MTA Settings

MTA settings are the standard client settings for MTA:SA. They control client side options such as video, audio, binds, browser permissions, interface appearance, and advanced client behavior.

While playing CIT, these settings are opened through:

ESC > Settings

They are separate from:

/settings

which is used for CIT specific settings.

MTA vs CIT settings

Area	Open it with	Use
CIT server settings	`/settings`	CIT gameplay, HUD, binds, chat, sound, and feature settings.
MTA client settings	`ESC > Settings`	Nickname, saved server passwords, mouse controls, chat colors, browser permissions, and advanced client options.
Minimized game behavior	MTA minimized	FPS is set to `36`, and scripts stop rendering things to reduce CPU usage.
MTA sound while minimized	`ESC > Settings`	MTA has separate minimized mute options for all sounds, radio, SFX, MTA sounds, and voice.

Main tabs

The standard MTA settings menu includes these tabs:

Multiplayer, with the Map rendering options section
Video
PostFX
Audio, with the General, Radio options (with Radio Equalizer and Radio Auto-tune), Usertrack options and Mute options sections
Binds
Controls, with the Mouse options and Joypad options sections
Interface, with the General and Chat sections and the Colors, Layout and Options sub-tabs
Web Browser, with the General, Custom blacklist and Custom whitelist sections
Advanced, with the Misc and Auto updater sections

Opening the settings menu

To open standard MTA settings while playing CIT:

press ESC
open Settings

To open standard MTA settings from the main MTA client:

start MTA:SA
open Settings from the main menu

MTA Settings vs CIT settings

Use MTA Settings for standard client options like:

nickname
saved server passwords
mouse controls
chat interface
browser permissions
advanced client options

Use /settings for CIT specific options like:

CIT HUD
gameplay helpers
custom CIT binds
CIT notifications
CITPhone settings

Multiplayer tab

The Multiplayer tab controls general multiplayer client options.

Setting	What it does
Nick	Changes your nickname.
Save server passwords	Stores passwords for protected servers so you do not need to type them again every time.
Auto-refresh server browser	Refreshes the server browser automatically.
Allow screen upload	Allows screenshot uploads from your client. If it is disabled, server or resource features that rely on screen uploads can fail.
Allow external sounds	Allows externally hosted sounds to play, such as streamed radio or other outside audio sources. Turning it off may lower network bandwidth use.
Always show download window	Keeps the download window visible while server files are downloading. The window shows `Download Progress:` (or `Map download progress:`), an `... of ...` line and `Disconnect to cancel download`. To cancel a download, disconnect.
Allow connecting with Discord Rich Presence	Enables Discord Rich Presence for the MTA client. When it is on, MTA asks `Do you want to allow servers to share their data?` with `Yes` or `No`, and says this includes your unique ID.
Allow GTA:SA ingame status on Steam	Allows your in game GTA:SA or MTA status to show on Steam when supported.
Save photos taken by camera weapon to GTA San Andreas User Files folder	Saves photos taken with the camera weapon to your GTA San Andreas User Files folder, which is in your Documents folder.
Ask before disconnecting from server using main menu	Shows a confirmation before disconnecting from a server through the main menu. To leave a server, use `Disconnect` in the MTA main menu. MTA asks `This will disconnect you from the current server. Are you sure you want to disconnect?` unless this setting is turned off.
Use customized GTA:SA files	MTA only uses modified files from your GTA:SA data folder when this box is ticked. Customized GTA:SA files are blocked by many servers.
Opacity	Changes the transparency of the rendered map.
Image resolution	Changes the resolution used for the rendered map image. Higher values render the map more sharply. The two choices are `1024 x 1024 (Default)` and `2048 x 2048`.

Video tab

The Video tab controls display, rendering, and video quality settings.

