I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but I'd like verification. All over the internet I see different answers regarding which SkyrimPrefs.ini to edit when you want to edit your game. Half says the one in My Documents while the other half says the one located in your steam directory. I have reason to believe that you need to edit the one located in My Documents despite the fact many people swear up and down to the contrary, especially when it comes to stuff like disabling mouse smoothing. I have read that the ini located in the steam directory is nothing more than a reference for the game to use when creating a new ini in My Documents and that anyone saying you need to edit the one in the steam directory is misinformed. That is what I have read anyways. What is your take on this? I know this is a question as old as time itself, but I'd like to end this here and now. Which ini is the correct one to edit?

EDIT: I would just like to add that I have also read from the same source that the one ini you need to edit is the one that contains the line "sD3DDevice="[YOUR GRAPHICS CARD NAME]"". That just so happens to also be the one located in My Documents which strengthens my belief that that is the one that needs to be edited.

I've only ever edited the ones in the Skyrim My Documents and only then for the purposes of using an enb that required me to. Otherwise I stay out of the ini files heh.

I never heard of adjusting them in steam directory unless who ever mentioned that was simply implying that to access the Skyrim My Documents folder, you go into your steam folder to get there.

That's the location you want to look at...

C:\ Users \ < Your UserName > \ Documents \ My Games \ skyrim \

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The inis in your Steam folder are for the game when you need to regenerate a new INI. Any edits to skyrim ini files are done in the My Documents \ My Games folder.

If you accidentaly edited the inis in your steam folder, please delete the inis in the Steam\~~\Skyrim folder and verify the integrity of the files to get the originals. !!!

SO, DO NOT EDIT THE INI IN THE STEAM\~~\SKYRIM FOLDER !!!

All right so the answers seem to confirm my theory... although it isn't really a theory but whatever.

when it comes to making changes to the ini, you can never be to careful or conduct enough research.

Had you just gone with the "theories" you read, you might have made changes to the wrong folder.

It never hurts to ask, only if you don't.