Screens and layouts

Quick start

1. In Settings → Screens, define each physical output your church uses (for example Main, Side, Stream).
2. In Settings → Screen layouts, create layout templates that assign content to those screens (main slide, blank, speaker notes overlay, etc.).
3. Open a presentation in present mode (Presentations → Present).
4. Before you click Start, choose a Screen layout from the dropdown in the bottom panel (or keep the church default).
5. Review the Open screens grid — each card is one screen from the active layout.
6. Click Start when ready. In presentation present, the layout name becomes read-only with Layout locked while live. In a service, change an item’s layout from the setlist ⋮ menu when needed.

You should now understand which screens your presentation will use and how layout changes work in present vs service present.

Deep dive

Screen vs screen layout

A screen is a named output destination — a projector, TV, or stream feed. Screens are church-wide definitions you manage once in Settings → Screens (/settings/screens). See Screens settings for creating, pairing, and binding displays. Each screen can be local (opened as a browser window on the operator computer) or remote (paired to Android TV or a WorshipDeck for Windows output).

A screen layout is a template that says how many screens to use and what each one shows. Layouts live in Settings → Screen layouts (/settings/screen-layouts). See Screen layouts settings for content types, overlays, and default layout. Examples:

• Single screen — one main slide on the projector.
• Dual screen — main slide on the projector, blank or logo on a side TV.
• Main + notes — main slide on the audience screen, speaker notes on a confidence monitor.
• Worship stream — main slide on the projector, variant 1 on a lower-third stream, variant 2 on a confidence monitor — see Compose a worship presentation.

Screens are the hardware destinations; layouts are the recipe for filling them during a presentation.

Assigning a layout to a presentation

Each presentation stores a screenLayoutId. You can set it:

• In presentation present — use the Screen layout dropdown in the bottom panel (locked while live).
• In service present — use the setlist filmstrip ⋮ menu → Change screen layout on that item (allowed while live).
• When creating a presentation — choose a layout in the new presentation form.
• In the presentation editor — use the layout selector in the toolbar (including when opened via Edit from present).
• In the presentations library — use the tile ⋮ menu → Change screen layout.

If no layout is assigned, WorshipDeck uses your church's default layout (shown as Church default or Single screen in present mode).

In service present, the global layout dropdown is hidden because each service item uses the layout assigned to its own presentation.

Layout lock when live

In presentation present, the bottom-panel screen layout cannot be changed while live. This keeps the session’s output set stable mid-service.

• Before Start — the dropdown lists all church layouts. Pick one for this session.
• While Live — the dropdown is replaced by the layout name and Layout locked while live.

To switch layouts from the bottom panel, click End, change the layout, then Start again. Open outputs may need to be reopened after a layout change.

In service present, change an item’s layout anytime from the filmstrip ⋮ menu (Change screen layout), including while live. Open outputs for that item may refresh after the change.

Screen grid in present mode

The Open screens section shows one card per screen in the active layout. The grid is responsive:

• 1 column on narrow screens
• 2 columns on small tablets
• 3 columns on large tablets
• 4 columns on wide desktops

Each card shows:

• Screen name — from your screen definition (for example Main).
• Status icon — green check when ready, warning when unbound or missing, info for remote screens.
• Detail line — bound monitor name, not bound on this computer, remote — open on device or copy link, or the content type (main slide, variant, blank, speaker notes).
• Action buttons — icon buttons to open, close, copy link, or open on a paired display. See Outputs and displays for how to use them.

Preflight status

Before opening a screen, WorshipDeck checks whether it is ready on this computer:

Status	Meaning
Ready	Local screen is bound to a monitor on this workstation
Unbound	Local screen exists but no monitor is assigned here
Missing	Bound monitor was disconnected
Remote	Paired display — use Open on display or copy the output link

Use Bind monitors (from the open-all modal) to assign local screens to physical displays on the operator computer.

Content types per screen

Each screen in a layout shows one content type:

• Main slide — the current audience slide.
• Variant — a specific content variant (translation or alternate version).
• Speaker notes — presenter notes overlay (uses the monitor icon).
• Blank — empty screen.

Screens with operator overlays (next slide preview, timers, etc.) also use the monitor icon instead of the fullscreen icon.

Tips

• Configure screens and layouts once during initial setup — you rarely change them week to week.
• Rehearse in presentation present with your Sunday layout before the service.
• Bind monitors on the actual presentation computer, not a laptop you only use for editing.
• On Windows presentation PCs, install the automatic fullscreen tool once so multi-monitor open-all does not require a click per window.
• In a service, verify each song's presentation has the correct layout before adding it to the setlist — or fix it from the present filmstrip ⋮ menu on Sunday.
• Name screens clearly (Main, Lobby, Stream) so volunteers recognize them in the grid.

[!tip] If your church only uses one projector, the default single-screen layout may be all you need. Add layouts when you introduce a second display or stream feed.

Troubleshooting

I cannot change the screen layout

• In presentation present, the bottom-panel dropdown is disabled while Live. Click End, change the layout, then Start again.
• In service present, use the filmstrip ⋮ → Change screen layout on the item (allowed while live). There is no global layout dropdown.
• If save fails with a lock message, another person may be editing that presentation.

A screen shows "not bound on this computer"

• Open Bind monitors from the open-all screens flow and assign the screen to a physical display on this workstation.
• Screens bound on another computer will show as missing or unbound here.

The screen grid is empty

• Confirm the active layout includes at least one screen in Settings → Screen layouts.
• Check that the presentation has a layout assigned (or that your church default layout has screens).

Layout changes do not appear on outputs

• After changing layout, reopen outputs from the screen grid. Open windows may still use the layout that was active when they opened.
• In presentation present, end live before changing the bottom-panel layout, then start again and reopen outputs.