Why Profiles Are Better Than Folders For Stream Deck Screen Management

[@regulatedfreestylevideos]

As someone who just received a new Stream Deck in the mail today and was about to turn into a Folders Man, I can't thank you enough for this video. Saved me from wasting a lot of time!

[@TakeOneTech]

You’re welcome! Glad it was useful 🙏😊

[@AnnieCrowe]

This is the best advice I've seen on Stream Deck. I have been watching many videos and setting my SD up over the last few weeks. I'm so glad I found this early and use profiles and not folders. It's SO much easier to jump between and link in different profiles. Thank you!! :)

[@moacito]

At 3:35 you are talking about controlling your iOS devices with your computer keyboard, can you explain how this is done? Thanks - Herbert

[@DominicOwen]

Lots of good info, where is the command to flick between spaces on the mac ?

[@TakeOneTech]

On my Mac, it is CTRL + Arrow left/right, but you can find out what it is on your mac, or change it by going into system preferences, then 'Keyboard', then 'Shortcuts', then 'Mission Control' from the list on the left... then in the list on the you'll see the spaces shortcuts. :-)

[@Curious_Skeptic]

I just got the XL. Only an hour or so spent so far on setting it up. I also thought there would be a command to open a program and switch folder at the same time. BUT NO! You have to create a new profile instead. That is crazy. I'm still learning. Watching your video to make sure I'm understanding this concept. I LOVE THIS THING! Best money ever spent on a toy. I just made a profile for 'OUTLOOK', added a Multi action button on default screen. Opens outlook and opens profile. The new profile has a 'back button' that reloads the default profile. If you press OUTLOOK again, while outlook is still open, it just brings back the outlook buttons, but won't reload outlook via adding the '/recycle' switch to the end of the app/file: line. Not sure you tried that bit, but it is very helpful to add the recycle command to assure you don't just keep opening new instances of the same program. :)

[@TakeOneTech]

Ahh, I get what you mean about opening instances…. It’s not something I’d thought about since I use Mac and on Mac the ‘open’ action has the effect of making that app the active application if it is already open. I appreciate you letting me know about this because I’ve mentioned the ‘tip’ of using a multi action and the open app command a number of times not realizing it would be different on PC. 🙏😊

[@Curious_Skeptic]

@@TakeOneTech Some apps will respond differently in windows than others when retriggered. Many will just return as the active window, others will open a new instance of the program. The recycle flag will not work on just any executable. There might be a more universal solution I am not aware of. UPDATE: I believe it may be worth just using the 'switch profile button, and have the program open command there. It's one extra click, but it assures only one instance will be open. This seems like something Stream Deck could do on there end. Not a programmer, but I'm sure there's a work around they could come up with.

[@TakeOneTech]

That’s a great idea Steve… thinking about it, having a field at the action level where you specify the application would be good too… would get around the need for the multi action workaround as well…. Time for a feature request to Elgato!

[@marcuscarter]

Thanks so much that was great, you're definitely an advanced Stream Deck user. I was just wonder about some drawing icons I saw, which program do you use to draw/whiteboard and do you have any tips on doing that live. Thank you so much!

[@IgnitionSeeker]

Excellent content, Alec! I purchased my first Stream Deck this week, and I can already see so many potential uses! Your videos have given me so many ideas to improve my productivity. I am not a streamer, nor do I frequently use social media. I’m a fire investigator, student and instructor. My main interests are in how I can improve my productivity when writing reports, conducting research, logging time and expenses, taking meeting notes, and giving presentations (both online and in-person). I’m also interested in how I can use Stream Deck for academic purposes (research, logging notes, capturing hand-written digital notes, citing sources, etc.) Would you be willing to make a video focused on non-streaming productivity or student productivity with stream deck?

[@TakeOneTech]

Hi Nicole, firstly, thank you so much for you feedback and I’m so pleased that you have found my videos useful. Sorry it has taken me so long to respond - fallen a bit behind with comments, but catching up now!! That’s a great suggestion and will definitely create some content around other productivity uses for Stream Deck! Thanks again. Have a great day 🙏🙂

[@PoweredbyPurpose]

Just got my Stream Deck XL TODAY. Cool.

