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Switch window layouts automatically with condition rules

Triggers react to a single event, such as a monitor connecting or an app starting. Real life is usually a combination: at the office on weekdays you want the docked layout, at home in the evening a dimmer setup, and on battery on the train only the laptop screen. WindowLayout's condition rules, added in version 1.4, combine conditions such as time, power source, Wi-Fi network and the monitors that are connected, and act when all of them are true. Here is how to build them and how they behave.

Updated 6 steps

  1. Save the profiles you want to switch between

    A condition rule restores a window profile or applies a display profile, so create those first. On Window Profiles, arrange your windows and click Save current for each place you work, for example Office, Home and Laptop. On the Profiles page, save display profiles as well if the resolution, refresh rate, main monitor or arrangement should change too. Give them names you will recognize easily in a list.

  2. Add a condition rule

    Open Triggers and scroll to Condition rules, then click Add condition rule. Give it a name if you like, add one or more conditions under When all of these are true, and choose the action under Then: Restore window profile or Apply display profile, followed by the profile. Each condition shows whether it is true right now, and a line at the top shows the current power source, monitor count and Wi-Fi state, so you can check a rule against your current situation before relying on it.

  3. Choose your conditions

    Time of day takes a start and an end time plus optional weekdays; a range that ends after midnight, such as 22:00 to 06:00, belongs to the day it started, and no selected day means every day. Power source is Plugged in or On battery. Wi-Fi network compares the name of the network you are connected to with the name you type, ignoring upper and lower case. Monitors matches a number of monitors or a specific setup that you capture with Use current setup. When I unlock the PC runs when you sign back in, if the other conditions are true.

  4. Understand when a rule runs

    WindowLayout checks the conditions every few seconds and immediately after unlock, power and display changes. A rule runs once when its conditions become true and stay true for two checks in a row, about five seconds, which filters out a dock or charger that flickers. It then waits until a condition turns false before it can run again, and the same rule never runs more than once in 30 seconds. When WindowLayout starts, or right after you edit a rule, the current state is the baseline, so a rule that is already true does not fire by surprise.

  5. Plan a typical week

    A practical set looks like this: Office restores your docked window profile when the Wi-Fi network is the office network and Monitors is your docked setup; Evening applies a dimmer display profile from 19:00 to 23:00 on weekdays; Travel restores the Laptop profile on battery with one monitor. Keep the conditions specific enough that two rules restoring different window profiles are never true at the same time. For a one-off event, such as an app starting, use an ordinary trigger instead.

  6. Know the privacy and Windows 11 details

    Window profiles restored by a rule move windows only and never start programs. The Wi-Fi name you type is stored in your settings, but the network you are connected to is only compared on your PC and never saved, logged or sent. On Windows 11 version 24H2 and later, Windows reveals the network name to desktop apps only when location access is allowed: open Settings, Privacy & security, Location and let desktop apps access your location. If it is off, the Triggers page says the Wi-Fi name is unavailable.

Frequently asked questions

How are condition rules different from triggers?

A trigger reacts to one event, such as A monitor is connected or An app starts, and can run many kinds of actions. A condition rule waits until several conditions are all true at once and then restores a window profile or applies a display profile. Both live on the Triggers page and work together.

Why does my Wi-Fi condition never match?

Check that the name matches the network exactly apart from upper and lower case, and that the PC is on Wi-Fi rather than Ethernet. On Windows 11 24H2 and later, also allow location access for desktop apps, otherwise Windows hides the network name from every desktop app.

Will a rule change my display settings without asking?

Yes. Like triggers, condition rules apply display profiles without the 15-second confirmation, so apply the display profile once by hand first to make sure every monitor shows it correctly. Window profiles restored by a rule never launch programs.

Try it on your own desk

WindowLayout is free, about 3 MB, works offline and has no ads or telemetry. Save your first window layout in under a minute.

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