How to Install Unity Hub
Unity Hub is the official launcher application that Unity Technologies distributes to manage Unity Editor installations, license activation, and project organization. Before you can install the Unity Editor itself, you must install Unity Hub. This reference covers the entire installation process for Unturned™ mod authors using Windows, from downloading the installer to signing into your Unity ID and confirming that the Hub is ready to install editors.
Every modder working with the 57 Studios™ pipeline uses Unity Hub as their daily entry point into Unity. The Hub is where you launch projects, install additional editor versions, and manage your license. Treat this article as the foundation for every Unity-related step that follows.
The article is written for beginners who have not installed Unity before. Every step is explained at the level of detail you would want if you were setting up Unity for the first time and had nobody beside you to ask. If you are already comfortable with the Hub, you can skim the headings and jump to the steps that matter to you; if you are not, every paragraph is here to keep you moving forward without confusion.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, confirm the following.
- A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer with administrator privileges on your user account.
- A working internet connection capable of downloading approximately 200 megabytes for the Hub installer and several gigabytes later when you install the Editor.
- A valid email address you can access. You will use this email to create a free Unity ID.
- At least 30 gigabytes of free disk space on your installation drive. The Hub itself is small, but the Editor and modules you install later will consume substantial space.
Did you know?
Unity Hub is free and remains free regardless of which Unity license tier you select. The Hub is a separate product from the Editor and does not count against any commercial usage limit.
Pro tip
Plan for the Hub to live on your computer for years. Once you install it, you will rarely uninstall it. The Hub gets out of the way after setup and quietly manages your editors in the background.
What you'll learn
- How to navigate to the official Unity download page.
- How to download the Unity Hub installer for Windows.
- How to run the installer and complete the standard installation prompts.
- How to create or sign into a Unity ID.
- How to activate a free Unity Personal license.
- How to recognize the four main areas of the Unity Hub interface.
- How to pin the Hub to your Windows taskbar for daily access.
- How to recognize a healthy Hub state after first launch.
Background
Unity Technologies introduced Unity Hub in 2018 to solve a problem that had grown alongside the engine. Before the Hub existed, every Unity Editor version installed itself directly to the system, and switching between editor versions required uninstall and reinstall cycles. The Hub was created as a thin launcher that owns the editor installations on your machine, manages your license, and provides a central project list.
For Unturned mod authors, the Hub is especially important because Unturned requires a very specific Unity Editor version. The Hub allows that exact version to coexist on your computer alongside any newer or older editor versions you may use for other projects. Without the Hub, every time Unturned bumped its required Editor version, you would have to uninstall the old version and reinstall the new one, and any other Unity work you were doing on the same machine would be displaced.
The Hub is also where Unity centralizes the project list. When you open a project from the Hub, the Hub remembers the editor version, the project location, and the project name, and adds the entry to the Projects tab. The next time you want to open the same project, you do not have to remember where you saved it.
Why the Hub is a separate product from the Editor
It is reasonable to ask why Unity Technologies splits the launcher from the Editor at all. Two reasons matter. The first is that Editor versions are large, on the order of several gigabytes each, and the Hub is small. Distributing the Hub once and letting it manage every editor download avoids forcing every Unity user to redownload the same launcher with every editor update. The second is that the Hub manages the license, and the license is a per-user resource independent of the editor version. Centralizing license management in the Hub means a single sign-in covers every editor version installed on the machine.
For Unturned modding the practical result is simple: install the Hub once, sign in once, and from then on every editor version you install for Unturned (or for any other Unity project) inherits the same Unity ID and the same license.
How the Hub fits into the broader Unturned toolchain
The Hub is the first piece in a chain of tools that the 57 Studios pipeline uses end to end. The Hub launches the Editor, the Editor loads the Unturned project package, the project package adds the Master Bundle Tool to the menu bar, and the Master Bundle Tool compiles your assets into the bundle format that Unturned expects. Every later article in the Unity Setup section depends on the Hub being installed and operating correctly. Treat the Hub installation as the foundation that the rest of the toolchain rests on.
Primary content
Step 1: Navigate to the official download page
Open your preferred web browser and navigate to the official Unity download page at https://unity.com/download. This is the only location from which you should download Unity Hub. Third-party download sites occasionally host out-of-date or modified installers.
Common mistake
Do not search for "Unity Hub download" and click the first result. Some search results lead to mirror sites that bundle the installer with additional software. Always type the address directly or use the link above.
If the page presents an option to "Download for Windows," "Download for Mac," or "Download for Linux," select the Windows download. This article assumes Windows; other platforms are covered in their own sections of the knowledge base.
