Displays
Which monitors are on, their arrangement, main display, refresh rate, HDR and NVIDIA Surround. The whole layout is applied in one Windows call, so it either works completely or nothing changes.
Switches a Windows PC between desk and sim rig: displays, sound, apps and desktop icons in one step.
Free · MIT licence · No account, no telemetry · English and German
Features
Countdown
After each switch, Enter or any wheel button keeps the layout. Otherwise the previous layout and sound return, also after a crash.
Tray menu
Profiles and games are one click away. Each profile can have a hotkey, and one more toggles between the last two.
Games
A game entry starts tools like SimHub and Crew Chief in order, moves their windows into place and launches the game. When the game exits, the tools close and the desk can come back. Games from Steam, Epic, EA, Xbox and iRacing are found automatically.
Field of view
The real screen size is read from the monitor. From seating distance and screen angle, RigShift calculates the value for 18 sims, each in the unit the game expects.
Other ways to switch
- A desktop shortcut or
rigshift://link, for example on a Stream Deck - The command line, with exit codes for scripts
- A USB rule that switches when chosen devices connect or disconnect
Sound
Output and microphone with their volume, and separate devices for calls.
Apps
Start or close programs with a profile, if needed only once a USB device is connected.
Desktop
Icon positions per profile. The PC can stay awake while the rig profile is active.
Installation
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. About 80 MB including the .NET runtime; updates are a few MB and are offered in the app.
Setup
- Installs for the current user, no admin rights needed.
- A setup assistant saves the desk and the rig as profiles and runs a first test switch.
- Uninstall in Windows Settings → Apps. Profiles stay in
%AppData%\RigShiftuntil the folder is deleted.
Windows warning
RigShift is not code-signed. On first start SmartScreen shows a warning; More info → Run anyway starts it. With Smart App Control turned on, Windows 11 blocks unsigned apps.
Source and releases
- Source code on GitHub, MIT licence.
- The only network access is the update check on GitHub. No account, no telemetry. Privacy
- Every release lists a VirusTotal scan, SHA-256 checksums, an SBOM and a build attestation.
- Developed with Claude Code as a coding assistant; every change runs more than 1,200 automated tests, analyzers and CodeQL.
Tested hardware
- RTX 4080 SUPER, Windows 11Daily use
- Windows 10, in CI on every changeTested
- NVIDIA Surround on and offNot on a Surround rig yet
- AMD and Intel graphics. Report yoursNot tested
Compared with other tools
| RigShift | DisplayMagician | DisplayFusion Pro | PitLaunch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revert after a countdown, also after a crash | Yes | No | No | Asks first, manual undo |
| Sound, apps and desktop icons in the profile | Yes | Sound and apps per shortcut | Sound device, icons | Sound and apps |
| Window positions of tools | Per game | Planned | Yes | Yes |
| Switch on USB devices | Yes | No | No | No |
| NVIDIA Surround / AMD Eyefinity | Surround | Both | Surround by macro | Neither |
| Price and source | Free, MIT | Free, GPL-3.0 | $34, closed | Free in early access |
DisplayMagician supports AMD Eyefinity and GOG or Ubisoft games, DisplayFusion offers full window management, PitLaunch is signed and available in the Microsoft Store. Comparison with six tools
Questions
Does it work with AMD or Intel graphics?
Displays are switched through the standard Windows display API that every driver supports, so it should. It has only been tested on NVIDIA; hardware reports are welcome. AMD Eyefinity is not supported.
What happens if a monitor is asleep or connected through spacedesk or a KVM?
Sleeping monitors are woken and waited for. A display marked as optional can be missing without stopping the switch. Only displays that Windows sees at that moment can be switched.
Does it support VR?
Sound and apps work in a VR profile, and a USB rule can react to a headset's link box. The headset is not part of the display layout. VR has not been tested.
Does it need admin rights or an internet connection?
No admin rights. The internet is only used for the update check on GitHub.
Free and open source
A star on GitHub helps other sim racers find RigShift. Donations through Ko-fi support further development.