[@GrantSR]

9:50 - To play Devil's advocate, if you now press the Home button on your calculator, won't it always just go all the way up to your Home profile? Is there a "Back Button" action in Steam Deck, similar to in a browser?

[@TakeOneTech]

Unfortunately no 'back to previous profile' button, so this method is not entirely perfect... but beats folders! Your suggestion would be a great feature request for Elgato! What I tend to use this more for is profiles that I want to access from more than one other profile... and then in that case I may have two separate 'back buttons'. Like I say, though, not perfect, but best option I could find to work with!

[@TheMixClub]

I just got my stream deck. Im only in the first 3 days of playing with it. Im so glad i found this... Im gonna sub to your channel. St to the point and no bs... Thanks for the vid. Save me trouble not the road..

[@simber71]

Just got my Stream Deck XL and was wondering why different profiles but this now makes sense after watching. I started looking at folders and glad I didn't spend too much time on that approach

[@sophiemulders]

can you explain how you made per example how you made some of the actions on your home screen? like the volume up and down button etc?

[@thormusique]

Excellent information and well done, thank you! I am new to Stream Deck but have been very fuzzy on the difference between folders and profiles. Your explanation was exactly what I needed. Cheers!

[@johnvdl]

Great video Alec, thank you! But now I have a problem... I already have so many folders and I don't know how to move the content of these folders to a new profile. To create new from scratch would take days... Do you have a pro tip to save time??😉👍

[@scottbronder]

This is fantastic.. I just got my unit and was heading down a terrible path until I found this video. You just saved me a lot of pain and works much better having profiles flip automatically based on app!

[@LenRamSa]

How do you have the Stream Deck switch your keyboard between devices? (you made reference to it on minute 3:33).

[@angelomosquera6463]

Amazing video! You saved me from a headache and probably a lot of time wasted, I am starting to configure my deck for the first time and I was definitely going to go for the folders structure but seeing your video I think the profiles structure makes way more sense, thank you! Also the numpad/calculator idea is brilliant, thanks for that also

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Angelo, glad it has been useful!

[@nonymousbosch]

This is so simple, yet so unbelievably effective... glad I found this clip and put it into use. The best part? As I poked and prodded with creating the new profile, I realized I could use one deck to open pages on another deck. This means I can use my "starter" 3x2 as a controller to navigate the 5x3. Ended up rewiring everything for my stream controllers in the process, and it is a much leaner, cleaner setup across the board.

[@EdwardKilner]

Subscribed. Just bought the MK 2 version yesterday. Usual new item startup confusion in full swing, but rapidly learning. This was valuable, especially the part about a profile not startup a program automatically. I am a student of hierarchy. In Project Management, the Work Breakdown Structure is a vital hierarchically arranged list of the products and services. So, I’ve been trying to understand actions, pages, profiles and the like and where each would fit in a hierarchy. This video was valuable. Will eagerly await your beginner video. You have a nice delivery style, pace excellent, enunciation excellent. So, thank you for your insights.

[@ForSynthsSake]

Are you saying that the profiles can be placed on the buttons?

[@danclark9987]

Alec, thanks for the great vid. I’ve been using a Streamdeck XL for a couple years and didn’t realize that you could change profiles like this. Many thanks!!!

[@TakeOneTech]

You’re welcome Dan! 😊

[@StefsEngineering]

Excellent idea! I quite quickly removed my folder structure and just went for a 1 layer config with just a series of pages but this is for sure something to look into for me as well!

[@TakeOneTech]

Glad it was useful Stef!

[@robertisler8557]

Perfect explanation, thank you! I’ll receive my stream deck today, perfect time to do it this way right away :)

[@TakeOneTech]

Glad it was helpful Robert! Have fun playing with your new Stream Deck :-)

[@skakdosmer]

Thank you for this! I've only just bought a Stream Deck XL, and I think this is just the right video for me, so that from the very beginning I can start using profiles without any detour via folders.

[@johntancsics7362]

Well Done! Thanks for the detailed information, i was going with Folders and you changed my mind!

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks John, glad it was helpful!

[@WrinkleCity]

Great video. I, too, look forward to your beginners guide. I want to make the the best use of my Stream Deck.