Step 2: Download the installer
On the Unity download page, locate the button labeled "Download for Windows" within the Unity Hub section. Click the button. Your browser will begin downloading a file named approximately UnityHubSetup.exe. The file is roughly 200 megabytes and downloads within a minute or two on a typical home internet connection.
When the download completes, the file will appear in your browser's download list and in your computer's Downloads folder.
If your browser warns you about the file, accept the download. The Unity Hub installer is digitally signed by Unity Technologies, and your browser may show a warning the first time a user on the machine downloads it. Inspect the signer on the warning dialog if you want to verify the source; the signer should read "Unity Technologies ApS" or a very close variant.
Step 3: Run the installer
Locate UnityHubSetup.exe in your Downloads folder and double-click it. Windows may prompt you with a User Account Control dialog asking whether you want to allow the installer to make changes to your computer. Click Yes.
The Unity Hub setup wizard opens. The wizard presents a series of straightforward screens.
Read the license agreement and click "I Agree" to continue. The installer then asks where to install Unity Hub. The default location of C:\Program Files\Unity Hub is the recommended location for nearly every user. Click "Install" to begin copying files.
The installation completes within one to two minutes. When the wizard finishes, leave the "Run Unity Hub" checkbox enabled and click "Finish."
Step 4: Sign in with your Unity ID
The first time Unity Hub launches, it asks you to sign in with a Unity ID. The Unity ID is a free account that ties your license activation to your name.
If you already have a Unity ID, enter your email and password and click Sign In.
If you do not have a Unity ID, click "Create one." A web browser tab opens to the Unity account creation page. Enter your email, choose a password, provide your name, and complete the account creation form. Return to Unity Hub once your account is created and sign in.
Pro tip
Use a memorable email address that you will retain long-term. Your Unity ID becomes the permanent identity for any commercial Unity work you may do later, including any 57 Studios distribution work that involves signed packages.
Did you know?
Your Unity ID is portable across machines. If you set up a second computer for modding later, sign in with the same Unity ID and your license, projects, and Hub settings travel with you.
Step 5: Activate a free Personal license
After sign-in, Unity Hub prompts you to activate a license. For Unturned modding, the free Personal license is the appropriate choice.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of Unity Hub to open Preferences. Select the Licenses tab on the left. Click "Add" and choose "Get a free personal license." Read the eligibility terms. The Personal license is available to anyone whose annual revenue from Unity-created products is below a published threshold. Mod authoring for Unturned falls well within this limit. Click "Agree and get personal license."
The license activates within a few seconds. A green confirmation appears in the Licenses tab.
Step 6: Familiarize yourself with the Hub layout
Close the Preferences dialog and return to the main Unity Hub window. The Hub has four primary tabs on the left sidebar.
| Tab | Purpose | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | Lists every Unity project you have opened or created | Daily, every time you open a project |
| Installs | Manages every Unity Editor version installed on your computer | When installing or removing editor versions |
| Learn | Provides links to Unity learning resources | Optional; useful for beginners new to Unity in general |
| Community | Links to Unity forums and community resources | Occasionally, when troubleshooting |
Each tab opens a different view in the main panel on the right.
Step 7: Pin the Hub to your taskbar
Right-click the Unity Hub icon on your taskbar while the Hub is running and choose "Pin to taskbar." The Hub now stays available on your taskbar even after you close it. Every future modding session begins with one click on the pinned icon.
Step 8: Confirm a healthy first-launch state
A healthy Hub on first launch shows the following indicators.
- Your Unity ID email is visible in the top-right corner of the Hub window.
- The Projects tab is selected and shows an empty project list.
- The Installs tab shows no installed editor versions yet.
- The gear icon opens Preferences with the Licenses tab listing a single active Personal license.
If any of these indicators are missing, repeat the relevant step above until the Hub presents a healthy state.
Comparison
Unity offers three license tiers. The table below summarizes the differences.
| License | Annual cost | Revenue cap | Splash screen | Appropriate for Unturned modding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Free | Below the published Unity threshold | Required | Yes |
| Plus | Paid annual subscription | Higher than Personal | Optional | Not necessary |
| Pro | Higher paid annual subscription | Unlimited | Optional | Not necessary |
For Unturned mod authoring, the Personal license is the correct choice in every case. The splash screen requirement does not apply to mod content because mods do not ship as standalone games.
The distribution of license tiers among active Unturned modders skews heavily toward Personal.
Hub installation footprint by component
The disk footprint of a fresh Unity Hub installation is small. The table below documents the typical contribution of each component.
| Component | Disk footprint | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hub launcher binary | 180 MB | Yes | Lives at C:\Program Files\Unity Hub |
| User profile data | 5-20 MB | Yes | Lives at %APPDATA%\UnityHub |
| License activation cache | 1-2 MB | Yes | Lives in the user profile |
| Cached project metadata | grows over time | Yes | Lives in the user profile |
| Editor installations | 4-12 GB each | Installed later | Default location is C:\Program Files\Unity\Hub\Editor |
The Hub itself remains small. The disk pressure comes from the editors you install later through the Hub.
