<center> <h1 align="center">Monarch</h1> <h4 align="center">Detach, restore, and switch monitor layouts without touching cables.</h4> <h5 align="center">Built for fast display switching, standby behavior, and safe rollback if something goes wrong</h5> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/Nuzair46/Monarch/releases"> <img src="src-tauri/icons/icon.png" alt="Monarch logo" width="180" /> </a> </p> </center> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/Nuzair46/Monarch/actions/workflows/ci-build-release.yml"><img alt="Release Build and Publish" src="https://github.com/Nuzair46/Monarch/actions/workflows/ci-build-release.yml/badge.svg" /></a> <img alt="Downloads" src="https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/Nuzair46/Monarch/total.svg" /> <img alt="Latest Release" src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/Nuzair46/Monarch?display_name=tag" /> <img alt="Platform" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Platform-Windows%2010%2F11-0078D4?logo=windows&logoColor=white" /> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/Nuzair46/Monarch/releases"><strong>Download Latest Release</strong></a> · <a href="#quick-start"><strong>Quick Start</strong></a> · <a href="#if-something-goes-wrong"><strong>Recovery</strong></a> </p>

What Is Monarch?

Monarch lets you:

Detach a monitor in software (no cable unplugging)
Reattach it later
Save display layouts as profiles
Restore the previous layout quickly
Recover automatically with a confirmation timeout if a layout change goes wrong
Easy apply with hotkeys

It uses Windows display topology APIs (DisplayConfig) to change which outputs are active.

Download & Install (End Users)

Open the Releases page
Download the latest .msi installer
Run the installer
Launch Monarch from Start Menu or Desktop

Quick Start

Open Monarch
In the Monitors section, click Detach on the display you want to turn off
Confirm the layout change (or it auto-rolls back)
Click Attach later to bring the display back
Use Save Current Layout in Profiles to store common setups

Command-Line Profile Switch (Automation)

You can launch Monarch and ask it to apply a specific profile immediately:

monarch-desktop.exe -profile "ProfileName"

Also supported:

monarch-desktop.exe --profile "ProfileName"
monarch-desktop.exe --profile="ProfileName"

Notes:

Useful for tools like Playnite scripts (before/after game launch)
If Monarch is already running, the new command forwards the profile request to the running instance
CLI profile argument takes precedence over the configured launch profile in Settings

Safety Features

Confirmation timer after layout changes
Automatic rollback if you do not confirm in time
Restore Last Layout action
Prevents disabling the last active display

If Something Goes Wrong

Try these in order:

Use Monarch tray menu: Restore Displays
Reopen Monarch and use Restore Last Layout
Use Windows shortcut Win + P and choose Extend or PC screen only
Reboot Windows (usually restores a usable display state)

Notes (Important)

Windows only
Monarch changes display topology, not monitor power directly
Most monitors enter standby when Windows stops sending signal
If you change HDR/SDR mode in Windows, Monarch auto-reapplies calibration in the background (best effort)

Troubleshooting

The app opens but I can't see the window

Check the system tray for the Monarch icon
Double-click the tray icon or use Open App

A layout change made the screen unusable

Wait for the confirmation timer to expire (auto rollback)
Or use Win + P

My display arrangement in the UI looks outdated

Refocus the app window (Monarch auto-refreshes)
Wait a few seconds for the background refresh poll to update the layout

Color calibration looks wrong after detaching a display

Known issue on some systems with custom calibration (ICC / SDR / HDR calibration profiles)
In testing, this can be triggered when:
- a display is detached in Monarch, and then
- Windows Settings > System > Display is opened
The detach itself may look fine until Windows Display Settings is opened
Workaround: reattach the detached display (this often restores the remaining display calibration)
If needed, also reapply your calibration using your normal calibration tool / workflow

FAQ

Does Monarch physically power off the monitor?

No. It detaches the display output in Windows. Many monitors then enter standby automatically.

Is it safe to test?

Yes, but test on a non-critical setup first. Monarch includes rollback protection, and Win + P / reboot are reliable fallbacks.

Can I use it with NVIDIA / AMD / Intel?

Yes. Monarch is designed to work through Windows display APIs, not vendor-specific GPU control panels.

Is color calibration perfectly preserved in every Windows display-settings scenario?

Not yet. Monarch handles many calibration cases (including common HDR/SDR transitions), but Windows Display Settings can still cause calibration resets on some systems after topology changes. See Troubleshooting for the current known issue and workaround.

For Developers

<details> <summary>Build / Dev / CI details</summary>

Project Layout

src/ Rust core library (layouts, profiles, rollback safety, persistence)
src-tauri/ Tauri desktop app + Windows backend
web/ React UI
.github/workflows/ Windows release workflow

Build Locally (Windows)

Requirements:

Node.js 20+
yarn
Rust (stable)
Visual Studio Build Tools 2022 + Windows SDK (rc.exe)

Commands:

yarn install
rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
yarn tauri dev

Build MSI:

yarn tauri build --bundles msi

Output:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/msi/

CI / Release

Workflow: .github/workflows/ci-build-release.yml
Manual release workflow runs via workflow_dispatch and takes a version input
Release pipeline updates these files together before building:
- Cargo.toml
- src-tauri/Cargo.toml
- package.json
- src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
Release pipeline commits the version bump, creates tag vX.Y.Z, builds the Windows installer, and publishes the GitHub Release

Release process:

Make sure your release commit is on main.
Open Actions -> Release Build and Publish -> Run workflow.
Enter a version (example: 0.2.0) or bump kind (patch, minor, major).
Run the workflow.
The workflow will bump all version files, commit the change, create the tag, build Windows artifacts, and publish the GitHub Release.

</details>

Monarch

Install / Use

README