Setting	What it does
Resolution	Changes the game resolution used by the MTA client. MTA can ask `Are you sure you want to use this screen resolution?` before it uses a resolution. If it finds no resolution it can use, it says `Can't find valid screen resolution.`
Windowed	Runs MTA in a window instead of fullscreen.
DPI aware	Controls DPI aware scaling behavior for MTA. It is an experimental feature. MTA only recommends it when you play on a scaled monitor, warns that it may cause graphical issues, and asks you to confirm when you turn it on.
Fullscreen mode	Changes how fullscreen is handled, such as normal fullscreen or borderless fullscreen modes. It has three choices: `Standard`, `Borderless window` and `Borderless keep res`.
FOV	Changes the field of view.
Draw Distance	Changes how far the game world is rendered.
Brightness	Changes the overall screen brightness.
FX Quality	Changes the quality level for visual effects. It has four levels: `Low`, `Medium`, `High` and `Very high`.
Anisotropic filtering	Changes texture filtering quality, especially for surfaces viewed at an angle.
Anti-aliasing	Smooths jagged edges in the image. The choices are `Off`, `1x`, `2x` and `3x`.
Aspect Ratio	Changes the aspect ratio mode used by the game. The choices are `Auto`, `4:3`, `16:10` and `16:9`.
HUD Match Aspect Ratio	Makes the HUD match the selected aspect ratio behavior.
Volumetric Shadows	Toggles volumetric shadow rendering. Turning it on brings up a `PERFORMANCE WARNING`: volumetric shadows can make some systems slow down, and MTA asks if you are sure.
Grass effect	Toggles grass rendering effects.
Heat haze	Toggles the heat haze visual effect.
Tyre Smoke etc	Toggles tyre smoke and similar visual effects.
Dynamic ped shadows	Toggles dynamic shadows for pedestrians.
Motion blur	Toggles the motion blur effect.
Corona rain reflections	Toggles rain reflection effects.
Full Screen Minimize	Controls whether MTA minimizes while running in fullscreen.
Enable Device Selection Dialog	Enables the device selection dialog used by MTA.
Render vehicles always in high detail	Keeps vehicles rendered in high detail.
Render peds always in high detail	Keeps pedestrians rendered in high detail.

The tab also has Mip Mapping and Show unsafe resolutions options.

PostFX tab

The PostFX tab controls post processing image adjustments.

Setting	What it does
Gamma	Changes the gamma level for the post processing adjustments.
Brightness	Changes post processing brightness.
Contrast	Changes post processing contrast.
Saturation	Changes post processing color saturation.
Apply adjustments in windowed/borderless mode	Applies the PostFX adjustments while MTA is running in windowed or borderless mode.
Apply adjustments in fullscreen mode	Applies the PostFX adjustments while MTA is running in fullscreen mode.

Audio tab

The Audio tab controls sound categories, radio audio, and minimized audio behavior. Voice volume, Mute Voice sounds when minimized, and related voice controls are standard MTA client voice options. CIT itself has no player voice chat.

Setting	What it does
Master volume	Changes the overall sound volume.
Radio volume	Changes the radio volume.
SFX volume	Changes sound effect volume.
MTA volume	Changes the volume of MTA client sounds.
Voice volume	Changes voice chat volume.
Radio Equalizer	Toggles the radio equalizer.
Radio Auto-tune	Toggles radio auto tune.
Play mode	Changes how Usertrack audio is played. It is under `Usertrack options` and has three choices: `Radio`, `Random` and `Sequential`.
Automatic Media Scan	Automatically scans for media for Usertrack use.
Mute All sounds when minimized	Mutes all sounds while MTA is minimized.
Mute Radio sounds when minimized	Mutes radio audio while MTA is minimized.
Mute SFX sounds when minimized	Mutes sound effects while MTA is minimized.
Mute MTA sounds when minimized	Mutes MTA client sounds while MTA is minimized.
Mute Voice sounds when minimized	Mutes voice audio while MTA is minimized.

Binds tab

The Binds tab is where keyboard, mouse, and controller bindings are changed for MTA actions.

