEMU_DEBUG_ASSERT
 
+if(PORTABLE)
+	add_compile_definitions(PORTABLE)
+endif()
+
 set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY USE_FOLDERS ON)
 
 # enable link time optimization for release builds
diff --git a/src/Cafe/Account/Account.cpp b/src/Cafe/Account/Account.cpp
index 2cf424f1..f1ce0be8 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/Account/Account.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/Account/Account.cpp
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ OnlineValidator Account::ValidateOnlineFiles() const
 {
 	OnlineValidator result{};
 	
-	const auto otp = ActiveSettings::GetPath("otp.bin");
+	const auto otp = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("otp.bin");
 	if (!fs::exists(otp))
 		result.otp = OnlineValidator::FileState::Missing;
 	else if (fs::file_size(otp) != 1024)
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ OnlineValidator Account::ValidateOnlineFiles() const
 	else
 		result.otp = OnlineValidator::FileState::Ok;
 	
-	const auto seeprom = ActiveSettings::GetPath("seeprom.bin");
+	const auto seeprom = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("seeprom.bin");
 	if (!fs::exists(seeprom))
 		result.seeprom = OnlineValidator::FileState::Missing;
 	else if (fs::file_size(seeprom) != 512)
diff --git a/src/Cafe/CafeSystem.cpp b/src/Cafe/CafeSystem.cpp
index 2cadc106..e2e1c5ef 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/CafeSystem.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/CafeSystem.cpp
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ uint32 loadSharedData()
 	for (sint32 i = 0; i < sizeof(shareddataDef) / sizeof(shareddataDef[0]); i++)
 	{
 		bool existsInMLC = fs::exists(ActiveSettings::GetMlcPath(shareddataDef[i].mlcPath));
-		bool existsInResources = fs::exists(ActiveSettings::GetPath(shareddataDef[i].resourcePath));
+		bool existsInResources = fs::exists(ActiveSettings::GetDataPath(shareddataDef[i].resourcePath));
 
 		if (!existsInMLC && !existsInResources)
 		{
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ uint32 loadSharedData()
 			// alternatively fall back to our shared fonts
 			if (!fontFile)
 			{
-				path = ActiveSettings::GetPath(shareddataDef[i].resourcePath);
+				path = ActiveSettings::GetDataPath(shareddataDef[i].resourcePath);
 				fontFile = FileStream::openFile2(path);
 			}
 			if (!fontFile)
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ uint32 loadSharedData()
 		return memory_getVirtualOffsetFromPointer(dataWritePtr);
 	}
 	// alternative method: load RAM dump
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shareddata.bin");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("shareddata.bin");
 	FileStream* ramDumpFile = FileStream::openFile2(path);
 	if (ramDumpFile)
 	{
diff --git a/src/Cafe/Filesystem/FST/KeyCache.cpp b/src/Cafe/Filesystem/FST/KeyCache.cpp
index 587a5dd6..5d8d51c1 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/Filesystem/FST/KeyCache.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/Filesystem/FST/KeyCache.cpp
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ void KeyCache_Prepare()
 	sKeyCachePrepared = true;
 	g_keyCache.clear();
 	// load keys
-	auto keysPath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("keys.txt");
+	auto keysPath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("keys.txt");
 	FileStream* fs_keys = FileStream::openFile2(keysPath);
 	if( !fs_keys )
 	{
diff --git a/src/Cafe/GameProfile/GameProfile.cpp b/src/Cafe/GameProfile/GameProfile.cpp
index 9f2550c2..d8c735ce 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/GameProfile/GameProfile.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/GameProfile/GameProfile.cpp
@@ -180,12 +180,12 @@ void gameProfile_load()
 
 bool GameProfile::Load(uint64_t title_id)
 {
-	auto gameProfilePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("gameProfiles/{:016x}.ini", title_id);
+	auto gameProfilePath = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("gameProfiles/{:016x}.ini", title_id);
 
 	std::optional<std::vector<uint8>> profileContents = FileStream::LoadIntoMemory(gameProfilePath);
 	if (!profileContents)
 	{
-		gameProfilePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("gameProfiles/default/{:016x}.ini", title_id);
+		gameProfilePath = ActiveSettings::GetDataPath("gameProfiles/default/{:016x}.ini", title_id);
 		profileContents = FileStream::LoadIntoMemory(gameProfilePath);
 		if (!profileContents)
 			return false;
@@ -276,7 +276,12 @@ bool GameProfile::Load(uint64_t title_id)
 
 void GameProfile::Save(uint64_t title_id)
 {
-	auto gameProfilePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("gameProfiles/{:016x}.ini", title_id);
+	auto gameProfileDir = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("gameProfiles");
+	if (std::error_code ex_ec; !fs::exists(gameProfileDir, ex_ec) && !ex_ec) {
+		std::error_code cr_ec;
+		fs::create_directories(gameProfileDir, cr_ec);
+	}
+	auto gameProfilePath = gameProfileDir / fmt::format("{:016x}.ini", title_id);
 	FileStream* fs = FileStream::createFile2(gameProfilePath);
 	if (!fs)
 	{
diff --git a/src/Cafe/GraphicPack/GraphicPack2.cpp b/src/Cafe/GraphicPack/GraphicPack2.cpp
index 959441d7..a81ec03c 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/GraphicPack/GraphicPack2.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/GraphicPack/GraphicPack2.cpp
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ void GraphicPack2::LoadGraphicPack(fs::path graphicPackPath)
 void GraphicPack2::LoadAll()
 {
 	std::error_code ec;
-	fs::path basePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks");
+	fs::path basePath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks");
 	for (fs::recursive_directory_iterator it(basePath, ec); it != end(it); ++it)
 	{
 		if (!it->is_directory(ec))
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ bool GraphicPack2::LoadGraphicPack(const std::wstring& filename, IniParser& rule
 		if (it == config_entries.cend())
 		{
 			// check for relative path
-			it = config_entries.find(MakeRelativePath(gp->GetFilename2()).lexically_normal());
+			it = config_entries.find(MakeRelativePath(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath(), gp->GetFilename2()).lexically_normal());
 		}
 