Where the Hub stores its files
The Hub stores its files in two locations on Windows.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
C:\Program Files\Unity Hub\ | The Hub binary itself |
%APPDATA%\UnityHub\ | Your Hub user profile (license cache, project list, settings) |
You will rarely browse these folders directly. The Hub manages them on your behalf. The two paths are listed here so you know where to look if you ever need to back up your Hub settings or troubleshoot a missing license entry.
Decision flowchart
If you are unsure which path to take during Hub installation, the diagram below resolves the most common branches.
First-launch state diagram
The diagram below shows the path the Hub takes through its first launch, from welcome screen to a healthy idle state.
Advanced considerations
Network policies in some corporate or educational environments block the Unity license activation servers. If your Personal license fails to activate with a network error, switch to a personal network connection and retry. Once activated, the license refreshes automatically on subsequent launches and does not require constant network access.
If you maintain multiple Windows user accounts on the same computer, Unity Hub installs per-machine but activates licenses per-user. Each Windows user who wants to use Unity must sign in with their own Unity ID. This is relevant if a household shares a computer for modding.
Best practice
Pin Unity Hub to your Windows taskbar after installation. You will launch the Hub every time you work on a mod, and the taskbar pin saves the small but daily friction of searching for the application in the Start menu.
Operating system support matrix
The Hub supports the major desktop operating systems. The table below summarizes Unity's published support matrix at a high level. Always cross-check the current matrix against the official Unity download page before installing on a less common platform.
| Operating system | Hub support | Notes for Unturned modding |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 (64-bit) | Yes | The reference platform for this article |
| Windows 11 (64-bit) | Yes | Equivalent behavior to Windows 10 |
| macOS (current and previous major) | Yes | Covered in the macOS modding guide |
| Linux (Ubuntu LTS) | Yes | Less commonly used for Unturned mod authoring |
| Windows 7 / 8 | Not supported | Upgrade Windows before installing the Hub |
Hub update cadence and auto-update behavior
The Hub checks for updates each time it launches. When an update is available, the Hub displays a small banner at the top of its window inviting you to download and install the update. Hub updates are typically small (10-50 megabytes) and rarely change the Hub's behavior in ways that affect mod authoring.
Accept Hub updates when they are offered. Falling more than two minor versions behind risks compatibility friction with the editor installer screens, which Unity occasionally refreshes alongside Hub updates. Editor versions themselves are independent of Hub updates and never change without your explicit action.
Behind a corporate proxy
If your computer sits behind a corporate proxy, the Hub honors the system proxy configuration set in Windows. Open the Windows Settings, navigate to Network & internet, and configure the proxy under Proxy settings. The Hub picks up the configuration on next launch and routes its download traffic through the configured proxy.
If license activation fails behind a corporate proxy, the most common cause is the proxy filtering Unity's activation endpoints. A short workaround is to switch to a non-proxied network (a phone hotspot is sufficient) for the duration of the activation request, then return to the proxied network for normal use.
FAQ
Q: Can I install Unity Hub to a drive other than C:?
Yes. During Step 3, change the installation location to any drive with sufficient space. The drive that holds the Hub does not need to be the same drive that holds your editor installations or projects.
Q: Do I need to keep Unity Hub running while I work in the Editor?
No. Once you launch a project from the Hub, you can close the Hub window. The Editor is a separate process that continues running independently.
Q: What happens if I uninstall Unity Hub later?
Uninstalling the Hub does not delete your editor installations, your projects, or your license activation. You can reinstall the Hub at any time and your previous setup remains intact.
Q: Can I run two Unity Hubs side by side?
No. The Hub is designed as a single-instance application on a given user account. Running two copies would produce conflicting state in the Hub's user profile folder. If you need two Hubs, use two Windows user accounts.
Q: How do I sign out of my Unity ID?
Open Preferences (gear icon), select the Account tab, and click Sign out. The Hub clears your sign-in state and returns to the welcome screen. Signing out does not delete your projects or installed editors; it only removes the current sign-in.
Q: What if my Unity ID is locked or my password no longer works?
Use the Unity account recovery flow through the Unity ID web sign-in page. Recovery sends a reset link to the email address on your account. Once you have reset the password, sign back in to the Hub.
Q: Does the Hub work offline?
The Hub launches projects offline once the editor version is already installed and the license has been activated. Initial sign-in, license activation, and editor downloads require an internet connection.
Q: How do I check which Hub version I am running?
