How to Apply Mods to Age of Empires
By James Stone
Updated September 28, 2017
Applying modifications to the Microsoft Studios PC strategy game Age of Empires allows you to use customized features created by other users. Installing these mods requires the Mod Pack or specific installation files and folders. After extracting the compressed mods, replace the original installed game files with the modded or customized versions. Launch the game in order to find out if the mod installed correctly.
Right-click the zipped "Mod" folder and select "Extract All" from the menu that pops up.
Click the "Start" button and then type "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Ensemble Studios \Age of Empires" in the search box.
Right-click the "Main" folder and then select "Open file location" from the list.
Left-click one of the folders or files from the extracted "Mod" folder and drag and drop that folder into the "Main" folder of the Age of Empires Program Directory.
Click the "Yes" button if Windows asks if it's OK to replace the existing files.
Tips
Backup your original folders in case the mod creates issues. If all else fails, reinstall Age of Empires when experiencing any performance issues.
Warnings
If you replace the wrong set of files, the game may fail to load.
References
Writer Bio
James Stone began writing professionally in 2007 as a technical writer. He specializes in technology articles for various online publications. Stone holds a Bachelor of Science in computing science from Simon Fraser University.