[@TakeOneTech]

You'll be up to speed in no time! 😊

[@zundapp529able]

I want to acces a specific folder on my NAS, for example "\\DiskStation\Photo\car" Is this possible to do that with a single press of a button on my Stream Deck XL ??

[@stannylou1636]

Please do a video on how to physically clean the stream deck reason being is I have dust in the button crevices and I can’t seem to get it out. I’ve tried a number of things. Thanks for the content I really appreciate it.

[@TakeOneTech]

Never thought of that... now that you mention it, mine could do with a clean!! 😂

[@OspinaTech]

Thank you so much for the great video. Is there a way to specify what profile from Brave or Chrome to default to when opening a link in a browser?

[@rommiemex9532]

I use folders. A lot. And haven't had the need to use multiple instances of the same folder in other locations, but I can see the benefit. One thing you missed though, is with profiles, each profile can be individually backed up, and even easily transferred to another stream deck. Actually huge! Might switch

[@TakeOneTech]

That's a great point about backing up individual profiles, I hadn't thought about that as an additional benefit. Thank you 🙏😊

[@efxcocreativeskills5675]

Wow! This just opened up an amazing usage of SD! Thank you

[@TakeOneTech]

I'm really pleased it was helpful. The more I use it, the more I love Stream Deck.... such a great piece of hardware for productivity. Have a great day 😊

[@emmanuelmagallanes6452]

How do You intégrate powerpoint? I would like to male a Smart profile for powerpoint or excel?? Thank You i'm advance

[@justinjtv4089]

Did they remove this functionality? in my streamdecks (i have the original streamdeck as well as the MK.2 and the StreamDeck Plus and the Pedal) none of them give me the option to switch profiles in the "stream deck" section of the plug-ins list the only options are; Timer, Brightness, Sleep. update: never mind lol i found it in the "Navigation" section of the plug-ins list they just moved it i guess..

[@TakeOneTech]

They didn't remove the functionality, but they did split out the various Stream Deck actions under 3 separate headings. Now, as well as 'Stream Deck' there is also 'Multi Action' and 'Navigation'.... the Switch profile button is in the Navigation section. :-)

[@99chrisbling]

Hi there, thanks for the vid. I am completely new to stream deck. I was wondering what was the difference between folders and profiles was. Now I know. I did find it useful despite being new! So thank you very much.

[@CRD3D-UK]

Just a quick question. How to make stream deck to stay on selected profile rather than go back on default??? I mean ive got fusion 360. so the profile is, wherever fusion is open go to fusion profile. now... if i press to change profile while im still in fusion it will switch for a bit and then go back to "wherever fusion is on go to fusion profile" mode. How to stop it???

[@Roger-mg8zh]

Thanks for show us your Stream Desk icon...> Im also will use a Mac and my main reason for what I will use it is like over Parallels a Windows area for chart software and office like Access .. but over my main Mac the IB (Interactive Broker Software as you use :-) this is the main reason why im thinking to buy one ..for quick access for IB Trade ..So if its ok ...can I get in touch with you outside here, to asking about program and use it for IB Trading ...what experience you have and done and with this one for this aim of quick trade Button .. thanks a lot !!for your feedback

[@SimplyAubs]

Thanks for making this! I’ve had a Stream Deck for over a year… but have always been too scared of setting it up! So I keep ignoring it. 🤷‍♀️ I look forward to your beginners guide! Thanks again! Cheers!

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Aubs! ...and don't worry, we'll have you up and running with Stream deck in no time!! I'll make the beginners guid next. 🙏 😊

[@SimplyAubs]

@@TakeOneTech woohoo!!! 🙌 I’m excited!!!

[@barlow2377]

What is the difference between going to a different profile versus using the go to page function on a button? Is there a benefit to having different profiles vs a bunch of pages of buttons set up???

[@conrow1157]

Is there any workaround that if I assigned some hotkeys for a specific program and I want to use them even if it’s not in focus while I’m in a second program? For example, I use OBS and Logic Pro simultaneously, but no assign hotkeys for Logic are working anymore soon as I switch to OBS focus with my mouse.