Open Preferences (gear icon) and scroll to the About section. The current Hub version and build number are listed there. This is the value to quote when you report a Hub bug to Unity Support.
Q: Can the Hub manage editors I installed before the Hub existed?
The Hub can adopt an existing editor installation through the Installs tab's "Locate" option. Point the Hub at the folder containing the editor and it will add the editor to its managed list. This is useful for legacy installations that predate the Hub.
Q: What does the "Recommended for new users" tag on the Hub home screen mean?
The Hub flags editor versions Unity currently recommends for new general projects. The tag is not relevant to Unturned mod authoring; Unturned requires a specific editor version that may not match the recommended tag.
Best practices
- Always download Unity Hub from
https://unity.com/downloaddirectly. Avoid mirror sites. - Sign in with an email address you intend to keep long-term.
- Activate the free Personal license immediately after sign-in to avoid prompts later.
- Pin Unity Hub to your taskbar for daily access.
- Allow the Hub to update itself when it prompts. Hub updates are small and rarely break compatibility.
- Keep your Unity ID credentials in a password manager, not in a sticky note on your monitor.
- Do not run two Hub instances side by side; use Windows user accounts if you need separate environments.
- Inspect the Preferences > About section once after installation to record the Hub version you started with.
Appendix A: Detailed installer flow reference
The Unity Hub installer presents the same sequence of screens on every fresh installation. The table below documents each screen, the recommended choice, and the consequence of an alternative choice.
| Screen | Recommended choice | Consequence of alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Click Next | None; the welcome screen has no decision |
| License agreement | Click I Agree | Declining cancels the installation |
| Install location | Accept the default C:\Program Files\Unity Hub | A different location works as long as the drive has sufficient space and is writable by the current user |
| Install confirmation | Click Install | None; this is the action button |
| Progress | Wait for the bar to fill | The progress bar typically fills in one to two minutes |
| Completion | Leave Run Unity Hub checked, click Finish | Unchecking the box delays the first launch; launch manually from the Start menu later |
The installer does not ask whether to add a desktop shortcut. The Hub creates a Start menu entry and a desktop shortcut automatically. Both link to the same Unity Hub.exe binary.
Silent install for IT-managed deployments
For IT-managed deployments, the Hub installer supports a silent-install mode through the standard Inno Setup command-line flags. The relevant flags are /SILENT (no GUI, minimal output) and /VERYSILENT (no GUI, no output). A typical IT-managed install command looks like:
UnityHubSetup.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTARTIndividual modders rarely need silent install. The flag is documented here because some 57 Studios contractors install the Hub on shared lab machines through a configuration management tool.
Hub log file location
The Hub writes a log file to the user profile at %APPDATA%\UnityHub\logs\info-log.json. The log records sign-in events, license activations, editor installs and removals, and the most recent project opens. Inspect this file if the Hub behaves unexpectedly and you want to report the behavior to Unity Support.
Appendix B: Common error messages on first launch
The Hub occasionally surfaces an error message on first launch that benefits from a short explanation. The table below documents the most common messages.
| Message | Likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| "Failed to connect to license server" | Network policy blocking Unity license endpoints | Switch to a non-restricted network and retry activation |
| "Sign in failed" | Wrong password or expired session | Use the password recovery flow; sign in again |
| "Unable to write to user profile" | Permissions issue on %APPDATA%\UnityHub | Run the Hub as your normal Windows user; do not run as a different user |
| "Hub is already running" | A previous Hub instance is still running | Open Task Manager, end any Unity Hub.exe process, and relaunch |
| "Update available" (recurring) | An older Hub version is installed | Accept the update; reopen the Hub once the update completes |
| "License will expire soon" | The Personal license has reached its annual refresh point | Open Preferences > Licenses and click Refresh on the Personal entry |
If an error message is not in the table above, search the Unity Hub forum for the exact text of the message. The forum's volunteer moderators and Unity Support engineers maintain a high response rate on Hub-related questions.
Appendix C: Quick-reference command surface
The Hub itself is GUI-driven, but it exposes a small command-line surface that is occasionally useful. The table below summarizes the relevant commands. These commands are invoked through the Unity Hub.exe binary at the install location.
| Command pattern | Effect |
|---|---|
Unity Hub.exe | Launches the Hub normally |
Unity Hub.exe -- --headless help | Prints the available headless command surface |
Unity Hub.exe -- --headless editors -i | Lists installed editor versions |
Unity Hub.exe -- --headless install --version <ver> | Installs the specified editor version headlessly |
Unity Hub.exe -- --headless install-modules --version <ver> -m <module> | Adds a module to an installed editor headlessly |
The headless surface is appropriate for scripting and automation. Individual modders rarely invoke it. The table is included for completeness; the rest of this article assumes the GUI flow.
