@echo off set UNITY_DRIVE=%~d0 mklink /J "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Unity" "%UNITY_DRIVE%\Cache" >nul start "" "%UNITY_DRIVE%\Unity\Hub\UnityHub.exe" Not all Unity versions are equal for portability. Avoid beta versions, as they often phone home to hardcoded temp paths.
Enter the concept of a . This technique allows you to run the Unity Editor and Hub directly from an external drive (like a USB 3.0 stick or NVMe SSD) without leaving traces on the host machine. unity portable install top
UnityHubPortable (via PortableApps.com or similar packagers). This technique allows you to run the Unity
The PC asks for Admin rights to run Unity. Fix: You didn't use the symlink method correctly. If you try to install Unity directly to Program Files on the external drive, it demands admin. Keep Unity in a root folder like U:\Unity . The Ultimate "Top" Recommendation If you have 30 minutes to set it up: Use Method #1 (Symbolic Links) . It offers the best balance of speed, compatibility with Asset Store packages, and battery life (since it uses native Windows I/O). Fix: You didn't use the symlink method correctly
"Unity is already running" error on a new PC. Fix: Delete U:\Unity\Cache\Lock file and U:\Projects\MyGame\Library\ArtifactDB . Unity locks artifacts by machine ID.
Remember the golden rule: . Don't cheap out on hardware, and always keep a backup of your U:\Unity\Projects folder on the cloud.
| Rank | Method | Best For | Registry Impact | Difficulty | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Unity Hub ZIP + Symbolic Links | Advanced devs needing full control | Minimal (Hub may write paths) | Medium | | #2 | Unity Launchers (UnityHubPortable) | Users wanting "click and run" | None (if configured via INI) | Low | | #3 | VMware ThinApp / Cameyo | Corporate locked-down PCs | None | High | Method #1 (Top Pick): The Symbolic Link + External Cache Method This is the industry favorite. The trick is to install Unity normally once onto the external drive, then hijack the internal cache folders (which usually live in %APPDATA% and %LOCALAPPDATA% ) to point back to the drive.