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How to save and switch display resolution profiles on Windows

Gaming on the TV at 4K and 120 Hz, then working at the desk with three monitors at their own resolutions; presenting at 1080p, then back to a portrait coding screen. Windows makes you redo each of those changes by hand in Display settings, one monitor at a time. A display profile saves the whole configuration of every screen and brings it back in one click. This guide shows how to build profiles with WindowLayout and how to apply them automatically.

Updated 6 steps

  1. See what Windows offers

    Windows remembers some settings per monitor combination, so plugging in the same screens often brings back their arrangement. But it has no named profiles, and switching resolution, refresh rate, orientation or the main display means visiting Settings, System, Display for each screen. Graphics driver control panels from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel offer some per-display options, but they do not save and switch a complete multi-monitor configuration either.

  2. Set up the first configuration

    Open WindowLayout's Monitors page. It shows your monitors as they sit on your desk: drag one to rearrange it, or select it to change its resolution, refresh rate and orientation. WindowLayout also lets you set each monitor's scaling, turn HDR on or off and switch a monitor off without unplugging it. Choose Make this my main display on the screen that should be primary. Nothing changes until you press Apply, which applies everything at once. If you do not keep the result within 15 seconds, the previous setup returns, so a mode the monitor cannot show never leaves you with a black screen.

  3. Save it as a display profile

    Click Save as profile… on the Monitors page, or Save current under Display profiles on the Profiles page, and give the profile a clear name such as Desk, TV gaming or Presentation. It stores which monitors are on, their arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, orientation, scaling, HDR and the main monitor. Monitors are matched by device and model rather than by Display number, so the profile still applies to the right screen after Windows renumbers them. Set up your next configuration and save it under another name.

  4. Apply a profile in one click

    Apply a display profile from the Profiles page, from the tray menu, or by typing its name in the command palette (Ctrl+Alt+Space). If WindowLayout ever closes unexpectedly in the middle of a display change that was not yet confirmed, it restores the last confirmed settings the next time it starts. Profiles only change the monitors they describe; a screen that is not connected is skipped.

  5. Switch profiles automatically

    Open Triggers and add a rule such as A monitor is connected, Apply display profile, Desk, so the right resolutions and main display come back when you dock. An app starts or An app gets focus with a game's program name can switch to a gaming profile, for example with the TV at 120 Hz. Pair display profiles with window profiles: a second trigger with Restore window profile puts your windows on the screens once they are set up.

  6. Combine display and window profiles

    A new resolution or a different main display moves windows around, because Windows fits them into the new work areas. Save a window profile for each display profile, for example Desk windows next to Desk, and restore it right after the display change. Window profiles place windows by each monitor's identity and work area, so they land correctly even when the resolution or scaling differs from the moment you saved them. Preview restore shows the result before anything moves.

Frequently asked questions

Does a display profile change scaling and HDR too?

Yes. WindowLayout lets you save each monitor's scaling and HDR in the profile, together with whether it is on, so applying the profile sets them as well. A few monitors only allow their scaling to be changed in Windows Settings; WindowLayout leaves those as they are.

Why did my screen go back after 15 seconds?

The change was not confirmed. When you apply a mode from the app, WindowLayout asks you to Keep changes, like Windows does, so an unsupported mode reverts on its own.

Can a profile turn a monitor off?

Yes. WindowLayout lets you switch a monitor off on the Monitors page without unplugging it, and a profile saved that way switches it off again when applied. At least one monitor always stays on. To hide a screen while it stays in use, choose Blackout this monitor instead.