Guides
How to back up and restore your window layouts and settings
Window profiles, display profiles, zones, hotkeys and triggers take a while to get right. Losing them to a new PC, a reinstall or one unlucky click is frustrating. Since version 1.3, WindowLayout has a Backup & restore page that keeps everything in one file, shows what an import will change before it does anything, and makes automatic backups in the background. This guide covers exporting, moving to another PC, rolling back and what a backup does and does not contain.
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Create a backup file
Open WindowLayout and choose Backup & restore in the sidebar, or use the button on the Settings page. Under Export, click Create backup file and pick a folder, such as a cloud-synced folder or a USB drive. The .wlbackup file holds your settings, window profiles, display profiles, zone layouts, splits, hotkeys and triggers, together with the date and the app version that made it. It is plain JSON, so it is small and you can keep several dated copies.
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Know what is never included
Some things stay out on purpose. Program launch approvals, which let a profile start apps you approved, live in a separate file and are never exported or imported, so a backup can never make a PC start a program; approve them again after restoring. AI keys stay in Windows Credential Manager. Phones paired for the phone remote are stored separately too, so a backup copied to another PC grants no remote access.
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Preview before you import
On the other PC, or after a reinstall, click Open backup file under Import. Before anything changes, WindowLayout shows what the file contains and what it would do: new items, items that would be replaced and items that would be removed. Settings files exported from versions 1.0 to 1.2 open the same way. Choose Merge to keep what you have and add the backup's profiles, hotkeys and triggers, with items of the same name replaced, or Replace everything to use the backup exactly as it is.
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Let automatic backups protect you
WindowLayout also makes automatic backups on this PC: about once a day, right before an import, right before you delete a window or display profile, and before a change that would remove profiles, triggers or zone layouts. The last five are kept under Automatic backups, newest first, each with its reason and what it contains. A backup identical to the previous one is not made again, so the list stays useful. The first one is made a minute after WindowLayout starts.
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Roll back a mistake
Deleted the wrong profile, or an import did not go as planned? Open Backup & restore, find the automatic backup from before the change and click Restore. You get the same preview as for a file, and your current state is backed up first, so even a rollback can be undone. When you merge, any of your current hotkeys that clash with the backup's are released, so the restored hotkeys work straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the automatic backups stored?
In the backups folder inside WindowLayout's settings folder under %APPDATA%. Only the last five are kept, so copy a file somewhere else if you want to keep it longer, or create a backup file by hand.
Can I still use Export settings on the Settings page?
Yes. The older settings export still works, and Backup & restore opens those files too. A .wlbackup file is the better choice because it records the date and app version and is always imported with a preview.
Will restoring a backup start my programs?
No. Launch approvals are never part of a backup, and importing settings does not run anything. Profiles keep their Launch if not running ticks, but each program must be approved again before Restore & launch missing will start it.
Try it on your own desk
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