VirtualZones settings reference: every option and default
All settings are saved automatically to %APPDATA%\VirtualZones\settings.json (format).
Preferences
Section titled “Preferences”| Setting (exact label) | Default | What it does | Stored as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show zones | On each Start | Shows or hides the zone borders. Confinement keeps running when hidden. Greyed out while stopped. Same as Ctrl+Alt+Z | Not saved: borders show again on every Start |
| Start confining on launch | Off | Presses Start automatically when VirtualZones launches | AutoStart |
| Cover taskbar | Off | For the selected screen: zones span the full monitor instead of stopping at the taskbar. The taskbar still draws on top unless it’s set to auto-hide. Changing it restarts confinement and closes that screen’s shares | Screens[].CoverTaskbar |
| Start with Windows | Off | Launches VirtualZones hidden in the tray when you sign in | Registry: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run → VirtualZones |
| Show in tray | On | Keeps a tray icon. Closing the window hides it to the tray instead of quitting. Turn it off to make ✕ exit | HideToTray |
| Start minimized | Off | Starts hidden in the tray on every launch (the tray icon is shown even if Show in tray is off) | StartMinimized |
| Update automatically | Off | Downloads and verifies updates in the background, then asks you to install. When off, you’re asked before downloading. See Updates | UpdateAutomatically |
| Keyboard Shortcuts… | See Hotkeys | Rebind global hotkeys | Hotkey* |
| App color… | Purple #a855f7 |
Accent color for the UI, zone borders, snap highlight and share frame. See Appearance | AccentColor |
Per-screen settings
Section titled “Per-screen settings”Set on the selected screen tab. See Multiple monitors.
| Setting | Default for a new monitor | Stored as |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled | On | Screens[].Enabled |
| Cover taskbar | Off | Screens[].CoverTaskbar |
| Current Layout | 100% |
Screens[].ActiveLayout |
| Layouts | 50% | 50%, 33% | 33% | 33%, 25% | 50% | 25%, 100% |
ScreenLayouts |
Title bar
Section titled “Title bar”| Setting | Options | Default | Stored as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme | Light, Auto, Dark | Dark | Theme ("light", "auto", "dark") |
| Language | 26 languages | English | Language (for example "de", "pt-BR") |
Remembered automatically
Section titled “Remembered automatically”| What | Stored as |
|---|---|
| Main window position | WindowPos |
| Last selected screen tab | SelectedScreen |
| A version you chose to skip | SkippedUpdateVersion |
| Usage counter shown in About | Its own file, usage.dat (since 1.3.15; older versions kept it in settings.json) |
What VirtualZones doesn’t have
Section titled “What VirtualZones doesn’t have”So you don’t have to look for them: there are no per-app rules, no app exclusion list, no “always open app X in zone Y”, no saved window positions or workspaces, and no import/export button for layouts. The only windows left alone automatically are the built-in exceptions.
Resetting everything
Section titled “Resetting everything”Exit VirtualZones from the tray, then delete or rename %APPDATA%\VirtualZones\settings.json. The next launch starts with defaults. Your license and trial status are stored separately and aren’t affected.