Appendix D: The Hub user profile in detail
The Hub user profile at %APPDATA%\UnityHub\ is the location where the Hub keeps every piece of per-user state. Knowing the contents of this folder helps you back up your Hub setup, troubleshoot unexpected behavior, and migrate to a new machine without losing your project list.
The profile folder typically contains the following subfolders and files.
%APPDATA%\UnityHub\
├── editors.json
├── editors-v2.json
├── projects-v1.json
├── secondaryInstallPath.json
├── settings.json
├── version.json
├── cache\
│ └── (cached metadata for editor versions)
├── logs\
│ └── info-log.json
└── licenses\
└── (license cache files)The role of each file is summarized in the table below.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
editors.json, editors-v2.json | The list of editor versions the Hub knows about, including their install paths |
projects-v1.json | The list of projects the Hub remembers, including their last-opened editor version |
secondaryInstallPath.json | The non-default editor install location, if you set one |
settings.json | Hub UI preferences, language, telemetry opt-in state |
version.json | The current Hub version |
cache\ | Metadata cache for the editor archive lookup |
logs\info-log.json | The most recent Hub activity log |
licenses\ | Local cache of activated licenses |
Backing up the Hub profile
Backing up the Hub profile lets you restore your project list, your settings, and your license cache after a Windows reinstall. The backup procedure is simple: close the Hub, copy the entire %APPDATA%\UnityHub\ folder to a backup location, and restore it after the Hub is reinstalled.
Pro tip
Back up the Hub profile before any major Windows update. Windows feature updates occasionally rewrite the user profile in ways that confuse the Hub's project list, and a backup lets you restore the list cleanly.
Migrating the Hub profile to a new machine
To migrate the Hub profile to a new machine, install the Hub on the new machine first, sign in with your Unity ID, close the Hub, replace the new machine's %APPDATA%\UnityHub\ folder with the backup from the old machine, and relaunch the Hub. The Hub adopts the imported profile and shows your previous project list, settings, and license cache.
Editor installations themselves do not migrate through the profile. The profile only records the paths to editor installations. You must install the editors on the new machine separately and adjust the install paths in editors.json if they differ from the old machine.
Appendix E: How the Hub talks to the Unity backend
The Hub communicates with Unity's online services for three purposes: sign-in, license activation, and editor downloads. Each connection uses HTTPS over standard port 443. The Hub does not require any other inbound or outbound port to operate.
| Endpoint category | Direction | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in endpoints | Outbound 443 | Authenticate the Unity ID and refresh the sign-in token |
| License activation endpoints | Outbound 443 | Activate, refresh, and validate licenses |
| Editor download endpoints | Outbound 443 | Download editor installers and modules |
| Telemetry endpoints (optional) | Outbound 443 | Report anonymous Hub usage metrics |
| Update check endpoints | Outbound 443 | Check whether a newer Hub version is available |
If your network blocks any of these categories, the Hub displays a corresponding error. License activation errors are by far the most common; sign-in and download errors are rarer because the endpoints sit behind the same CDN as Unity's marketing site, which corporate firewalls typically allow.
Telemetry opt-out
The Hub collects anonymous telemetry by default. To opt out, open Preferences (gear icon), navigate to the General tab, and uncheck "Send usage statistics to Unity Technologies." The opt-out takes effect on the next Hub launch and does not affect any other Hub functionality.
Did you know?
The Hub's telemetry payload contains only event-level information (Hub launches, editor installs, license activations) without identifying project names or contents. The opt-out is provided as a courtesy; the data Unity collects is minimal and never includes the contents of your projects.
Appendix F: A day in the life of the Hub
A typical Unturned modding day with the Hub looks like this.
- You click the Hub icon on your pinned taskbar entry.
- The Hub launches and shows the Projects tab with your most-recent project on top.
- You click your project. The Hub launches the correct editor version, passing your project path as an argument.
- The editor opens. The Hub window is no longer needed and can be closed.
- You work in the editor for a few hours.
- You close the editor. The Hub is not involved in the close path.
- You decide to start a new mod project. You click the Hub icon again. The Hub opens to the Projects tab.
- You click "New project" and follow the New Project dialog (covered in a later article).
- The new project is added to the Hub's project list. You open it from the Hub from this point onward.
The Hub's role across the day is small but indispensable. It is the launchpad. Everything else happens inside the editor.
Appendix G: When the Hub goes wrong
The Hub is reliable software, but it can fail in a few documented patterns. Recognizing the pattern is the first step to a fast recovery.
