Ventoy Themes and Plugins After an Update What Survives
You spent an hour on the perfect boot menu - custom theme, tuned timeout, plugin settings just right. Will an update throw it all away? No, and this page explains exactly why, file by file.
By Technical AnshuVentoy USB Guide5 minute read
Watch the full video - the update runs live on a pen drive full of ISO files, and nothing gets formatted
The update question that worries customisers most is not about ISOs - it is about the setup work: the theme chosen, the menu styled, the plugins configured. All of that work lives as plain files on the data partition, and a Ventoy update never opens that partition. Here is what survives, the two small exceptions worth knowing, and the quick check to run after updating.
Data partition - where your customisation actually lives
Ventoy (F:)
+-- Windows11.iso
+-- ubuntu-24.04.iso
+-- ventoy
| +-- ventoy.json (menu and plugin settings)
| +-- themes (your custom theme files)
| +-- persistence images (if you use the plugin)
Update rewritesBoot partition only
This whole treeNever opened by the update
Example layout - themes and plugins live on the data partition, side by side with the ISOs
1
Why Your Theme Survives - the Short Answer
Everything you customise in Ventoy is stored as ordinary files on the data partition, inside a folder literally named ventoy. The main configuration file ventoy.json, your theme folder and its graphics, plugin settings for persistence, auto-installation and the rest - all of it sits there next to your ISO files. Since an update only rewrites the boot partition and never opens the data partition, all of it survives exactly as you left it. Your drive will boot with the same wallpaper, the same menu timeout and the same plugin behaviour on the new version.
2
The Two Honest Exceptions
Built-in defaults can change. If you use Ventoy's stock look with no custom theme, a new version may ship a slightly refreshed default appearance. That is the program updating its own furniture - nothing of yours was removed
Ancient configurations deserve a test. If you are jumping across many versions at once, boot the drive once and open the menu before you need it at a real job. Plugin file formats are stable and documented, but a two-minute test after a giant leap is simply professional habit
3
The After-Update Check, in Order
Boot the drive and look at the menu: your theme and background should appear exactly as before
Check the version number at the bottom of the menu - it should show the new version
If you use persistence or another plugin, start that one ISO and confirm the plugin still engages
If the menu looks wrong, do not edit files in a panic: open the drive in Windows and confirm the ventoy folder and ventoy.json are still present - they almost certainly are - then review the settings with VentoyPlugson, the official configuration tool
4
Keep One File Sacred - ventoy.json
Your entire setup is summarised in one small text file: ventoy.json. Before any update, copy the ventoy folder to your PC (the backup guide in this series explains the two-minute routine). If anything ever does go wrong with your configuration, restoring that one folder brings back your theme, your menu settings and your plugins in a single copy - no reconfiguration, no guesswork.
Watch Full Video
The video shows a themed, working drive going through the update - watch the menu come back identical afterwards.
Yes. Your theme files live in the ventoy folder on the data partition, and Update mode only rewrites the boot partition. The menu will look exactly the same on the new version. Only Ventoy's own built-in default appearance can change slightly between versions.
Where are Ventoy plugin settings stored?
In ventoy.json inside the ventoy folder on the data partition - the same folder that holds your themes. Because the data partition is untouched by an update, plugin settings for persistence, auto-install and menu behaviour all carry over.
What should I check after updating a heavily customised drive?
Boot it once and open the menu to confirm the theme appears, check the version number at the bottom, and start one plugin-dependent ISO if you use persistence. Also keep a PC copy of the ventoy folder - restoring it restores your whole configuration in one step.
This guide is based on the Update Ventoy Without Formatting Pendrive video by Technical Anshu - Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments, help is always there.