diff --git a/CHANGELIST.md b/CHANGELIST.md
index 07732457f..3a66022b4 100644
--- a/CHANGELIST.md
+++ b/CHANGELIST.md
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
 - Add man page output to the command-line programs (gmipf)
 - Add a man page for the graphical frontend (gmipf)
 - Normalize CLI feature handling
+- Root the default output path when the current folder is unwritable (gmipf)
 
 ### 3.8.3 (2026-07-06)
 
diff --git a/MPF.Frontend.Test/OptionsTests.cs b/MPF.Frontend.Test/OptionsTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ae5d769e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MPF.Frontend.Test/OptionsTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+using System.IO;
+using SabreTools.IO;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace MPF.Frontend.Test
+{
+    public class OptionsTests
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A writable current directory keeps the relative default
+        /// </summary>
+        [Fact]
+        public void GetDefaultOutputPath_WritableDirectory_ReturnsRelativePath()
+        {
+            string currentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Path.GetRandomFileName());
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(currentDirectory);
+
+            try
+            {
+                string actual = DumpSettings.GetDefaultOutputPath(currentDirectory);
+                Assert.Equal("ISO", actual);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                Directory.Delete(currentDirectory);
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A current directory that can not hold a file falls back to the home directory
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// A file stands in for the directory because that is the only way of making the creation
+        /// fail on every platform. Denied permissions end up in the same branch.
+        /// </remarks>
+        [Fact]
+        public void GetDefaultOutputPath_UnwritableDirectory_ReturnsHomePath()
+        {
+            string currentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Path.GetRandomFileName());
+            File.Create(currentDirectory).Dispose();
+
+            try
+            {
+                string actual = DumpSettings.GetDefaultOutputPath(currentDirectory);
+                Assert.Equal(Path.Combine(PathTool.GetHomeDirectory(), "ISO"), actual);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                File.Delete(currentDirectory);
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A missing current directory falls back to the home directory
+        /// </summary>
+        [Fact]
+        public void GetDefaultOutputPath_MissingDirectory_ReturnsHomePath()
+        {
+            string currentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Path.GetRandomFileName());
+
+            string actual = DumpSettings.GetDefaultOutputPath(currentDirectory);
+
+            Assert.Equal(Path.Combine(PathTool.GetHomeDirectory(), "ISO"), actual);
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Clearing the default output path restores the default instead of leaving it empty
+        /// </summary>
+        [Fact]
+        public void DefaultOutputPath_SetToNull_RestoresDefault()
+        {
+            var options = new Options();
+
+            options.Dumping.DefaultOutputPath = null;
+
+            Assert.Equal(DumpSettings.DefaultOutputPathValue, options.Dumping.DefaultOutputPath);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/MPF.Frontend/Options.cs b/MPF.Frontend/Options.cs
index 884005c8c..d1707f1f6 100644
--- a/MPF.Frontend/Options.cs
+++ b/MPF.Frontend/Options.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.IO;
 using Newtonsoft.Json;
+using SabreTools.IO;
 using SabreTools.RedumpLib.Data;
 using AaruDumpSettings = MPF.ExecutionContexts.Aaru.DumpSettings;
 using DiscImageCreatorDumpSettings = MPF.ExecutionContexts.DiscImageCreator.DumpSettings;
@@ -179,6 +180,11 @@ public Options(Options? source)
     /// </summary>
     public class DumpSettings
     {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Default output directory name
+        /// </summary>
+        private const string DefaultOutputDirectoryName = "ISO";
+
         #region Default Paths
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -281,6 +287,57 @@ internal static string DefaultRedumperPath
             }
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Default output path for dumps
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// The relative path is kept wherever the current directory can be written to, which is the
+        /// portable layout. It only resolves to the home directory when the current directory can
+        /// not be written to, such as an installed copy launched from a read-only location.
+        /// </remarks>
+        [JsonIgnore]
+        internal static string DefaultOutputPathValue
+        {
+            get
+            {
+                if (field is not null)
+                    return field;
+
+                field = GetDefaultOutputPath(Environment.CurrentDirectory);
+                return field;
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Attempt to determine the default output path
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="currentDirectory">Directory that a relative path would resolve against</param>
+        internal static string GetDefaultOutputPath(string currentDirectory)
+        {
+            // Portable output -- keep the relative path wherever the current directory can hold a
+            // file. Creating one is the only portable way of asking; the probe is removed again, and
+            // only the creation decides so that a failed cleanup does not read as unwritable.
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(currentDirectory))
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    string probePath = Path.Combine(currentDirectory, Path.GetRandomFileName());
+                    File.Create(probePath).Dispose();
+                    try { File.Delete(probePath); } catch { }
+                    return DefaultOutputDirectoryName;
+                }
+                catch { }
+            }
+
+            // User output
+            string homeDir = PathTool.GetHomeDirectory();
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(homeDir))
+                return Path.Combine(homeDir, DefaultOutputDirectoryName);
+
+            // This should not happen
+            return DefaultOutputDirectoryName;
+        }
+
         #endregion
 
         #region Internal Program
@@ -350,9 +407,9 @@ public string? DefaultOutputPath
             get;
             set
             {
-                field = value ?? "ISO";
+                field = value ?? DefaultOutputPathValue;
             }
-        } = "ISO";
+        } = DefaultOutputPathValue;
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Default system if none can be detected
diff --git a/MPF.Frontend/Tools/OptionsLoader.cs b/MPF.Frontend/Tools/OptionsLoader.cs
index 05362a26a..64cfd8d23 100644
--- a/MPF.Frontend/Tools/OptionsLoader.cs
+++ b/MPF.Frontend/Tools/OptionsLoader.cs
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ private static Options ConvertFromDictionary(Dictionary<string, string?>? source
             options.Dumping.DreamdumpPath = GetStringSetting(source, "DreamdumpPath", DumpSettings.DefaultDreamdumpPath) ?? DumpSettings.DefaultDreamdumpPath;
             options.Dumping.RedumperPath = GetStringSetting(source, "RedumperPath", DumpSettings.DefaultRedumperPath) ?? DumpSettings.DefaultRedumperPath;
 
-            options.Dumping.DefaultOutputPath = GetStringSetting(source, "DefaultOutputPath", "ISO");
+            options.Dumping.DefaultOutputPath = GetStringSetting(source, "DefaultOutputPath", DumpSettings.DefaultOutputPathValue);
             valueString = GetStringSetting(source, "DefaultSystem", PhysicalSystem.IBMPCcompatible.ToString());
             options.Dumping.DefaultSystem = (valueString ?? string.Empty).ToPhysicalSystem();
             options.Dumping.DumpSpeeds.CD = GetInt32Setting(source, "PreferredDumpSpeedCD", 24);