KeyRoutines
Gaming setupWorks on Free

How to set up a gaming mode that closes work apps in one key

Start from KeyRoutines' Gaming Mode template: a Hotkey trigger runs Close app on your work apps, Open app for Discord, OBS and your game or launcher, OBS: switch scene and OBS: record / stream / replay for the replay buffer, Apply layout for Discord, and Set default audio device for your headset.

Steps

  1. 1

    Open the template

    Add the Gaming Mode template and pick your hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+G by default).

  2. 2

    Close work apps

    List the apps for Close app; they're asked to close and ended after 15 seconds if they're still open.

  3. 3

    Open your gaming apps

    Open app starts Discord, OBS and your game or launcher, reusing any that are already open.

  4. 4

    Set up OBS

    OBS: switch scene picks your gaming scene and OBS: record / stream / replay starts the replay buffer.

  5. 5

    Arrange and switch audio

    Apply layout puts Discord on your second monitor, and Set default audio device moves sound to your headset.

Tips

  • Layout placement never takes focus from a game, and protected games' windows are never moved.
  • With Pro you can build it as a Mode, so turning it off reopens what it closed and puts the audio back.

Questions

Does it play the game for me?
No. KeyRoutines sets up everything around your games and never sends input to them.
Do I need OBS?
No. Remove the OBS steps if you don't record.

Blocks this routine uses

Trigger · HotkeysFree

Hotkey

Hotkey starts a routine when you press a keyboard shortcut or mouse button. It's the most common way to run a routine, from a single app launcher key to a whole streaming setup on one combination.

Step · AppsFree

Close app

Close app shuts down the programs you pick, or every open app except the ones you want to keep. People put it at the end of a work session, before a game, or anywhere a cluttered taskbar gets in the way.

Step · AppsFree

Open app

Open app starts a program, a Store app, a shortcut or a game from your library. It is the first step of most setup routines, from a morning work session to a full streaming setup.

Step · OBS StudioFree

OBS: switch scene

OBS: switch scene changes the scene OBS shows to viewers. It's free and needs no setup beyond turning on OBS's WebSocket server.

Step · OBS StudioFree

OBS: record / stream / replay

OBS: record / stream / replay controls OBS's outputs from a routine: recording, the live stream, the replay buffer and the virtual camera. Gaming routines often use it to start the replay buffer when a game launches.

Step · WindowsFree

Apply layout

Apply layout puts several windows on their monitors in one step, and can open apps that aren't running yet. It's the step behind "one key and my whole workspace is set up".

Step · AudioFree

Set default audio device

Set default audio device makes a playback or recording device the one Windows uses. People run it to move sound to a headset when gaming or a call starts, and back to speakers afterwards.

More how-to guides

Build this routine in KeyRoutines

Free from the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 and 10. Pro is a one-time upgrade.

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