Binds tab basics

Item	What it does
Key	The main bind for an action.
Alt. Key	Additional keys you can assign to the same action.
Load defaults	Resets the bind list to the default MTA key bindings.

Setting a key shows Press a key to bind, or escape to clear, with the title Binding a primary key or Binding a secondary key. Press the new key, or press Escape to clear that bind.

Bind categories

Category	What it means
GTA GAME CONTROLS	Main gameplay actions like firing, movement, camera, jumping, sprinting, crouching, vehicle controls, radio controls, horn, handbrake, and aiming.
MULTIPLAYER CONTROLS	Multiplayer related actions like entering as a passenger, taking screenshots, opening chat, radar controls, voice push to talk, and other online client controls.

MTA names 44 GTA game controls:

Movement, weapons and camera: Fire, Next weapon, Previous weapon, Forwards, Backwards, Left, Right, Zoom in, Zoom out, Enter/Exit, Change camera, Jump, Sprint, Look behind, Crouch, Action, Walk.
In a vehicle: Vehicle fire, Vehicle secondary fire, Vehicle left, Vehicle right, Steer forwards/down, Steer backwards/up, Accelerate, Brake/Reverse, Radio next, Radio previous, Radio user track skip, Horn, Sub-mission, Handbrake, Vehicle look left, Vehicle look right, Vehicle look behind, Vehicle mouse look.
Special controls: Special control left, Special control right, Special control down, Special control up.
Other: Aim weapon, Conversation yes, Conversation no, Group control forwards, Group control backwards.

Server specific binds

While connected to a server, server resources can add their own bindable actions. That is why resource specific entries like CITHUD or CITradar can appear in the MTA Binds tab.

Controls tab

The Controls tab handles mouse, aircraft, steering, and joypad behavior.

Setting	What it does
Invert mouse vertically	Reverses up and down mouse look.
Steer with mouse	Lets you steer vehicles with the mouse.
Fly with mouse	Lets you control aircraft with the mouse.
Mouse sensitivity	Changes the general mouse movement sensitivity.
Vertical aim sensitivity	Changes how sensitive vertical aiming feels.
Standard controls (Mouse + Keyboard)	Uses the normal mouse and keyboard control style.
Classic controls (Joypad)	Switches the controls to the classic joypad style.
Dead Zone	Controls how far a stick must move before MTA starts registering input.
Saturation	Controls how strongly the stick range is used once input starts registering.

Joypad buttons themselves are changed in the Binds tab.

If MTA's controls show Joypad not detected - Check connections and restart game, check the joypad's connection and restart the game. The joypad area has a Left Stick part and a Right Stick part. When you bind an axis, MTA asks you to Move an axis to bind, or escape to clear.

Interface tab

The Interface tab controls client language, skin, chat appearance, layout, and some interface behavior.

General interface options

Setting	What it does
Language	Changes the language used by the MTA client interface. It cannot be changed while connected to a server: MTA shows the error `Please disconnect before changing language`. Disconnect first.
Skin	Changes the MTA menu skin or theme. The skins of MTA `1.6` include `Classic`, `Default`, `Default 2023`, `GWEN Blue`, `GWEN Orange` and `Lighter black`. The skin cannot be changed while connected to a server, so disconnect first. If the skin you chose cannot be loaded, MTA says so and uses the default skin instead.
Chat Presets	Lets you choose and load a saved chatbox preset.
Load	Applies the selected chat preset to your current chatbox settings.

The chat presets are MTA Blue (default), MTA Black, Transparent, Race Oversized and iRace 2009. Choose one under Presets: and press Load to apply it.

MTA Black is the same as MTA Blue (default), except that its chat and input backgrounds are black instead of blue.
Transparent has see-through chat and input backgrounds, shows 10 lines instead of 7 and is wider than the default.
Race Oversized and iRace 2009 make the chat box larger and show 10 lines.

