Disable per-platform source exclusion for Unreal modules so I can edit Android-only plugin code on Windows

Created October 16, 2026 06:45

Hi,

When Rider opens an Unreal Engine project, source files of modules that don't support the active build target's platform are marked "Excluded from current build configuration" — no code analysis, no symbol resolution. I understand this comes from Rider's UBT integration (UnrealLink): UBT reports which
modules belong to which targets, and a module listed with "PlatformAllowList": ["Android"] in its .uplugin belongs to no Win64 target, so all its sources get excluded.

My problem: I need to edit that Android-only plugin's C++ code on a Windows machine (it's a thin shell module; the real logic is Android Java/APL). The files are openable but editing them without inspection/resolve is painful.

What I tried / considered:

1. Selecting an Android target in the UBT tool window — helps, but I lose the Win64 target context whenever I switch back, and regenerating for Android targets is clunky.
2. Removing PlatformAllowList from the .uplugin — works (module then compiles on Win64 and is included in the Editor target), but I'd rather not change module metadata just to get IDE support.

Is there a Rider-side way to disable this exclusion behavior

Rider 2026.3 EAP 6, UE 5.8

Thanks!

1 comment

Dmitry Kazantsev

Created October 26, 2026 14:48

Hello, You could try the workaround described here: SUPPORT-A-2979 Rider doesn't analyze files that don't belong to current platform.

Note the “_005C” stands for ‘\’ and “_002A” is an asterisk. So, compose a proper path pattern. For example:

<s:Boolean x:Key="/Default/Environment/ExcludedFiles/FileMasksToSkip/=_005CPlugins_005CYourSpecificPlugin_005C_002A_002A/@EntryIndexedValue">False</s:Boolean> - if the path to the plugin is {GameProjDir}/Plugins/YourSpecificPlugin

<s:Boolean x:Key="/Default/Environment/ExcludedFiles/FileMasksToSkip/=_005CEngine_005CPlugins_005CYourSpecificPlugin_005C_002A_002A/@EntryIndexedValue">False</s:Boolean> - if the plugin is under the engine directory: {EngineRootDir}/Engine/Plugins/YourSpecificPlugin

Note: ensure the root nodes are defined in the xml-like dotsettings file, there is the sample content:

<wpf:ResourceDictionary xml:space="preserve" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" xmlns:s="clr-namespace:System;assembly=mscorlib" xmlns:ss="urn:shemas-jetbrains-com:settings-storage-xaml" xmlns:wpf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation">
    <s:Boolean x:Key="/Default/Environment/ExcludedFiles/FileMasksToSkip/=_005CPlugins_005CYourSpecificPlugin_005C_002A_002A/@EntryIndexedValue">False</s:Boolean>
    <s:Boolean x:Key="/Default/Environment/ExcludedFiles/FileMasksToSkip/=_005CEngine_005CPlugins_005CYourSpecificPlugin_005C_002A_002A/@EntryIndexedValue">False</s:Boolean></wpf:ResourceDictionary>

Once added a YourProjectFileName.DotSettings.user file and write a proper pattern, restart Rider, so it takes the changes into account. Open a sample file with android code and see if that suits your needs.

Let me know if that helps. Have a nice day!

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