ReShade FiveM 2026: How to Install It, Legacy vs Enhanced

You installed ReShade for GTA V, started FiveM, and nothing changed. That is expected: FiveM ignores ReShade in the GTA V folder, and since ReShade 5 it also wants a line in its own settings file before it loads the injector at all. This guide shows how to install ReShade in FiveM step by step, which folder it goes in for FiveM Legacy and FiveM Enhanced, and what Cfx.re allows. Everything was checked on 3 November 2026 against reshade.me, FiveM's public source code and Cfx.re's documentation and help center.

Quick answer: To install ReShade in FiveM, run the ReShade 6.8.0 setup on GTA5.exe in your GTA V Legacy folder and choose DirectX 10/11/12. Move dxgi.dll, ReShade.ini and the reshade-shaders folder into %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\plugins. Start FiveM, press F8, copy the ReShade5= line FiveM prints, and paste it under [Addons] in %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\CitizenFX.ini. Restart FiveM and press Home in game. This only works on FiveM Legacy: on FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, Cfx.re says graphic mods cannot be used while it is in early access.

The exact ReShade folder for FiveM Legacy and Enhanced

FiveM loads graphics mods from one place only: the plugins folder inside its own application folder. Cfx.re's help center calls that folder FiveM Application Data; on disk it is FiveM.app. Where it sits depends on your client:

To open the Legacy folder, press Windows key + R, paste %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app and press Enter. If there is no plugins folder yet, create it. Cfx.re's client manual says the same: "If you have no such folder yet, you can create it."

FiveM for GTAV Enhanced installs wherever you pointed its new installer, but no folder makes ReShade work there. Cfx.re's page on what changed in Enhanced says pure mode "is now always enabled and can no longer be turned off" and that "while FiveM for GTAV Enhanced is in early access, graphic mods cannot be used." On 3 November 2026 Enhanced was still in early access, so if you want ReShade, play on FiveM Legacy. Our FiveM download guide explains how the two clients differ and how to keep both.

Which ReShade version works with FiveM

The current release on reshade.me is ReShade 6.8.0, released on 2 August 2026 and still the newest on 3 November 2026. The site offers two downloads: the normal setup and a build "with full add-on support", which ReShade marks as unsigned. Take the normal one. You only need the other for add-ons built on ReShade's add-on API.

FiveM checks the version of every ReShade DLL it finds. The rules sit in a file called ReShadeFixups.cpp in FiveM's public source code:

• Older than 3.1: refused.
• 5.9.0: always blocked, even with the override, because it "causes crashes in RtlReportFatalFailure".
• 5.0 and newer, including 6.8.0: blocked until you add a ReShade5= line to CitizenFX.ini. FiveM's message says ReShade 5 and newer "has a bug that will lead to game crashes in GPU drivers or d3d11.dll", and that "no support is provided" once you force it on.
• Older than 5.9 with NUI in-process GPU switched on: blocked, because the two do not work together. 6.8.0 is not affected.

FiveM also reads the product name stored inside the DLL. Only files that call themselves ReShade or ENBSeries load from plugins. Any other graphics injector under the same file name is skipped.

How to install ReShade in FiveM step by step

These steps are for FiveM Legacy on Windows.

1. Download ReShade 6.8.0 from reshade.me. Get it there even if a preset pack offers its own copy: the site asks people not to share "the binaries or shader files" and to link to reshade.me instead.
2. Find your GTA V Legacy folder. If you are not sure where it is, open %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\CitizenFX.ini in Notepad: the IVPATH= line is the folder FiveM uses. The Steam default is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V.
3. Run the ReShade setup and select GTA5.exe in that folder. Use Browse if it is not in the list.
4. When the setup asks which rendering API the game uses, choose DirectX 10/11/12. ReShade then installs itself as dxgi.dll.
5. On the "Select effects to install" page, tick the effect packages you want. The standard effects are a good start. If you already have a preset, use Browse at the bottom of that page to install only the effects it uses. Finish the setup.
6. In the GTA V folder, cut dxgi.dll, ReShade.ini and the reshade-shaders folder and paste them into %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\plugins. If you picked a preset in step 5 and it sits in the GTA V folder, move that .ini as well.
7. Start FiveM and press F8 to open the console. Type reshade in the console's Filter box. You will see Blocked load of ReShade version 5 or higher, followed by an [Addons] section with a ReShade5= line. Select that line, right-click it and choose Copy.
8. Close FiveM completely. Open %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\CitizenFX.ini in Notepad, add the section below at the bottom with your own line in place of the example, and save.
9. Start FiveM again, join a server and press Home. The ReShade overlay opens.

