5.98 FAQ-1234 How do I change a system variable value without opening Origin?

Last Update: 12/25/2025

If Origin starts normally, you can always use the Set System Variables dialog to change a variable value. However, if Origin fails to start for some reasons and you need to adjust a system variable to fix/troubleshoot the problem, here are the steps you can follow.

For registry-based system variables:
Open Registry Editor, expend branch \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OriginLab\SysVar, and edit or add the desired values directly.
For non-registry system variables:
1. Make sure no Origin process is running.
2. Open SystemVariables.ogs in User Files Folder with Notepad editor (create it if it does not exist). Add the variable in [Main] session, e.g. if you want to change @PESS to -1, add the text like below:
```
[Main]
@PESS=-1;
```
  Save the file.
  - If you just created SystemVariables.ogs in step 2, open Origin.ini in UFF with Notepad editor, and add following key in [Startup] session.
```
[Startup]
sysvar=SystemVariables.ogs
```
    Save the file.
3. Re-start Origin. See if it can be launched normally.

Keywords:change sys var, set variable, crash