 		if (it != config_entries.cend())
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Core/LatteShaderCache.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Core/LatteShaderCache.cpp
index e39d0e86..ba85898c 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Core/LatteShaderCache.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Core/LatteShaderCache.cpp
@@ -197,17 +197,17 @@ void LatteShaderCache_load()
 	LatteShaderCache_initCompileQueue();
 	// create directories
 	std::error_code ec;
-	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable"), ec);
-	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/precompiled"), ec);
+	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable"), ec);
+	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/precompiled"), ec);
 	// initialize renderer specific caches
 	if (g_renderer->GetType() == RendererAPI::Vulkan)
 		RendererShaderVk::ShaderCacheLoading_begin(cacheTitleId);
 	else if (g_renderer->GetType() == RendererAPI::OpenGL)
 		RendererShaderGL::ShaderCacheLoading_begin(cacheTitleId);
 	// get cache file name
-	const auto pathGeneric = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}_shaders.bin", cacheTitleId);
-	const auto pathGenericPre1_25_0 = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}.bin", cacheTitleId); // before 1.25.0
-	const auto pathGenericPre1_16_0 = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable/{:08x}.bin", CafeSystem::GetRPXHashBase()); // before 1.16.0
+	const auto pathGeneric = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}_shaders.bin", cacheTitleId);
+	const auto pathGenericPre1_25_0 = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}.bin", cacheTitleId); // before 1.25.0
+	const auto pathGenericPre1_16_0 = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable/{:08x}.bin", CafeSystem::GetRPXHashBase()); // before 1.16.0
 
 	LatteShaderCache_handleDeprecatedCacheFiles(pathGeneric, pathGenericPre1_25_0, pathGenericPre1_16_0);
 	// calculate extraVersion for transferable and precompiled shader cache
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/OpenGL/RendererShaderGL.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/OpenGL/RendererShaderGL.cpp
index e9e86f53..dc088ae3 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/OpenGL/RendererShaderGL.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/OpenGL/RendererShaderGL.cpp
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ void RendererShaderGL::ShaderCacheLoading_begin(uint64 cacheTitleId)
 	{
 		const uint32 cacheMagic = GeneratePrecompiledCacheId();
 		const std::string cacheFilename = fmt::format("{:016x}_gl.bin", cacheTitleId);
-		const std::wstring cachePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/precompiled/{}", cacheFilename).generic_wstring();
+		const std::wstring cachePath = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/precompiled/{}", cacheFilename).generic_wstring();
 		g_programBinaryCache = FileCache::Open(cachePath, true, cacheMagic);
 		if (g_programBinaryCache == nullptr)
 			cemuLog_log(LogType::Force, "Unable to open OpenGL precompiled cache {}", cacheFilename);
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Renderer.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Renderer.cpp
index c7f7b814..8f99c069 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Renderer.cpp
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ void Renderer::SaveScreenshot(const std::vector<uint8>& rgb_data, int width, int
 		// save to png file
 		if (save_screenshot)
 		{
-			fs::path screendir = ActiveSettings::GetPath("screenshots");
+			fs::path screendir = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("screenshots");
 			if (!fs::exists(screendir))
 				fs::create_directory(screendir);
 
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/RendererShaderVk.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/RendererShaderVk.cpp
index e6677576..7c577903 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/RendererShaderVk.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/RendererShaderVk.cpp
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ void RendererShaderVk::ShaderCacheLoading_begin(uint64 cacheTitleId)
 	}
 	uint32 spirvCacheMagic = GeneratePrecompiledCacheId();
 	const std::string cacheFilename = fmt::format("{:016x}_spirv.bin", cacheTitleId);
-	const std::wstring cachePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/precompiled/{}", cacheFilename).generic_wstring();
+	const std::wstring cachePath = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/precompiled/{}", cacheFilename).generic_wstring();
 	s_spirvCache = FileCache::Open(cachePath, true, spirvCacheMagic);
 	if (s_spirvCache == nullptr)
 		cemuLog_log(LogType::Force, "Unable to open SPIR-V cache {}", cacheFilename);
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanPipelineStableCache.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanPipelineStableCache.cpp
index bb6c966e..38f7c882 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanPipelineStableCache.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanPipelineStableCache.cpp
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ VulkanPipelineStableCache& VulkanPipelineStableCache::GetInstance()
 uint32 VulkanPipelineStableCache::BeginLoading(uint64 cacheTitleId)
 {
 	std::error_code ec;
-	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable"), ec);
-	const auto pathCacheFile = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}_vkpipeline.bin", cacheTitleId);
+	fs::create_directories(ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable"), ec);
+	const auto pathCacheFile = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/transferable/{:016x}_vkpipeline.bin", cacheTitleId);
 	
 	// init cache loader state
 	g_vkCacheState.pipelineLoadIndex = 0;
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanRenderer.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanRenderer.cpp
index 249d06b7..5cbf7f94 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanRenderer.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/Latte/Renderer/Vulkan/VulkanRenderer.cpp
@@ -2326,7 +2326,7 @@ void VulkanRenderer::WaitCommandBufferFinished(uint64 commandBufferId)
 
 void VulkanRenderer::PipelineCacheSaveThread(size_t cache_size)
 {
-	const auto dir = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/driver/vk");
+	const auto dir = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/driver/vk");
 	if (!fs::exists(dir))
 	{
 		try
@@ -2403,7 +2403,7 @@ void VulkanRenderer::PipelineCacheSaveThread(size_t cache_size)
 void VulkanRenderer::CreatePipelineCache()
 {
 	std::vector<uint8_t> cacheData;
-	const auto dir = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/driver/vk");
+	const auto dir = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/driver/vk");
 	if (fs::exists(dir))
 	{
 		const auto filename = dir / fmt::format("{:016x}.bin", CafeSystem::GetForegroundTitleId());
diff --git a/src/Cafe/HW/MMU/MMU.cpp b/src/Cafe/HW/MMU/MMU.cpp
index 87bf5722..9e22d907 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/HW/MMU/MMU.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/HW/MMU/MMU.cpp
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ void memory_writeDumpFile(uint32 startAddr, uint32 size, const fs::path& path)
 void memory_createDump()
 {
 	const uint32 pageSize = MemMapper::GetPageSize();
-	fs::path path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("dump/ramDump{:}", (uint32)time(nullptr));
+	fs::path path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("dump/ramDump{:}", (uint32)time(nullptr));
 	fs::create_directories(path);
 
 	for (auto& itr : g_mmuRanges)
diff --git a/src/Cafe/IOSU/legacy/iosu_crypto.cpp b/src/Cafe/IOSU/legacy/iosu_crypto.cpp
index e74a93e2..961ab70d 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/IOSU/legacy/iosu_crypto.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/IOSU/legacy/iosu_crypto.cpp
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ void iosuCrypto_loadSSLCertificates()
 void iosuCrypto_init()
 {
 	// load OTP dump
-	if (std::ifstream otp_file(ActiveSettings::GetPath("otp.bin"), std::ifstream::in | std::ios::binary); otp_file.is_open())
+	if (std::ifstream otp_file(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("otp.bin"), std::ifstream::in | std::ios::binary); otp_file.is_open())
 	{
 		otp_file.seekg(0, std::ifstream::end);
 		const auto length = otp_file.tellg();
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ void iosuCrypto_init()
 		hasOtpMem = false;
 	}
 