[Addons]
ReShade5=ID:xxxxxxxx acknowledged that ReShade 5.x has a bug that will lead to game crashes

Do not copy the example as it is. FiveM builds the ID from your PC's name, so only the line your own console prints will work. If you rename your PC, repeat steps 7 and 8.

What Cfx.re allows for graphics mods

Cfx.re has no single page that says yes or no to ReShade. Its rules come from four places:

• The client manual. Cfx.re's client manual says "FiveM allows the use of certain plugins" from the plugins folder, warns that "Servers have the option to disallow the use of plugins", and says FiveM "will not provide support for the use of plugins." You use them at your own risk.
• The help center. The article Graphics mods not working with FiveM gives one main fix: move the files from the GTA V folder to the plugins folder of your FiveM install.
• Pure mode on servers. Cfx.re's server commands page describes sv_pureLevel 1 as blocking "all modified client files except audio files and known graphics mods" and level 2 as blocking "all modified client files". Graphics packs that replace game files count as modified client files. ReShade changes no game files, and the page does not name it, so on a pure server the server's own rules are your answer.
• Enhanced. On FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, pure mode is always on and graphic mods cannot be used during early access.

ReShade has a rule of its own too. Its site says depth information is "automatically disabled during multiplayer to prevent exploitation". In the normal download, ReShade's code switches depth off when it sees steady network traffic, which a FiveM server always sends. Effects that need depth, such as ambient occlusion and depth of field, then lose that input.

Some RP servers list the graphics mods they allow in their rules. If yours does not mention ReShade, ask staff. For client mods beyond graphics and for server resources, see how to install FiveM mods.

ReShade presets for FiveM

A preset is an .ini file that stores which effects are on and their settings. It holds no shaders, so you still need the effect files it uses.

To add a preset after you installed ReShade:

1. Put the preset .ini in %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\plugins, next to ReShade.ini.
2. Start FiveM, join a server and press Home.
3. Click the preset name at the top of the Home tab and pick the file. The arrow buttons next to it step to the previous and next preset in the same folder, so you can keep several looks side by side.

If the overlay shows "The selected preset uses unknown effects" in red, the preset needs shader files you do not have. Run the ReShade setup on GTA5.exe again, use Browse on the effects page to pick the preset so it installs only the effects it uses, then move the new files from reshade-shaders in the GTA V folder into the reshade-shaders folder in plugins. Delete the fresh dxgi.dll and ReShade.ini from the GTA V folder afterwards, because FiveM ignores them there.

Presets can be heavy. The Statistics tab in the overlay lists how many milliseconds of GPU time each effect takes. Turn the most expensive one off or lower its quality settings. When the look is right, tick Performance Mode on the Home tab. ReShade says this reloads the effects "into a more optimal representation that can give a performance boost", but you cannot tweak values until you untick it again.

For server owners: blocking or allowing graphics mods

If you run the server, pure mode is your switch. Add one line to server.cfg:

sv_pureLevel 1

Level 1 still lets players use audio mods and known graphics mods. sv_pureLevel 2 blocks all modified client files. According to Cfx.re's docs, modified files in the FiveM folder are then ignored, and players who changed base game files get an error that names the file. On our FiveM hosting you edit server.cfg from the control panel, and every plan comes with DDoS protection. If you are weighing a move to Enhanced, where graphics mods are off for everyone, read what server owners need to know about FiveM Enhanced.