Pattern 1: The Hub will not launch
You double-click the Hub icon and nothing happens, or you see a brief splash that disappears. This usually means the Hub's user profile has a corrupted JSON file. The recovery is to rename the %APPDATA%\UnityHub\ folder to UnityHub.bak, then relaunch the Hub. The Hub creates a fresh profile and prompts you to sign in. Your projects are not lost; once signed in, you can re-add them from the file system.
Pattern 2: The Hub launches but the projects list is empty
You open the Hub and the Projects tab is empty even though you have opened projects before. This usually means the projects-v1.json file is missing or unreadable. The recovery is to open the Hub, click "Open" in the Projects tab, and re-point the Hub at the project folders. The Hub rebuilds the project list as you add entries.
Pattern 3: The Hub launches but cannot reach the license server
You open the Hub and the Licenses tab shows a "Cannot reach the license server" error. This usually means a network policy is blocking the license endpoints. The recovery is to switch to a non-restricted network and retry. Once the license refreshes, the Hub caches the activation locally and tolerates the restricted network for the rest of the day.
Pattern 4: The Hub displays a recurring update banner
You open the Hub and a banner at the top invites you to install an update. You accept the update. The Hub closes and reopens, but the banner is still there. This usually means the in-place update failed. The recovery is to download a fresh Hub installer from https://unity.com/download and run it over the existing installation. The fresh installer respects the existing user profile and preserves your projects and licenses.
Pattern 5: A previously installed editor is missing from the Installs tab
You open the Hub and the Installs tab does not show an editor that you previously installed. This usually means the editors.json file lost the entry. The recovery is to open the Installs tab, click the "Locate" button (the menu icon next to the Install button), and point the Hub at the editor's install folder. The Hub adopts the editor and adds it back to the list.
Appendix H: Glossary
The terms below appear throughout the Unity Setup section and are worth defining once.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Unity Hub | The launcher application that manages editor installations, licenses, and projects |
| Unity Editor | The application where you author Unity content |
| Unity ID | The free account that ties your license activation and online services to your name |
| License | The legal entitlement to use the editor for a specific category of work |
| Editor version | The version string identifying a specific editor release (e.g., 2021.3.29f1) |
| Module | An optional addition to an editor that enables a build target or feature |
| Project | A folder on disk that holds the assets, scripts, and settings for a single body of Unity work |
| Build target | The platform a project produces output for (Windows, Linux, etc.) |
| Bundle | A compiled binary that packs assets together; the format Unturned loads at runtime |
| Personal license | The free Unity license tier appropriate for Unturned mod authoring |
Appendix I: Quick sanity check after install
After completing every step in this article, run through the sanity check below. Every item should pass. If any item fails, return to the corresponding step in the primary content and repeat it.
| Check | Pass condition |
|---|---|
| Hub installed | Unity Hub.exe exists at C:\Program Files\Unity Hub\ |
| Hub launches | Double-clicking the Hub icon opens the Hub window |
| Signed in | The top-right of the Hub shows your Unity ID email |
| License attached | Preferences > Licenses shows an active Personal license |
| Projects tab visible | The left sidebar shows the Projects, Installs, Learn, and Community tabs |
| Installs tab empty | The Installs tab shows no installed editor versions yet |
| Hub pinned | The Hub icon is pinned to your Windows taskbar |
| Update banner absent | No update banner is shown at the top of the Hub |
A passing sanity check confirms the Hub is ready. The next article walks through installing the editor version that Unturned requires.
Appendix J: Long-form rationale for choosing the Personal license
Among the three Unity license tiers, the Personal license is the correct choice for every Unturned mod author the 57 Studios pipeline has ever onboarded. The rationale is worth spelling out so you can explain it to a curious teammate, mentor, or guardian who asks why you are not paying for a license.
The Personal license is free, has no expiration date as long as you remain eligible, and lets you ship Unity-built content commercially up to a published annual revenue threshold. Unturned mod authoring sits orders of magnitude below that threshold. The 57 Studios mod-sales operation through Tebex generates revenue well within the cap, and even modders whose work climbs into commercial territory remain well below the Personal eligibility line for many years.
The Plus license adds optional Splash screen control and a few minor service benefits. For Unturned modding, the Splash screen requirement does not apply because mods do not ship as standalone games. Mods load into the Unturned executable and inherit its splash. The service benefits of Plus are oriented toward studios building standalone games with Unity, not toward mod authors.
The Pro license adds higher revenue caps, dedicated support, and analytics features. It is appropriate for studios with paying employees building shipping titles. It is not appropriate for individual mod authors.
The table below summarizes the rationale in one row per consideration.
| Consideration | Personal | Plus | Pro | Best fit for Unturned modding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid | Paid | Personal |
| Splash screen | Required (irrelevant to mods) | Optional | Optional | Personal |
| Revenue cap | Generous for individuals | Higher | None | Personal |
| Dedicated support | No | No | Yes | Personal (community support is sufficient) |
| Service features | Standard | Some | All | Personal |
A modder who genuinely outgrows Personal should upgrade. The threshold for outgrowing is well-published, and the upgrade path through the Hub is friction-free.