Chat colors

Setting	What it does
Chat Background	Changes the color and transparency of the chatbox background.
Chat Text	Changes the color and transparency of normal chat text.
Input Background	Changes the color and transparency of the chat input background.
Input Text	Changes the color and transparency of the text you type in chat input.
Red	Changes the red value for the selected chat element.
Green	Changes the green value for the selected chat element.
Blue	Changes the blue value for the selected chat element.
Transparency	Changes the transparency value for the selected chat element.

Chat layout

Setting	What it does
Lines	Changes how many chat lines are shown.
Scale	Changes the size of the chatbox. The layout tab shows separate horizontal and vertical scale values.
Width	Changes how wide the chatbox is.
Fade out old lines	Makes old chat lines fade away instead of staying fully visible.
after	Sets how long a chat line stays visible before fading starts, in seconds.
for	Sets how long the fade lasts once fading begins, in seconds.
Horizontal	Changes the horizontal position of the chatbox: `Left`, `Center` or `Right`.
Vertical	Changes the vertical position of the chatbox: `Top`, `Center` or `Bottom`.
Text-Align	Changes the alignment of the chat text: `Left` or `Right`.
X-Offset	Adjusts the chatbox position on the horizontal axis.
Y-Offset	Adjusts the chatbox position on the vertical axis.

Chat options

Setting	What it does
Font	Changes the chat font. The visible options are Tahoma, Verdana, Tahoma Bold, and Arial.
Hide background when not typing	Hides the chat input background until you start typing.
Nickname completion using the 'Tab' key	Lets you use Tab to auto complete player nicknames in chat.
Allow server to flash the window	Allows a server to flash the game window for attention.
Allow tray balloon notifications	Allows MTA to show tray balloon notifications.
Chat text black/white outline	Adds an outline effect to chat text for readability.

Web browser tab

The Web Browser tab controls MTA browser permissions and domain filters.

Setting	What it does
Enable remote websites	Allows remote websites to load in MTA browsers.
Enable Javascript on remote websites	Allows Javascript on remote pages.
Enable GPU rendering	Enables browser GPU acceleration.
Custom blacklist	Blocks domains you add there. Type a domain in the `Enter a domain e.g. google.com` box and press `Block`. The `Domain` list under it shows what you added. `Remove domain` takes a domain out again.
Custom whitelist	Allows domains you add there. Type a domain in the whitelist's own `Enter a domain e.g. google.com` box and press `Allow`. The whitelist has its own `Domain` list and `Remove domain` button.

Advanced tab

The Advanced tab controls troubleshooting, update channels, browser behavior, process behavior, and client resource access.

The Auto updater section has Install important updates, Update build type and Check for update now. MTA's help texts in this section say Select default to automatically install important updates. and Select default unless you like filling out bug reports.

Setting	What it does
Fast CJ clothes loading	Controls the fast loading path for CJ clothes. It is in the `Misc` section. The choices are `Off`, `On` and `Auto`. MTA's help text says `Stops stalls with CJ variations (Uses 65MB more RAM)`.
Browser speed	The scan speed of MTA's server browser. The choices are `Very slow`, `Default` and `Fast`. MTA's help text says `Older routers may require a slower scan speed.` It can be lowered when troubleshooting server browser or download issues.
Single connection	Makes MTA use only one connection when downloading. The choices are `Default` and `On`. It can be turned `On` when troubleshooting connection or download issues.
Packet tag	Prepends network packets with the word `mtasa`. The choices are `Default` and `On`.
Progress animation	The spinning circle animation at the bottom of the screen. The choices are `Off` and `Default`.
Process priority	Changes the Windows process priority used by MTA. The choices are `Normal`, `Above normal` and `High`. MTA's help text calls it a `Very experimental feature.`
Debug setting	Switches special troubleshooting modes. The choices are `Default`, `#6734 Graphics`, `#6732 D3D`, `#0000 Log timing`, `#0000 Joystick`, `#0000 Lua trace`, `#0000 Resize always` and `#0000 Resize never`. MTA's own note says `Select default always. (This setting is not saved)`.
Streaming memory	Changes the memory budget used for streaming content. It runs from `Min` to `Max`. MTA's help text says `Maximum is usually best`.
Client resource files	Shows your local client resource folder path and includes a Show in Explorer button.
Set CPU 0 affinity to improve game performance	Pins MTA to CPU 0 to try to improve performance or compatibility on some systems. MTA's own note says `Only change if you're having stability issues.`
Windows 8 compatibility	Has `16-bit color` (`Enable 16 bit color modes - Requires MTA restart`) and `Mouse fix` (`Mouse movement fix - May need PC restart`).
Install important updates	The choices are `Off` and `Default`.
Update build type	Changes the MTA update channel. The choices are `Default` and `Nightly`.
Check for update now	Manually checks for updates for the selected update build type. MTA can answer `No update needed`, `Can't check for updates right now`, or `An update is currently not available. Please check www.multitheftauto.com`. A failed update download shows `ERROR DOWNLOADING` with `The downloaded file appears to be incorrect.`