-	if (std::ifstream seeprom_file(ActiveSettings::GetPath("seeprom.bin"), std::ifstream::in | std::ios::binary); seeprom_file.is_open())
+	if (std::ifstream seeprom_file(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("seeprom.bin"), std::ifstream::in | std::ios::binary); seeprom_file.is_open())
 	{
 		seeprom_file.seekg(0, std::ifstream::end);
 		const auto length = seeprom_file.tellg();
@@ -630,13 +630,13 @@ sint32 iosuCrypt_checkRequirementsForOnlineMode(std::wstring& additionalErrorInf
 {
 	std::error_code ec;
 	// check if otp.bin is present
-	const auto otp_file = ActiveSettings::GetPath("otp.bin");
+	const auto otp_file = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("otp.bin");
 	if(!fs::exists(otp_file, ec))
 		return IOS_CRYPTO_ONLINE_REQ_OTP_MISSING;
 	if(fs::file_size(otp_file, ec) != 1024)
 		return IOS_CRYPTO_ONLINE_REQ_OTP_CORRUPTED;
 	// check if seeprom.bin is present
-	const auto seeprom_file = ActiveSettings::GetPath("seeprom.bin");
+	const auto seeprom_file = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("seeprom.bin");
 	if (!fs::exists(seeprom_file, ec))
 		return IOS_CRYPTO_ONLINE_REQ_SEEPROM_MISSING;
 	if (fs::file_size(seeprom_file, ec) != 512)
diff --git a/src/Cafe/OS/RPL/rpl.cpp b/src/Cafe/OS/RPL/rpl.cpp
index 66d7a4ca..43e39d5b 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/OS/RPL/rpl.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/OS/RPL/rpl.cpp
@@ -2116,7 +2116,7 @@ void RPLLoader_LoadDependency(rplDependency_t* dependency)
 	// attempt to load rpl from Cemu's /cafeLibs/ directory
 	if (ActiveSettings::LoadSharedLibrariesEnabled())
 	{
-		const auto filePath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("cafeLibs/{}", dependency->filepath);
+		const auto filePath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("cafeLibs/{}", dependency->filepath);
 		auto fileData = FileStream::LoadIntoMemory(filePath);
 		if (fileData)
 		{
diff --git a/src/Cafe/OS/libs/coreinit/coreinit_FS.cpp b/src/Cafe/OS/libs/coreinit/coreinit_FS.cpp
index c49607e1..1853bae8 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/OS/libs/coreinit/coreinit_FS.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/OS/libs/coreinit/coreinit_FS.cpp
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ namespace coreinit
 			return;
 
 		std::error_code ec;
-		const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("sdcard/");
+		const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("sdcard/");
 		fs::create_directories(path, ec);
 		FSCDeviceHostFS_Mount("/vol/external01", _pathToUtf8(path), FSC_PRIORITY_BASE);
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ namespace coreinit
 				return FS_RESULT::ERR_PLACEHOLDER;
 
 			std::error_code ec;
-			const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("sdcard/");
+			const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("sdcard/");
 			fs::create_directories(path, ec);
 			if (!FSCDeviceHostFS_Mount(mountPathOut, _pathToUtf8(path), FSC_PRIORITY_BASE))
 				return FS_RESULT::ERR_PLACEHOLDER;
diff --git a/src/Cafe/TitleList/TitleInfo.cpp b/src/Cafe/TitleList/TitleInfo.cpp
index ef97e6eb..10710c43 100644
--- a/src/Cafe/TitleList/TitleInfo.cpp
+++ b/src/Cafe/TitleList/TitleInfo.cpp
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ void TitleInfo::CalcUID()
 	fs::path normalizedPath;
 	if (m_fullPath.is_relative())
 	{
-		normalizedPath = ActiveSettings::GetPath();
+		normalizedPath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath();
 		normalizedPath /= m_fullPath;
 	}
 	else
diff --git a/src/Cemu/Logging/CemuLogging.cpp b/src/Cemu/Logging/CemuLogging.cpp
index 7e6669a8..28a86427 100644
--- a/src/Cemu/Logging/CemuLogging.cpp
+++ b/src/Cemu/Logging/CemuLogging.cpp
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ void cemuLog_createLogFile(bool triggeredByCrash)
 	if (LogContext.file_stream.is_open())
 		return;
 
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("log.txt");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("log.txt");
 	LogContext.file_stream.open(path, std::ios::out);
 	if (LogContext.file_stream.fail())
 	{
diff --git a/src/Common/ExceptionHandler/ExceptionHandler_win32.cpp b/src/Common/ExceptionHandler/ExceptionHandler_win32.cpp
index 25dca26f..565f4f8f 100644
--- a/src/Common/ExceptionHandler/ExceptionHandler_win32.cpp
+++ b/src/Common/ExceptionHandler/ExceptionHandler_win32.cpp
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ bool CreateMiniDump(CrashDump dump, EXCEPTION_POINTERS* pep)
 	if (dump == CrashDump::Disabled)
 		return true;
 
-	fs::path p = ActiveSettings::GetPath("crashdump");
+	fs::path p = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("crashdump");
 
 	std::error_code ec;
 	fs::create_directories(p, ec);
@@ -356,11 +356,11 @@ void createCrashlog(EXCEPTION_POINTERS* e, PCONTEXT context)
 		const auto temp_time = std::chrono::system_clock::to_time_t(now);
 		const auto& time = *std::gmtime(&temp_time);
 
-		fs::path p = ActiveSettings::GetPath("crashdump");
+		fs::path p = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("crashdump");
 		p /= fmt::format("log_{:04d}{:02d}{:02d}_{:02d}{:02d}{:02d}.txt", 1900 + time.tm_year, time.tm_mon + 1, time.tm_mday, time.tm_year, time.tm_hour, time.tm_min, time.tm_sec);
 
 		std::error_code ec;
-		fs::copy_file(ActiveSettings::GetPath("log.txt"), p, ec);
+		fs::copy_file(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("log.txt"), p, ec);
 	}
 
 	exit(0);
diff --git a/src/config/ActiveSettings.cpp b/src/config/ActiveSettings.cpp
index 16119725..bef9cf0b 100644
--- a/src/config/ActiveSettings.cpp
+++ b/src/config/ActiveSettings.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "config/ActiveSettings.h"
 
 #include "Cafe/GameProfile/GameProfile.h"
+#include "Cemu/Logging/CemuLogging.h"
 #include "LaunchSettings.h"
 #include "util/helpers/helpers.h"
 
