Configuration & recovery

All settings are stored per user under %APPDATA% (your roaming application data folder). Nothing is written next to the executable.

What	Location
Settings and hotkeys	%APPDATA%\windisplaymanager\config.json
Previous settings	%APPDATA%\windisplaymanager\config.json.bak
Display profiles	%APPDATA%\MonitorSwitcher\Profiles\<name>.json
Start with Windows	HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, value WindowsDisplayManager

The About page shows the full path of the configuration file, with a Copy button.

What gets saved when

• The Save icon in the header writes hotkeys, labels, actions and the power-off method. It is highlighted while there are unsaved changes.
• Start with Windows, Start minimized and Enable global hotkeys are saved as soon as you toggle them. Saving writes the whole configuration, so any unsaved hotkey edits are written at the same time.
• Profiles are written when you save or replace them, independently of config.json.

If config.json doesn’t exist yet, the app starts with defaults and creates the file the first time something is saved.

File format

config.json is plain, indented JSON:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "hotkeys": {
    "hotkeys": [
      {
        "id": "hk-…",
        "label": "Dim everything",
        "binding": { "ctrl": true, "alt": true, "shift": false, "win": false, "key": "F1" },
        "actions": [
          {
            "action_type": "Offset",
            "target": "Brightness",
            "all_monitors": true,
            "monitors": [],
            "value": -10,
            "vcp_code": 16,
            "input_source": "Hdmi1",
            "monitor_inputs": [],
            "power_mode": "On",
            "profile_name": ""
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "brightness_step": 10,
    "contrast_step": 10
  },
  "hotkeys_enabled": true,
  "turn_off_behavior": "None",
  "start_with_windows": false,
  "start_minimized": false
}

Field	Default	Notes
schema_version	1	Files without it are treated as older versions and upgraded when loaded.
hotkeys.hotkeys	[]	See the Hotkeys guide.
hotkeys_enabled	true	Enable global hotkeys in Settings.
turn_off_behavior	"None"	"None", "Soft", "Ddc" or "Both".
start_with_windows	false	Mirrors the registry Run value.
start_minimized	false	Kept even when startup is off.

Monitor selections in monitors and monitor_inputs are Windows device paths (windows-device-path:v1:\\?\display#…). A plain number is an old, legacy selection that needs rebinding. You normally don’t need to edit the file by hand; if you do, exit the app first so your edits aren’t overwritten.

Backups

Every save first copies the current, valid config.json to config.json.bak, then replaces the file in one step, so a crash or power loss mid-save leaves either the old or the new file, never a half-written one. Profiles work the same way: replacing a profile keeps the previous version as <name>.json.bak.

The app never overwrites a file it can’t read. If config.json is damaged, ordinary saves are refused rather than replacing it.

Recovering a damaged configuration

If config.json can’t be read (invalid JSON, a newer schema_version from a later release, or a permissions problem), the app shows Configuration recovery required at the top of every page, with the file path and the error. Until you resolve it:

• Global hotkeys are disabled, and the Hotkeys page shows only the recovery panel.
• Settings and hotkey edits are blocked, and nothing is written to config.json.
• Your Start with Windows registration is left as it was.
• Monitor controls and profiles keep working.

Choose one of:

Button	What it does
Retry loading	Reads config.json again. Use this after fixing the file by hand or restoring a copy.
Recover backup	Loads config.json.bak and writes it back as config.json. The backup is kept.
Reset to defaults…	After you click Confirm reset, replaces config.json with defaults. This discards your hotkeys; the backup is kept.

Before resetting, consider copying the damaged file somewhere safe: it may still contain hotkeys you can re-create.

A file with a newer schema_version usually means you ran a newer release and then went back to an older one. Upgrade again instead of resetting, or use Recover backup if the backup was written by this version.