Extra settings notes

Standard MTA settings are client side settings.
MTA saves its own settings in coreconfig.xml, in the MTA\config folder of your MTA installation. With the default install, the file is C:\Program Files (x86)\MTA San Andreas 1.6\MTA\config\coreconfig.xml. It holds the standard settings from ESC > Settings, such as binds and chatbox options.
While playing CIT, they are still opened through ESC > Settings.
CIT specific gameplay, HUD, and feature settings are handled separately through /settings.
Some setting changes only take effect after you restart MTA or disconnect from the server. MTA then shows RESTART REQUIRED (Some settings will be changed when you next start MTA) or DISCONNECT REQUIRED (Some settings will be changed when you disconnect the current server) and asks whether to restart or disconnect.

Extra settings details

Minimized game FPS is set to 36 and scripts stop rendering to reduce CPU usage.

Current control and troubleshooting details

The default passenger key is G; the MTA bind is named enter_passenger. Vehicle wheelies use Down Arrow, and drive-by aiming or firing uses Right Mouse Button with Q or E to change weapons.

For missing game sound, restart MTA and make sure the volume is not 0 in both CIT /settings and ESC > Settings > Audio.

Change the client language from ESC > Settings > Interface > Language. The selected language also changes supported in-game information to that language.

Interface language

Change the MTA interface language through ESC > Settings > Interface > Language. The language cannot be changed while connected to a server, so disconnect first.

The listed languages are Spanish, Hungarian, Chinese, Croatian, Russian, German, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Turkish, French, Swedish, Azerbaijani, Polish, Norwegian, Dutch, Ukrainian, Italian, Romanian, Slovenian, Indonesian, Arabic, Greek, and Danish.

CIT keys and the client layout

CIT script keys are in /sbinds; standard movement, mouse, joypad, and multiplayer client controls are in ESC > Settings > Binds. Side mouse buttons such as mouse4 and mouse5 work in both.

In the MTA controls, Special control left, Special control right, Special control down, and Special control up are Num 4, Num 6, Num 2, and Num 8. The Hydra, Towtruck, and Forklift use special up and down controls. Sub-mission controls aircraft landing gear, normally 2 or +.

MTA has no setting for the layout of the original GTA HUD. ESC > Settings > Interface > Layout only changes the chat box: lines, scale, width, fading and position. The only HUD option in MTA's own settings is HUD Match Aspect Ratio in the Video tab. For CIT's old HUD, disable Enable New HUD in /settings.

Screenshot folder

CIT screenshots are in the screenshots folder inside your MTA installation, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\MTA San Andreas 1.6 or C:\Program Files\MTA San Andreas 1.6. Use Open file location on the MTA shortcut to locate the installation. The files have names like mta-screen_2026-09-28_16-13-34.png (date, then time).