@@ -12,17 +13,41 @@
 
 extern bool alwaysDisplayDRC;
 
-void ActiveSettings::LoadOnce()
+std::set<fs::path>
+ActiveSettings::LoadOnce(const fs::path& user_data_path,
+						 const fs::path& config_path,
+						 const fs::path& cache_path,
+						 const fs::path& data_path)
 {
 	s_full_path = boost::dll::program_location().generic_wstring();
-	s_path = s_full_path.parent_path();
+
+	s_user_data_path = user_data_path;
+	s_config_path = config_path;
+	s_cache_path = cache_path;
+	s_data_path = data_path;
+	std::set<fs::path> failed_write_access;
+	for (auto&& path : {user_data_path, config_path, cache_path})
+	{
+		if (!fs::exists(path))
+		{
+			std::error_code ec;
+			fs::create_directories(path, ec);
+		}
+		if (!TestWriteAccess(path))
+		{
+			cemuLog_log(LogType::Force, "Failed to write to {}", path.generic_string());
+			failed_write_access.insert(path);
+		}
+	}
+
 	s_filename = s_full_path.filename();
 
-	g_config.SetFilename(GetPath("settings.xml").generic_wstring());
+	g_config.SetFilename(GetConfigPath("settings.xml").generic_wstring());
 	g_config.Load();
 	LaunchSettings::ChangeNetworkServiceURL(GetConfig().account.active_service);
 	std::wstring additionalErrorInfo;
 	s_has_required_online_files = iosuCrypt_checkRequirementsForOnlineMode(additionalErrorInfo) == IOS_CRYPTO_ONLINE_REQ_OK;
+	return failed_write_access;
 }
 
 bool ActiveSettings::LoadSharedLibrariesEnabled()
@@ -226,6 +251,6 @@ fs::path ActiveSettings::GetMlcPath()
 
 fs::path ActiveSettings::GetDefaultMLCPath()
 {
-	return GetPath("mlc01");
+	return GetUserDataPath("mlc01");
 }
 
diff --git a/src/config/ActiveSettings.h b/src/config/ActiveSettings.h
index ae3feb94..9621b4d0 100644
--- a/src/config/ActiveSettings.h
+++ b/src/config/ActiveSettings.h
@@ -1,69 +1,70 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include <utility>
 #include "config/CemuConfig.h"
 #include "config/NetworkSettings.h"
 
 // global active settings for fast access (reflects settings from command line and game profile)
 class ActiveSettings
 {
-public:
-	static void LoadOnce();
-	
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetFullPath() { return s_full_path; }
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetPath() { return s_path; }
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetFilename() { return s_filename; }
-	
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath();
-
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetPath(std::string_view p) 
-	{
-		std::basic_string_view<char8_t> s((const char8_t*)p.data(), p.size());
-		return s_path / fs::path(s);
-	}
-
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath(std::string_view p) 
-	{ 
-		std::basic_string_view<char8_t> s((const char8_t*)p.data(), p.size());
-		return GetMlcPath() / fs::path(s);
-	}
-	
+private:
 	template <typename ...TArgs>
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetPath(std::string_view format, TArgs&&... args)
+	static fs::path GetPath(const fs::path& path, std::string_view format, TArgs&&... args)
 	{
 		cemu_assert_debug(format.empty() || (format[0] != '/' && format[0] != '\\'));
 		std::string tmpPathStr = fmt::format(fmt::runtime(format), std::forward<TArgs>(args)...);
-		std::basic_string_view<char8_t> s((const char8_t*)tmpPathStr.data(), tmpPathStr.size());
-		return s_path / fs::path(s);
+		return path / _utf8ToPath(tmpPathStr);
 	}
-	
+
 	template <typename ...TArgs>
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetPath(std::wstring_view format, TArgs&&... args)
+	static fs::path GetPath(const fs::path& path, std::wstring_view format, TArgs&&... args)
 	{
 		cemu_assert_debug(format.empty() || (format[0] != L'/' && format[0] != L'\\'));
-		return s_path / fmt::format(format, std::forward<TArgs>(args)...);
+		return path / fmt::format(fmt::runtime(format), std::forward<TArgs>(args)...);
 	}
-	
-	template <typename ...TArgs>
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath(std::string_view format, TArgs&&... args)
+	static fs::path GetPath(const fs::path& path, std::string_view p) 
 	{
-		cemu_assert_debug(format.empty() || (format[0] != '/' && format[0] != '\\'));
-		auto tmp = fmt::format(fmt::runtime(format), std::forward<TArgs>(args)...);
-		return GetMlcPath() / _utf8ToPath(tmp);
+		std::basic_string_view<char8_t> s((const char8_t*)p.data(), p.size());
+		return path / fs::path(s);
 	}
-	
-	template <typename ...TArgs>
-	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath(std::wstring_view format, TArgs&&... args)
+	static fs::path GetPath(const fs::path& path)
 	{
-		cemu_assert_debug(format.empty() || (format[0] != L'/' && format[0] != L'\\'));
-		return GetMlcPath() / fmt::format(fmt::runtime(format), std::forward<TArgs>(args)...);
+		return path;
 	}
-	
+
+public:
+	// Set directories and return all directories that failed write access test
+	static std::set<fs::path> 
+	LoadOnce(const fs::path& user_data_path,
+			 const fs::path& config_path,
+			 const fs::path& cache_path,
+			 const fs::path& data_path);
+
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetFullPath() { return s_full_path; }
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetFilename() { return s_filename; }
+	template <typename ...TArgs>
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetUserDataPath(TArgs&&... args){ return GetPath(s_user_data_path, std::forward<TArgs>(args)...); };
+	template <typename ...TArgs>
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetConfigPath(TArgs&&... args){ return GetPath(s_config_path, std::forward<TArgs>(args)...); };
+	template <typename ...TArgs>
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetCachePath(TArgs&&... args){ return GetPath(s_cache_path, std::forward<TArgs>(args)...); };
+	template <typename ...TArgs>
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetDataPath(TArgs&&... args){ return GetPath(s_data_path, std::forward<TArgs>(args)...); };
+
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath();
+
+	template <typename ...TArgs>
+	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetMlcPath(TArgs&&... args){ return GetPath(GetMlcPath(), std::forward<TArgs>(args)...); };
+
 	// get mlc path to default cemu root dir/mlc01
 	[[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetDefaultMLCPath();
 
 private:
 	inline static fs::path s_full_path; // full filename
-	inline static fs::path s_path; // path
+	inline static fs::path s_user_data_path;
+	inline static fs::path s_config_path;
+	inline static fs::path s_cache_path;
+	inline static fs::path s_data_path;
 	inline static fs::path s_filename; // cemu.exe
 	inline static fs::path s_mlc_path;
 
diff --git a/src/config/NetworkSettings.cpp b/src/config/NetworkSettings.cpp
index 210263ef..2227b981 100644
--- a/src/config/NetworkSettings.cpp
+++ b/src/config/NetworkSettings.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "NetworkSettings.h"
+#include "ActiveSettings.h"
 #include "LaunchSettings.h"
 #include "CemuConfig.h"
 #include <boost/dll/runtime_symbol_info.hpp>
@@ -6,11 +7,10 @@
 