Best practice
Re-evaluate your license tier every year on the anniversary of your Hub install. If your annual Tebex revenue from mod sales remains below the Personal threshold, stay on Personal. If you have crossed the threshold, upgrade to Plus or Pro through the Hub before continuing commercial distribution.
Appendix K: How the Hub interacts with Steam
Many Unturned mod authors install Unturned through Steam. The Hub and Steam do not interact directly, but they both touch a single shared concept: the editor version Unturned expects. The Hub manages the editor; Steam manages the game. The pair work together implicitly because the Unturned game folder, distributed by Steam, contains the project package that the Hub-managed editor imports.
The interaction pattern across a full setup is:
- Steam installs Unturned, which places the game folder on disk.
- The Hub installs the editor version that Unturned requires.
- The editor opens a new project.
- The new project imports the
UnturnedProject.unitypackagefile from the Steam-managed Unturned game folder. - The editor compiles bundles that Unturned loads at runtime.
The Hub is not aware of Steam, and Steam is not aware of the Hub. The integration point is the editor and the project package, which are covered in later articles.
Pro tip
Keep Unturned and the Hub on drives with adequate free space. The Unturned game folder grows after game updates, the editor's project Library grows during work, and the Hub's editor downloads accumulate over time. Plan for 50 to 100 gigabytes of headroom on the drives that host these three components combined.
Appendix L: Hub uninstall and reinstall procedure
Occasionally you will need to uninstall and reinstall the Hub. The most common reasons are an irrecoverable user profile corruption, a switch to a different Windows account, or a planned reset of the entire Unity environment.
The clean uninstall and reinstall procedure is:
- Close every running Unity editor.
- Close the Hub.
- Open the Windows Settings, navigate to Apps, locate Unity Hub, and click Uninstall.
- Wait for the uninstall to complete.
- Optionally rename
%APPDATA%\UnityHub\toUnityHub.bakif you want to start from a fresh user profile. Skip this step if you want to preserve your project list. - Download a fresh Hub installer from
https://unity.com/download. - Run the installer and complete the standard prompts.
- Sign in with your Unity ID. The Hub adopts the preserved user profile if you left it in place.
The uninstall does not remove installed editor versions. The editors continue to live at C:\Program Files\Unity\Hub\Editor\ and are picked up automatically by the freshly installed Hub.
Common mistake
Uninstalling editors before uninstalling the Hub is the slower path. Always uninstall the Hub first; the editors are easier to remove afterward through the Installs tab of the reinstalled Hub.
Appendix M: A note on the 57 Studios pipeline philosophy
Across the 57 Studios pipeline, the Hub is treated as a stable, infrequently-touched component. It is installed once at the start of a modder's career and remains installed for years. Hub updates are accepted as they arrive. License refreshes happen automatically.
This philosophy reflects a broader principle of the pipeline: keep the foundational tools out of the way. Modders should spend their time on assets, configurations, and mod logic, not on tool maintenance. The Hub is a launcher. Treat it like any other launcher on your machine: pin it, sign in, and forget about it until you need it.
The same philosophy applies to the editor (covered in the next article), to the Unturned project package (covered two articles later), and to the Master Bundle Tool (covered at the end of this section). Every tool in the chain is set up once and then runs without further attention. The setup steps in this section are the price you pay for that long-term invisibility.
Appendix N: Frequently confused screens during first launch
The Unity Hub presents a series of screens during first launch that can be confused with one another, especially by readers who are new to Unity. The table below distinguishes the screens by the visual cues they present.
| Screen | Visual cue | Action to take |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | The Unity logo and a "Sign in" button | Click Sign in |
| Sign-in form | Email and password fields | Enter credentials and submit |
| Account creation prompt | A "Create one" link below the sign-in form | Click only if you do not yet have a Unity ID |
| License activation prompt | A panel inviting you to add a license | Click Add and choose Personal |
| Personal license eligibility | A summary of revenue thresholds | Read and accept |
| Hub home | The Projects tab with an empty list | The healthy steady state; you are done |
A first-time user occasionally clicks "Create one" when they already have a Unity ID and ends up with a second Unity ID for the same email address. If that happens, contact Unity Support to merge the accounts. Do not continue to use both; license activation belongs on exactly one Unity ID per modder.
Appendix O: A timeline view of the Hub installation
For readers who learn well from a timeline, the diagram below shows the entire Hub installation arc from first click on the download page to a fully ready Hub on a healthy idle state.
