First run
Input.Observer needs 64-bit Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11.
Install
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Run the setup program and approve the Windows prompt that asks for permission to make changes. Setup shows its pages in your Windows display language when Input.Observer is translated into it, and in English otherwise.
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Accept the license agreement. The agreement is in English in every language.
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On the tasks page, leave Start Input.Observer when I sign in to Windows checked if you want it running every time you sign in. You can change this later on the General page.
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On a new installation, setup asks how gesture trails, hints and messages are drawn:
- With styles — animated trails, themed hints and messages, and sounds. This uses the graphics card.
- Classic — a plain line, plain hints and messages, and no sounds. This uses the least memory and processor time.
Setup checks the computer's graphics first. If the computer has no hardware graphics acceleration, its graphics card can't draw styles, or setup is running in a Remote Desktop session, setup selects Classic and says why. You can still choose either one. You can change this later on the Appearance page. See Appearance.
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If the Visual C++ runtime or the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime is missing, setup downloads it from Microsoft and installs it.
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On the last page, leave Launch Input.Observer checked and finish.
The first start
The first time Input.Observer starts, it can show these windows, in this order:
- i.o - License Agreement, if setup didn't already record that you accepted it. Choose I accept to continue. Decline closes Input.Observer.
- i.o - Activate License. During the 30-day trial it opens at every start. Enter your email and license key and choose Activate, or choose Continue Trial. See About and license.
- A short splash screen.
Then the tray icon appears in the notification area of the taskbar, and the configuration window opens with a welcome. If you don't see the tray icon, click the Show hidden icons arrow on the taskbar and drag the icon onto the taskbar to keep it in view.
Hold Ctrl while Input.Observer starts only if you want Safe Mode. Safe Mode is described on Pause, bypass and exit.
The welcome
- Read the welcome. It names the stop-all-actions hotkey, which is Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9 unless you change it. Choose Next ①.
- Choose Use the starter set ② to keep the ready-made gestures and actions, or Start from scratch to remove them: you start with no gestures or actions, and only the Global group. The starter set gives you everyday gestures that work in every program, actions for web browsers and File Explorer, protection for the Windows desktop and taskbar, and it leaves Remote Desktop and virtual machine windows alone.
- Under the starter set, clear the apps you don't want actions for ③. Each app's actions only work while that app is the window under your gesture, so an app you don't have does no harm.
- Choose Get started ④. Your choice is saved at once, and the Actions page opens.
Escape on the second page keeps the whole starter set. You can open the welcome again at any time from the ⋯ menu at the top of the configuration window (Show welcome…) or from the About page.
Open the configuration window later
The configuration window is a separate program from Input.Observer itself. Close it whenever you like: gestures, hotkeys and text expansion keep working. To open it again:
- double-click the tray icon, or
- right-click the tray icon and choose Open.
Starting Input.Observer again from the Start menu while it is already running only shows a message that it is already running.
Simple and Advanced
The configuration window starts in Simple mode. The Simple | Advanced switch at the top of the window shows or hides advanced pages and settings. Simple mode only hides things: it never changes or resets a setting. The quick start uses Simple mode throughout. See The configuration window.