 XMLNetworkConfig_t n_config(L"network_services.xml");
 
+
 void NetworkConfig::LoadOnce() 
 {
-	s_full_path = boost::dll::program_location().generic_wstring();
-	s_path = s_full_path.parent_path();
-	n_config.SetFilename(GetPath("network_services.xml").generic_wstring());
+	n_config.SetFilename(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("network_services.xml").generic_wstring());
 	if (XMLExists())
 		n_config.Load();
 }
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ void NetworkConfig::Load(XMLConfigParser& parser)
 bool NetworkConfig::XMLExists() 
 {
 	std::error_code ec;
-	if (!fs::exists(GetPath("network_services.xml"), ec))
+	if (!fs::exists(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("network_services.xml"), ec))
 	{
 		if (static_cast<NetworkService>(GetConfig().account.active_service.GetValue()) == NetworkService::Custom)
 		{
diff --git a/src/config/NetworkSettings.h b/src/config/NetworkSettings.h
index e65da8ab..f289e679 100644
--- a/src/config/NetworkSettings.h
+++ b/src/config/NetworkSettings.h
@@ -38,14 +38,6 @@ struct NetworkConfig {
     void Save(XMLConfigParser& parser);
     
     static bool XMLExists();
-    private:
-    inline static fs::path s_path;
-    inline static fs::path s_full_path;
-    [[nodiscard]] static fs::path GetPath(std::string_view p) 
-	{
-		std::basic_string_view<char8_t> s((const char8_t*)p.data(), p.size());
-		return s_path / fs::path(s);
-	}
 };
 
 struct NintendoURLs {
diff --git a/src/gui/CemuApp.cpp b/src/gui/CemuApp.cpp
index de60f8bc..50e9e04c 100644
--- a/src/gui/CemuApp.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/CemuApp.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 #include <wx/image.h>
 #include <wx/filename.h>
+#include <wx/stdpaths.h>
 
 #include "Cafe/TitleList/TitleList.h"
 #include "Cafe/TitleList/SaveList.h"
@@ -24,6 +25,8 @@ wxIMPLEMENT_APP_NO_MAIN(CemuApp);
 extern WindowInfo g_window_info;
 extern std::shared_mutex g_mutex;
 
+int mainEmulatorHLE();
+void HandlePostUpdate();
 // Translation strings to extract for gettext:
 void unused_translation_dummy()
 {
@@ -70,6 +73,42 @@ void unused_translation_dummy()
 
 bool CemuApp::OnInit()
 {
+	fs::path user_data_path, config_path, cache_path, data_path;
+	auto standardPaths = wxStandardPaths::Get();
+#ifdef PORTABLE
+	fs::path exePath(standardPaths.GetExecutablePath().ToStdString());
+	user_data_path = config_path = cache_path = data_path = exePath.parent_path();
+#else
+	SetAppName("Cemu");
+	wxString appName=GetAppName();
+	#ifdef BOOST_OS_LINUX
+	standardPaths.SetFileLayout(wxStandardPaths::FileLayout::FileLayout_XDG);
+	auto getEnvDir = [&](const wxString& varName, const wxString& defaultValue)
+	{
+		wxString dir;
+		if (!wxGetEnv(varName, &dir) || dir.empty())
+			return defaultValue;
+		return dir;
+	};
+	wxString homeDir=wxFileName::GetHomeDir();
+	user_data_path = (getEnvDir(wxS("XDG_DATA_HOME"), homeDir + wxS("/.local/share")) + "/" + appName).ToStdString();
+	config_path = (getEnvDir(wxS("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"), homeDir + wxS("/.config")) + "/" + appName).ToStdString();
+	#else
+	user_data_path = config_path = standardPaths.GetUserDataDir().ToStdString();
+	#endif
+	data_path = standardPaths.GetDataDir().ToStdString();
+	cache_path = standardPaths.GetUserDir(wxStandardPaths::Dir::Dir_Cache).ToStdString();
+	cache_path /= appName.ToStdString();
+#endif
+	auto failed_write_access = ActiveSettings::LoadOnce(user_data_path, config_path, cache_path, data_path);
+	for (auto&& path : failed_write_access)
+		wxMessageBox(fmt::format("Cemu can't write to {} !", path.generic_string()), _("Warning"), wxOK | wxCENTRE | wxICON_EXCLAMATION, nullptr);
+
+	NetworkConfig::LoadOnce();
+
+	HandlePostUpdate();
+	mainEmulatorHLE();
+
 	wxInitAllImageHandlers();
 
 	g_config.Load();
@@ -83,7 +122,7 @@ bool CemuApp::OnInit()
 		{
 			if (m_locale.Init(language))
 			{
-				m_locale.AddCatalogLookupPathPrefix("./resources");
+				m_locale.AddCatalogLookupPathPrefix(ActiveSettings::GetDataPath("resources").generic_string());
 				m_locale.AddCatalog("cemu");
 			}
 		}
@@ -115,9 +154,6 @@ bool CemuApp::OnInit()
 
 	Bind(wxEVT_ACTIVATE_APP, &CemuApp::ActivateApp, this);
 
-	if (!TestWriteAccess(ActiveSettings::GetPath()))
-		wxMessageBox(_("Cemu can't write to its directory.\nPlease move it to a different location or run Cemu as administrator!"), _("Warning"), wxOK | wxCENTRE | wxICON_EXCLAMATION, nullptr);
-
 	auto& config = GetConfig();
 	const bool first_start = !config.did_show_graphic_pack_download;
 
@@ -187,7 +223,7 @@ int CemuApp::FilterEvent(wxEvent& event)
 
 std::vector<const wxLanguageInfo*> CemuApp::GetAvailableLanguages()
 {
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("resources");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetDataPath("resources");
 	if (!exists(path))
 		return {};
 	
@@ -312,11 +348,11 @@ void CemuApp::CreateDefaultFiles(bool first_start)
 	// cemu directories
 	try
 	{
-		const auto controllerProfileFolder = GetCemuPath(L"controllerProfiles").ToStdWstring();
+		const auto controllerProfileFolder = GetConfigPath(L"controllerProfiles").ToStdWstring();
 		if (!fs::exists(controllerProfileFolder))
 			fs::create_directories(controllerProfileFolder);
 
