diff --git a/configs/configuration.go b/configs/configuration.go
index 2518e7ee96a..ea235c79aff 100644
--- a/configs/configuration.go
+++ b/configs/configuration.go
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ type Configuration struct {
 	// ArduinoIDEDirectory is the directory of the Arduino IDE if the CLI runs together with it.
 	ArduinoIDEDirectory *paths.Path
 
+	// IsPortable is set to true if the cli lives in IDE directory and the IDE is portable
+	IsPortable bool
+
 	// downloadsDir is the directory where the package files are downloaded and cached.
 	// Use DownloadsDir() method to retrieve it.
 	downloadsDir *paths.Path
diff --git a/configs/preferences_txt_serializer.go b/configs/preferences_txt_serializer.go
index 20ed1c6dd8a..d8242b29a2a 100644
--- a/configs/preferences_txt_serializer.go
+++ b/configs/preferences_txt_serializer.go
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ func (config *Configuration) IsBundledInDesktopIDE() bool {
 		}
 	}
 
+	portable := "portable"
+	if ideDir.Join(portable).Exist() {
+		logrus.Info("IDE is portable")
+		config.IsPortable = true
+	}
+
 	config.ArduinoIDEDirectory = ideDir
 	res = true
 	return true
@@ -70,6 +76,10 @@ func (config *Configuration) IsBundledInDesktopIDE() bool {
 // LoadFromDesktopIDEPreferences loads the config from the Desktop IDE preferences.txt file
 func (config *Configuration) LoadFromDesktopIDEPreferences() error {
 	logrus.Info("Unserializing from IDE preferences")
+	if config.IsPortable {
+		config.DataDir = config.ArduinoIDEDirectory.Join("portable")
+		config.SketchbookDir = config.ArduinoIDEDirectory.Join("portable").Join("sketchbook")
+	}
 	preferenceTxtPath := config.DataDir.Join("preferences.txt")
 	props, err := properties.LoadFromPath(preferenceTxtPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -78,8 +88,7 @@ func (config *Configuration) LoadFromDesktopIDEPreferences() error {
 	}
 	err = config.proxyConfigsFromIDEPrefs(props)
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.WithError(err).Warn("Error during unserialize from IDE preferences")
-		return err
+		logrus.WithError(err).Warn("Error loading proxy settings from IDE preferences")
 	}
 	if dir, has := props.GetOk("sketchbook.path"); has {
 		config.SketchbookDir = paths.New(dir)