DeskScene

Auto-snapshots & auto-restore

Undock, dock – your windows come back by themselves.

Windows piles every window onto the laptop screen when a monitor disappears, and it never moves them back. DeskScene remembers the layout of each monitor setup and restores it once the setup is stable again.

Get it from the Microsoft Store All features
  • €9.99 once
  • 15-day free trial
  • No account

How it works

  1. 1

    DeskScene takes a snapshot of your windows every 5 minutes (only when something moved), 3 seconds after you move or resize a window, before sleep and when you lock the PC.

  2. 2

    The moment monitors start changing, snapshots freeze and the last 5 seconds are thrown away – Windows may already be moving windows around.

  3. 3

    DeskScene recognizes the new setup by the EDID ids of its monitors and waits until it has been stable for a moment.

  4. 4

    After a short delay (3 seconds by default) it loads the scene linked to this setup – or, if there is none, restores the last snapshot of this setup.

Auto-snapshot history with snapshots, “Docked: Desk · 2 monitors” and “Deep Work loaded automatically”
Gallery filtered to the setup “Laptop · 1 monitor” with the scene “Laptop only”, which loads automatically when undocked

Good to know

  • A scene per setup

    In the editor, “Load when … connects” links a scene to a setup – “Laptop only” when you undock, “Deep Work” at your desk. Each setup has at most one linked scene.

  • Snapshots are careful

    A restored snapshot never starts apps and never minimizes other windows. Snapshots older than 14 days are not used automatically.

  • You can see what happened

    The history lists every automatic action: setup changes, scenes loaded, snapshots restored. Each snapshot can be restored or saved as a scene by hand.

  • Adjustable

    Settings → Auto-restore: on or off, delay after a setup change (0–30 s), snapshot interval (1, 5 or 15 min), snapshots kept per setup (20 by default).

FAQ

Questions

Does auto-restore start apps I had closed?

Only if a scene is linked to the setup and that scene has “Start apps that are not running” on. Restoring a snapshot only moves windows that are open.

What if I dock somewhere new?

An unknown setup is learned the first time it appears. From the next change on, DeskScene has snapshots for it; you can also link a scene to it right away.

Can I turn it off?

Yes: the “Auto-restore” switch in the tray flyout, in the gallery or in Settings. Scenes linked to a setup still load when it connects – unlink them in the editor.

Is it in the trial?

Yes, everything is. After the trial auto-restore needs the full version; snapshots keep being taken.

More features