Troubleshooting ReShade in FiveM

The overlay does not open. Press F8 and type reshade or graphics mod in the Filter box, then match the message:

• A line starting with Ignored graphics mod: and ending in these should go in plugins/ now means a DLL is still in the GTA V folder. Move it to plugins.
• Blocked load of ReShade version 5 or higher means the CitizenFX.ini line is missing, sits in the wrong file, or came from another PC.
• Blocked load of ReShade version 5.9 means you have 5.9.0. Install 6.8.0.
• Blocked load of ReShade, as it is incompatible with NUI in-process GPU only appears for versions older than 5.9. Update ReShade, or turn off NUI in-process GPU in FiveM's settings, as Cfx.re's help center advises.

Still nothing. FiveM's code also loads d3d11.dll from plugins, next to d3d8, d3d9, d3d10 and d3d10_1. If dxgi.dll will not load, rename it (do not copy it) to d3d11.dll and try again.

No effects in the list. On the Settings tab, set Effect search paths to .\reshade-shaders\Shaders\** and Texture search paths to .\reshade-shaders\Textures\**, then click Reload on the Home tab. These are the paths the setup writes. They are relative to the folder ReShade runs from, so they work in plugins.

FiveM crashes on start. Move dxgi.dll out of plugins. If FiveM starts, ReShade or one of its effects is the cause: put it back and switch effects on one at a time. FiveM's own message warns that ReShade 5 and newer can crash in GPU drivers or d3d11.dll, and Cfx.re gives no support for it. If FiveM still crashes without ReShade, try our FiveM cache fix.

Ambient occlusion or depth of field does nothing. That is ReShade's multiplayer depth block described above, not a broken install.

A server does not allow it. Servers can disallow plugins. Move dxgi.dll out of plugins while you play there.

FAQ

How do I install ReShade in FiveM? Run the ReShade setup on GTA5.exe in your GTA V Legacy folder with DirectX 10/11/12, move dxgi.dll, ReShade.ini and reshade-shaders to %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\plugins, then add the ReShade5 line from your F8 console under [Addons] in CitizenFX.ini and restart FiveM.

Does ReShade work with FiveM Enhanced? Not on 3 November 2026. Cfx.re says pure mode is always on in FiveM for GTAV Enhanced and graphic mods cannot be used while it is in early access. Use FiveM Legacy for ReShade.

Is ReShade allowed on FiveM? FiveM loads it from the plugins folder, and its code even checks for ReShade by name. Each server decides for itself if you may use it there: Cfx.re's client manual says servers can disallow plugins and FiveM gives no support for them.

Which ReShade version works with FiveM? 3.1 and newer, except 5.9.0. Version 5.0 and newer, including the current 6.8.0, needs the ReShade5 line in CitizenFX.ini.

Where is the FiveM plugins folder? %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\plugins on a default install, or FiveM.app\plugins inside the folder where you first ran FiveM.exe. Create it if it does not exist.

Does ReShade lower FPS in FiveM? Yes, every effect costs GPU time. The Statistics tab in the ReShade overlay shows the cost of each effect, so you can drop the expensive ones.

Sources

All opened on 3 November 2026:

• ReShade: reshade.me (version 6.8.0 and its release date, preset sharing, multiplayer depth), GitHub tags, and the v6.8.0 source: setup effects page, setup API page, setup MainWindow.xaml.cs, runtime_gui.cpp, runtime.cpp
• FiveM source on GitHub: ReShadeFixups.cpp, ConsoleHostGui.cpp
• Cfx.re docs: Client manual, Installing FiveM, Server commands (sv_pureLevel), What's Changed in FiveM for GTAV Enhanced
• Cfx.re help center: Graphics mods not working with FiveM, Could not find game executable
• Cfx.re forum: Development Update #3: FiveM for GTAV Enhanced (the Enhanced installer)