Modes: switch your PC into Gaming or Work and back again
6 min read · Updated
A mode is a routine that stays on until you turn it off, and then puts back what it changed. Turn Gaming mode on and it switches your headset, power plan and windows; turn it off and your speakers, power plan and layout come back, and the apps it closed reopen. Modes are part of KeyRoutines Pro.
How a mode differs from a normal routine
A normal routine runs from top to bottom and is done. A mode has two halves:
- When it turns on: the steps that set things up.
- When it turns off (optional): any extra steps you want on the way out.
With restore switched on (the default), you don't have to write the "off" half yourself. KeyRoutines notes how things were before the "on" steps ran, and puts them back when the mode turns off, newest change first.
What gets put back
| If the mode… | Turning it off… |
|---|---|
| changed the volume or muted something | sets the old level, and unmutes only if it wasn't muted before |
| switched the default audio device | switches back to the old device |
| changed the power plan or power mode | goes back to the old one |
| changed dark mode, wallpaper, keyboard layout or desktop icons | puts the old setting back |
| changed display mode, HDR or brightness | puts the old setting back on the same monitor |
| moved, resized or arranged windows | restores where the windows were |
| closed apps | opens them again |
A step that found things already the way it wanted leaves nothing to undo. Opening an app is never undone, because closing an app the mode opened could lose your work.
If you want one change to stick, mark that step with Keep this change when the mode turns off.
Turning a mode on and off
A mode switches the other way each time you start it, so one hotkey turns it on and the same hotkey turns it off. You can also:
- use the switch in the routine's Mode section in the editor
- use the tray: while a mode is on, the tray shows it, with Turn off and Turn off, keep changes
- use the Turn mode on, Turn mode off and Toggle mode steps from another routine
- check Mode is on in a condition, or start a routine with Mode turned on or off
Each switch is a normal run, so it shows up in Run history step by step, including each "put back" step.
Two handy settings
- One mode at a time: give modes the same set name, like "Setup". Turning one on first turns the others in that set off, and each puts its own changes back.
- Turn off when an app closes: pick an app, such as your game. When it closes, the mode turns itself off.
Example: Gaming mode
Hotkey: Ctrl + Alt + G. Set: "Setup". Turns off when your game closes.
When it turns on
- Close app: your work apps, such as VS Code, Slack, Teams and Outlook. Ask nicely, then end them after 15 seconds.
- Open app: Discord, OBS and your game or launcher.
- Apply layout: Discord on the side monitor.
- Set default audio device: your headset.
- Set power plan: High performance.
- Switch keyboard layout: English.
- Quiet mode: on.
When it turns off
Nothing extra needed. Restore switches the sound back to your speakers, puts the old power plan, keyboard layout and window positions back, and reopens Slack, Teams and the rest.
Example: Work mode
Hotkey: Ctrl + Alt + W, plus a weekday 09:00 schedule. Set: "Setup".
When it turns on
- Close Steam and other game launchers.
- Open VS Code, your work browser pages, Slack and your notes.
- Apply your "Work" layout across two monitors.
- Switch to your speakers and set the volume to 30%.
- Set power plan: Balanced.
- Dark or light mode: dark.
Because both modes share the "Setup" set, pressing the Work mode hotkey while you're gaming first turns Gaming mode off, putting everything back, and then sets up work. You never end up halfway between the two.
If you open a routine that uses modes without Pro, it stays saved and editable; it shows "Needs Pro" and its triggers stay off until you add a licence. See KeyRoutines Pro.