-		const auto memorySearcherFolder = GetCemuPath(L"memorySearcher").ToStdWstring();
+		const auto memorySearcherFolder = GetUserDataPath(L"memorySearcher").ToStdWstring();
 		if (!fs::exists(memorySearcherFolder))
 			fs::create_directories(memorySearcherFolder);
 	}
@@ -377,15 +413,6 @@ bool CemuApp::SelectMLCPath(wxWindow* parent)
 	return false;
 }
 
-wxString CemuApp::GetCemuPath()
-{
-	return ActiveSettings::GetPath().generic_wstring();
-}
-
-wxString CemuApp::GetCemuPath(const wxString& cat)
-{
-	return ActiveSettings::GetPath(cat.ToStdString()).generic_wstring();
-}
 
 wxString CemuApp::GetMLCPath()
 {
@@ -397,6 +424,26 @@ wxString CemuApp::GetMLCPath(const wxString& cat)
 	return ActiveSettings::GetMlcPath(cat.ToStdString()).generic_wstring();
 }
 
+wxString CemuApp::GetConfigPath()
+{
+	return ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath().generic_wstring();
+};
+
+wxString CemuApp::GetConfigPath(const wxString& cat)
+{
+	return ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath(cat.ToStdString()).generic_wstring();
+};
+
+wxString CemuApp::GetUserDataPath()
+{
+	return ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath().generic_wstring();
+};
+
+wxString CemuApp::GetUserDataPath(const wxString& cat)
+{
+	return ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath(cat.ToStdString()).generic_wstring();
+};
+
 void CemuApp::ActivateApp(wxActivateEvent& event)
 {
 	g_window_info.app_active = event.GetActive();
diff --git a/src/gui/CemuApp.h b/src/gui/CemuApp.h
index 888293eb..32504883 100644
--- a/src/gui/CemuApp.h
+++ b/src/gui/CemuApp.h
@@ -19,8 +19,12 @@ public:
 	static void CreateDefaultFiles(bool first_start = false);
 	static bool SelectMLCPath(wxWindow* parent = nullptr);
 
-	static wxString GetCemuPath();
-	static wxString GetCemuPath(const wxString& cat);
+	static wxString GetConfigPath();
+	static wxString GetConfigPath(const wxString& cat);
+
+	static wxString GetUserDataPath();
+	static wxString GetUserDataPath(const wxString& cat);
+
 	static wxString GetMLCPath();
 	static wxString GetMLCPath(const wxString& cat);
 private:
diff --git a/src/gui/CemuUpdateWindow.cpp b/src/gui/CemuUpdateWindow.cpp
index ef537a58..2e2b40eb 100644
--- a/src/gui/CemuUpdateWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/CemuUpdateWindow.cpp
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include <wx/gauge.h>
 #include <wx/button.h>
 #include <wx/msgdlg.h>
+#include <wx/stdpaths.h>
 
 #include <curl/curl.h>
 #include <zip.h>
@@ -470,7 +471,8 @@ void CemuUpdateWindow::WorkerThread()
 					break;
 
 				// apply update
-				std::wstring target_directory = ActiveSettings::GetPath().generic_wstring();
+				fs::path exePath = fs::path(wxStandardPaths::Get().GetExecutablePath().ToStdString());
+				std::wstring target_directory = exePath.parent_path().generic_wstring();
 				if (target_directory[target_directory.size() - 1] == '/')
 					target_directory = target_directory.substr(0, target_directory.size() - 1); // remove trailing /
 
diff --git a/src/gui/ChecksumTool.cpp b/src/gui/ChecksumTool.cpp
index b8393330..20e9f7ca 100644
--- a/src/gui/ChecksumTool.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/ChecksumTool.cpp
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ ChecksumTool::ChecksumTool(wxWindow* parent, wxTitleManagerList::TitleEntry& ent
 				const auto title_id_str = fmt::format("{:016x}", m_json_entry.title_id);
 				const auto default_file = fmt::format("{}_v{}.json", title_id_str, m_info.GetAppTitleVersion());
 
-				const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("resources/checksums/{}", default_file);
+				const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("resources/checksums/{}", default_file);
 				if (exists(checksum_path))
 					m_verify_online->Enable();
 			}
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ void ChecksumTool::LoadOnlineData() const
 
 		std::string latest_commit;
 
-		const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("resources/checksums");
+		const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("resources/checksums");
 		if (exists(checksum_path))
 		{
 			std::string current_commit;
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@ void ChecksumTool::OnVerifyOnline(wxCommandEvent& event)
 	const auto title_id_str = fmt::format("{:016x}", m_json_entry.title_id);
 	const auto default_file = fmt::format("{}_v{}.json", title_id_str, m_info.GetAppTitleVersion());
 	
-	const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("resources/checksums/{}", default_file);
+	const auto checksum_path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("resources/checksums/{}", default_file);
 	if(!exists(checksum_path))
 		return;
 	
diff --git a/src/gui/DownloadGraphicPacksWindow.cpp b/src/gui/DownloadGraphicPacksWindow.cpp
index 973b7c57..4128cc04 100644
--- a/src/gui/DownloadGraphicPacksWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/DownloadGraphicPacksWindow.cpp
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ bool DownloadGraphicPacksWindow::curlDownloadFile(const char *url, curlDownloadF
 bool checkGraphicPackDownloadedVersion(const char* nameVersion, bool& hasVersionFile)
 {
 	hasVersionFile = false;
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/version.txt");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/version.txt");
 	std::unique_ptr<FileStream> file(FileStream::openFile2(path));
 
 	std::string versionInFile;
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ bool checkGraphicPackDownloadedVersion(const char* nameVersion, bool& hasVersion
 
 void createGraphicPackDownloadedVersionFile(const char* nameVersion)
 {
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/version.txt");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/version.txt");
 	std::unique_ptr<FileStream> file(FileStream::createFile2(path));
 	if (file)
 		file->writeString(nameVersion);
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ void createGraphicPackDownloadedVersionFile(const char* nameVersion)
 
 void deleteDownloadedGraphicPacks()
 {
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks");
 	std::error_code er;
 	if (!fs::exists(path, er))
 		return;
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ void DownloadGraphicPacksWindow::UpdateThread()
 		return;
 	}
 
-	auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks");
+	auto path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks");
 	std::error_code er;
 	//fs::remove_all(path, er); -> Don't delete the whole folder and recreate it immediately afterwards because sometimes it just fails
 	deleteDownloadedGraphicPacks();
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ void DownloadGraphicPacksWindow::UpdateThread()
 			std::strstr(sb.name, "..\\") != nullptr)
 			continue; // bad path
 