Appendix P: A short tour of the Hub's other tabs
The Projects and Installs tabs are the two tabs you will use daily as an Unturned mod author. The Learn and Community tabs are worth knowing about even though they are not essential.
The Learn tab
The Learn tab links to Unity's official learning resources. Tutorials, sample projects, and learning paths live here. For an Unturned mod author, the Learn tab is occasionally useful for general Unity skills (camera handling, GameObject hierarchy, the Project window) that are not specific to Unturned but that you may want to brush up on early in your modding career.
The Learn tab does not contain Unturned-specific content. Unturned modding documentation lives at the Smartly Dressed Games documentation site referenced throughout this knowledge base.
The Community tab
The Community tab links to the Unity forum, the Unity Answers question-and-answer board, and the Unity Discord server. The Community tab is useful when you are troubleshooting a generic Unity issue that is not specific to Unturned. The Unity forum is well-moderated and has a deep archive of solved problems.
For Unturned-specific community support, the 57 Studios pipeline points modders to the Smartly Dressed Games Discord server and the Unturned modding subreddit. Those communities are referenced in the Community Resources section of this knowledge base.
The gear icon and Preferences
The gear icon in the top-right corner of the Hub opens the Preferences dialog. Preferences contains the Account tab (for signing out and managing your Unity ID), the Licenses tab (for managing your license activation), the General tab (for UI preferences and the telemetry opt-out), the Installs tab (for the default editor install location), the Appearance tab (for theme selection), and the Advanced tab (for proxy settings and other low-frequency options).
You will rarely visit Preferences after the initial setup. The most common return reasons are to refresh the license, change the default editor install location, or opt out of telemetry.
Appendix Q: A short note on the Hub's appearance and themes
The Hub supports light and dark themes, configurable through Preferences > Appearance. The dark theme is the cohort favorite among 57 Studios modders, both for visual comfort during long modding sessions and for consistency with the editor's default theme.
The theme choice does not affect any functional behavior of the Hub. It is a purely visual preference. Switch themes whenever you like.
Appendix R: Cohort observations across the 57 Studios pipeline
Across the 57 Studios pipeline, the Hub installation step is the most reliable step in the entire Unity Setup section. The cohort of mod authors onboarded through the pipeline reports a first-attempt success rate near 99 percent for the Hub installation. The remaining 1 percent of cases trace to one of four documented causes.
| Cause | Frequency in cohort | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Locked Unity ID from previous use | Half of failures | Recover the password through the Unity ID recovery flow |
| Network policy blocking license activation | One quarter of failures | Switch to a non-restricted network for activation |
| Corrupted download (incomplete installer file) | One eighth of failures | Re-download from https://unity.com/download |
| Permissions issue on the user profile folder | One eighth of failures | Run the Hub as the normal Windows user, not a different user |
The high first-attempt success rate is one reason the Hub is treated as a foundational, infrequently-touched tool across the pipeline. The remaining steps in the Unity Setup section are more failure-prone and warrant correspondingly more careful attention.
Long-term reliability of the Hub installation
The Hub remains reliable for years after installation. Cohort data from the 57 Studios pipeline shows that the median time-between-issues for a given Hub installation exceeds two years. The most common long-tail issue is a license refresh failure on a stale installation that has not connected to the license server in many months. The fix is a single click on Refresh in the Licenses tab.
Modders who treat the Hub as a stable, set-and-forget tool report the highest satisfaction with their Unity experience. Modders who tinker with the Hub frequently (uninstall and reinstall cycles, manual edits to the user profile, switching between user accounts) report a higher rate of preventable issues.
Best practice
Once your Hub is installed, signed in, and licensed, leave it alone. The pipeline's principle of foundational invisibility applies here in full. The Hub should be the least interesting tool on your computer.
Appendix S: A summary of the article
This article walked through every step of installing Unity Hub on a Windows computer for Unturned mod authoring with the 57 Studios pipeline. The high-level flow is:
- Download the installer from
https://unity.com/download. - Run the installer and accept the defaults.
- Sign in with a Unity ID, creating one if needed.
- Activate the free Personal license through Preferences.
- Pin the Hub to the Windows taskbar.
- Confirm a healthy idle state on the Projects tab.
Every step is reversible. The Hub can be uninstalled and reinstalled cleanly. The user profile can be backed up and restored. The license activation can be refreshed at any time. None of the actions in this article are destructive.
The next article in the section walks through installing the Unity Editor version that Unturned requires. The Editor is a larger and more failure-prone install than the Hub, and the next article spends correspondingly more attention on the version-matching step.
Next steps
With Unity Hub installed and signed in, the next step is to install the Unity Editor version that Unturned requires. Continue to How to Install Unity Editor.