-		path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/{}", sb.name);
+		path = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("graphicPacks/downloadedGraphicPacks/{}", sb.name);
 
 		size_t sbNameLen = strlen(sb.name);
 		if(sbNameLen == 0)
diff --git a/src/gui/GraphicPacksWindow2.cpp b/src/gui/GraphicPacksWindow2.cpp
index bab55156..e718605a 100644
--- a/src/gui/GraphicPacksWindow2.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/GraphicPacksWindow2.cpp
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "gui/DownloadGraphicPacksWindow.h"
 #include "Cafe/GraphicPack/GraphicPack2.h"
 #include "config/CemuConfig.h"
+#include "config/ActiveSettings.h"
 
 #include "Cafe/HW/Latte/Core/LatteAsyncCommands.h"
 
@@ -326,7 +327,7 @@ void GraphicPacksWindow2::SaveStateToConfig()
 
 	for (const auto& gp : GraphicPack2::GetGraphicPacks())
 	{
-		auto filename = MakeRelativePath(gp->GetFilename()).lexically_normal();
+		auto filename = MakeRelativePath(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath(), gp->GetFilename()).lexically_normal();
 		if (gp->IsEnabled())
 		{
 			data.graphic_pack_entries.try_emplace(filename);
diff --git a/src/gui/MainWindow.cpp b/src/gui/MainWindow.cpp
index d8caabf4..5ebfe09d 100644
--- a/src/gui/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -989,8 +989,8 @@ void MainWindow::OnDebugSetting(wxCommandEvent& event)
 		{
 			try
 			{
-				const auto path = CemuApp::GetCemuPath(L"dump\\curl").ToStdWstring();
-				fs::create_directories(path);
+				const fs::path path(CemuApp::GetUserDataPath().ToStdString());
+				fs::create_directories(path / "dump" / "curl");
 			}
 			catch (const std::exception& ex)
 			{
@@ -1046,8 +1046,8 @@ void MainWindow::OnDebugDumpUsedTextures(wxCommandEvent& event)
 		try
 		{
 			// create directory
-			const auto path = CemuApp::GetCemuPath(L"dump\\textures");
-			fs::create_directories(path.ToStdWstring());
+			const fs::path path(CemuApp::GetUserDataPath().ToStdString());
+			fs::create_directories(path / "dump" / "textures");
 		}
 		catch (const std::exception& ex)
 		{
@@ -1067,8 +1067,8 @@ void MainWindow::OnDebugDumpUsedShaders(wxCommandEvent& event)
 		try
 		{
 			// create directory
-			const auto path = CemuApp::GetCemuPath(L"dump\\shaders");
-			fs::create_directories(path.ToStdWstring());
+			const fs::path path(CemuApp::GetUserDataPath().ToStdString());
+			fs::create_directories(path / "dump" / "shaders");
 		}
 		catch (const std::exception & ex)
 		{
diff --git a/src/gui/MemorySearcherTool.cpp b/src/gui/MemorySearcherTool.cpp
index 5caa163f..093f7ffe 100644
--- a/src/gui/MemorySearcherTool.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/MemorySearcherTool.cpp
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ void MemorySearcherTool::OnFilter(wxCommandEvent& event)
 
 void MemorySearcherTool::Load()
 {
-	const auto memorySearcherPath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("memorySearcher/{:016x}.ini", CafeSystem::GetForegroundTitleId());
+	const auto memorySearcherPath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("memorySearcher/{:016x}.ini", CafeSystem::GetForegroundTitleId());
 	auto memSearcherIniContents = FileStream::LoadIntoMemory(memorySearcherPath);
 	if (!memSearcherIniContents)
 		return;
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ void MemorySearcherTool::Load()
 
 void MemorySearcherTool::Save()
 {
-	const auto memorySearcherPath = ActiveSettings::GetPath("memorySearcher/{:016x}.ini", CafeSystem::GetForegroundTitleId());
+	const auto memorySearcherPath = ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("memorySearcher/{:016x}.ini", CafeSystem::GetForegroundTitleId());
 	FileStream* fs = FileStream::createFile2(memorySearcherPath);
 	if (fs)
 	{
diff --git a/src/gui/debugger/DebuggerWindow2.cpp b/src/gui/debugger/DebuggerWindow2.cpp
index 1f6c5f79..6263f0b7 100644
--- a/src/gui/debugger/DebuggerWindow2.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/debugger/DebuggerWindow2.cpp
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ DebuggerWindow2::DebuggerWindow2(wxFrame& parent, const wxRect& display_size)
 {
 	this->wxWindowBase::SetBackgroundColour(*wxWHITE);
 
-	const auto file = ActiveSettings::GetPath("debugger/config.xml");
+	const auto file = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("debugger/config.xml");
 	m_config.SetFilename(file.generic_wstring());
 	m_config.Load();
 
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ bool DebuggerWindow2::Show(bool show)
 std::wstring DebuggerWindow2::GetModuleStoragePath(std::string module_name, uint32_t crc_hash) const
 {
 	if (module_name.empty() || crc_hash == 0) return std::wstring();
-	return ActiveSettings::GetPath("debugger/{}_{:#10x}.xml", module_name, crc_hash).generic_wstring();
+	return ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("debugger/{}_{:#10x}.xml", module_name, crc_hash).generic_wstring();
 }
 
 void DebuggerWindow2::OnBreakpointHit(wxCommandEvent& event)
diff --git a/src/gui/input/InputSettings2.cpp b/src/gui/input/InputSettings2.cpp
index 37bd604f..095aa52a 100644
--- a/src/gui/input/InputSettings2.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/input/InputSettings2.cpp
@@ -665,10 +665,10 @@ void InputSettings2::on_profile_delete(wxCommandEvent& event)
 	}
 	try
 	{
-		const fs::path old_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/{}.txt", selection));
+		const fs::path old_path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/{}.txt", selection);
 		fs::remove(old_path);
 
-		const fs::path path = ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/{}.xml", selection));
+		const fs::path path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/{}.xml", selection);
 		fs::remove(path);
 
 		profile_names->ChangeValue(kDefaultProfileName);
diff --git a/src/input/InputManager.cpp b/src/input/InputManager.cpp
index 4ae43ce3..0861ba28 100644
--- a/src/input/InputManager.cpp
+++ b/src/input/InputManager.cpp
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ bool InputManager::load(size_t player_index, std::string_view filename)
 {
 	fs::path file_path;
 	if (filename.empty())
-		file_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/controller{}", player_index));
+		file_path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/controller{}", player_index);
 	else
-		file_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/{}", filename));
+		file_path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/{}", filename);
 
 	auto old_file = file_path;
 	old_file.replace_extension(".txt"); // test .txt extension
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ bool InputManager::save(size_t player_index, std::string_view filename)
 	if (!emulated_controller)
 		return false;
 
-	fs::path file_path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("controllerProfiles");
+	fs::path file_path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles");
 	fs::create_directories(file_path);
 
 	const auto is_default_file = filename.empty();
@@ -664,8 +664,8 @@ EmulatedControllerPtr InputManager::delete_controller(size_t player_index, bool
 			if(delete_profile)
 			{
 				std::error_code ec{};
-				fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/controller{}.xml", player_index)), ec);
-				fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/controller{}.txt", player_index)), ec);
+				fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/controller{}.xml", player_index), ec);
+				fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/controller{}.txt", player_index), ec);
 			}
 
 			return result;
@@ -680,8 +680,8 @@ EmulatedControllerPtr InputManager::delete_controller(size_t player_index, bool
 			controller = {};
 
 			std::error_code ec{};
-			fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/controller{}.xml", player_index)), ec);
-			fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetPath(fmt::format("controllerProfiles/controller{}.txt", player_index)), ec);
+			fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/controller{}.xml", player_index), ec);
+			fs::remove(ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles/controller{}.txt", player_index), ec);
 
 			return result;
 		}
@@ -782,7 +782,7 @@ void InputManager::apply_game_profile()
 
 std::vector<std::string> InputManager::get_profiles()
 {
-	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("controllerProfiles");
+	const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetConfigPath("controllerProfiles");
 	if (!exists(path))
 		return {};
 
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 87243bb8..e1c8ca49 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ void _putenvSafe(const char* c)
 void reconfigureGLDrivers()
 {
 	// reconfigure GL drivers to store 
-	const fs::path nvCacheDir = ActiveSettings::GetPath("shaderCache/driver/nvidia/");
+	const fs::path nvCacheDir = ActiveSettings::GetCachePath("shaderCache/driver/nvidia/");
 
 	std::error_code err;
 	fs::create_directories(nvCacheDir, err);
@@ -245,8 +245,6 @@ void unitTests()
 
 int mainEmulatorHLE()
 {
-	if (!TestWriteAccess(ActiveSettings::GetPath()))
-		wxMessageBox("Cemu doesn't have write access to it's own directory.\nPlease move it to a different location or run Cemu as administrator!", "Warning", wxOK|wxICON_ERROR); // todo - different error messages per OS
 	LatteOverlay_init();
 	// run a couple of tests if in non-release mode
 #ifdef CEMU_DEBUG_ASSERT
@@ -267,7 +265,7 @@ int mainEmulatorHLE()
 	// init Cafe system (todo - the stuff above should be part of this too)
 	CafeSystem::Initialize();
 	// init title list
-	CafeTitleList::Initialize(ActiveSettings::GetPath("title_list_cache.xml"));
+	CafeTitleList::Initialize(ActiveSettings::GetUserDataPath("title_list_cache.xml"));
 	for (auto& it : GetConfig().game_paths)
 		CafeTitleList::AddScanPath(it);
 	fs::path mlcPath = ActiveSettings::GetMlcPath();
@@ -281,8 +279,6 @@ int mainEmulatorHLE()
 		CafeSaveList::SetMLCPath(mlcPath);
 		CafeSaveList::Refresh();
 	}
-	// Create UI
-	gui_create();
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -347,10 +343,8 @@ int wWinMain( _In_ HINSTANCE hInstance, _In_opt_ HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, _In_ L
 	SDL_SetMainReady();
 	if (!LaunchSettings::HandleCommandline(lpCmdLine))
 		return 0;
-	ActiveSettings::LoadOnce();
-	NetworkConfig::LoadOnce();
-	HandlePostUpdate();
-	return mainEmulatorHLE();
+	gui_create();
+	return 0;
 }
 
 // entrypoint for debug builds with console
@@ -359,10 +353,8 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 	SDL_SetMainReady();
 	if (!LaunchSettings::HandleCommandline(argc, argv))
 		return 0;
-	ActiveSettings::LoadOnce();
-	NetworkConfig::LoadOnce();
-	HandlePostUpdate();
-	return mainEmulatorHLE();
+	gui_create();
+	return 0;
 }
 
 #else
@@ -374,11 +366,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 #endif
     if (!LaunchSettings::HandleCommandline(argc, argv))
 		return 0;
-
-	ActiveSettings::LoadOnce();
-	NetworkConfig::LoadOnce();
-	HandlePostUpdate();
-	return mainEmulatorHLE();
+	gui_create();
+	return 0;
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/src/util/helpers/helpers.cpp b/src/util/helpers/helpers.cpp
index 99712296..fefe7985 100644
--- a/src/util/helpers/helpers.cpp
+++ b/src/util/helpers/helpers.cpp
@@ -306,11 +306,10 @@ bool TestWriteAccess(const fs::path& p)
 }
 
 // make path relative to Cemu directory
-fs::path MakeRelativePath(const fs::path& path)
+fs::path MakeRelativePath(const fs::path& base, const fs::path& path)
 {
 	try
 	{
-		const fs::path base = ActiveSettings::GetPath();
 		return fs::relative(path, base);
 	}
 	catch (const std::exception&)
diff --git a/src/util/helpers/helpers.h b/src/util/helpers/helpers.h
index 6240d56a..f81e5964 100644
--- a/src/util/helpers/helpers.h
+++ b/src/util/helpers/helpers.h
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ uint32_t GetPhysicalCoreCount();
 // Creates a temporary file to test for write access
 bool TestWriteAccess(const fs::path& p);
 
-fs::path MakeRelativePath(const fs::path& path);
+fs::path MakeRelativePath(const fs::path& base, const fs::path& path);
 
 #ifdef HAS_DIRECTINPUT
 bool GUIDFromString(const char* string, GUID& guid);
diff --git a/src/util/libusbWrapper/libusbWrapper.cpp b/src/util/libusbWrapper/libusbWrapper.cpp
index e1d72985..8420216d 100644
--- a/src/util/libusbWrapper/libusbWrapper.cpp
+++ b/src/util/libusbWrapper/libusbWrapper.cpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ void libusbWrapper::init()
 	m_module = LoadLibraryW(L"libusb-1.0.dll");
 	if (!m_module)
 	{
-		const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetPath("resources/libusb-1.0.dll");
+		const auto path = ActiveSettings::GetDataPath("resources/libusb-1.0.dll");
 		m_module = LoadLibraryW(path.generic_wstring().c_str());
 		if (!m_module)
 		{