[@DorianIten]

Very useful, thank you, Alec! I was frustrated by the fact that copying folders on the Stream Deck creates duplicates that won't sync edits. Manual profile-switching is a much more elegant solution. 🙏 For opening apps, folders, websites, etc. I find Alfred (macOS) much faster than using the Streamdeck.

[@marcovandaarr]

Nice, I like that it reflects changes in the profile everywhere. Makes me wonder when to use folders?

[@TakeOneTech]

I only use folders now for creating/containing an adhoc set of actions for screen demos etc…. Apart from that profiles all the way now! 😊

[@FHumpires]

Thanks for this... I'd always used profiles but didn't realize this whole button-selecting a profile thing! 🤦‍♀️

[@TakeOneTech]

Well that’s much better than me… I just totally ignored profiles for ages, stubbornly sticking with my old school folder approach! 😂😂 Glad it was useful 😊

[@taj-haslani]

I saw the Interactive Broker TWS icon in this video. Do you have a video showing how to use SD with TWS?

[@TakeOneTech]

Hi Taj, I don’t have any Stream Deck for TWS videos on the channel, but will add it to my list!

[@billmew2674]

I was converted to using profiles [as per your recommendation] then I went to Windows 11 and installed apps from the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store Apps are not .exe file. They're packaged more like .apk from Android. This is a totally different concept that Elgato and Stream Deck seem to ignore. Therefore you can no longer associate a StreamDeck profile with an app and the switching functionality has been lost. Do you know of a workaround here?

[@mr_don_key]

the screen is quite slow to change profile.. is that a recording error? or is it actually that slow (few seconds instead of instant)

[@TakeOneTech]

It seems that some profile pages are quicker to load than others. Ones with essentially keyboard shortcuts seem very fast, but my Ecamm Live profile, that has possibly deeper integration with the app itself seems slower.

[@redjr16]

First time visitor to your channel. Thank you for that discussion about profiles vs folders. I'm a complete noob to SD, so I'm still figuring out what are the best ways to organize profiles/screens. I made a career out of helping clients organize data for project management. Nested data was my first goto example normally. Nesting in and of itself implies a hierarchy to the data that doesn't need to be explained. It just is. Computers have somewhat changed the paradigm to allow us to view data, not only by drilling down through nested folders, but also in 3D style too. As I work with SD, I'm surprised it does not intrinsically link profile 1, with profile 1a(sub-profile). In so doing, every sub-profile would know it's way 'home' and would not need to be programed. Just like folders do. Every called profile, should have a back button option for a least the parent profile. Another benefit to the hierarchy of profiles would be visually displayed when the dropdown list is invoked. I think this would be an enormous benefit to the user allowing them to see exactly the structure of their current profiles, and sub-profiles linking. To me, this would makes it very easy to see your profile 'tree' and where you need to insert another profile, or sub-profile. You could still jump/branch out of the hierarchy, as desired, but would lose you ability to navigate backup/or down the specific tree. At least from a programming/modeling standpoint, this approach represents a logical structure to however you are using SD to organize your workflow. What I'm finding to enforce this structure for my profiles, I've created a standard back button to be used to return me to the calling profile. So far this has worked okay. Maybe there's a technique I'm not aware of yet that allows for this kind of implied structure. The way I'm noticing how SD works today certainly allows for a lot more flexibility because it allows the user to jump around in 3 dimensional plane and go anywhere they want with out regard to any inherent logical structure. And maybe that's okay for SD. I think it's sloppy way to organize. Most things follow some style or pattern to achieve a consistent outcome. I'm trying to structure my SD for FS2020, which is clearly organized from a top down hierarchy; FS2020 > Plane selection > Model > Flight Configuration > Operating Options and Switch settings. And there's a strict workflow that must be followed for a successful flight. ;) Anyway, good stuff and I just subscribed. I guess I have a lot to learn!

[@RobertHopkinsArt]

Excellent idea! I'm using my StreamDeck to control airplanes in DCS airplane fighter sim. I can see creating a master profile, then duplicating that profile down to other aircraft and tweaking the page by aircraft. This way all of the buttons will somewhat line up, aircraft to aircraft.

[@Sartre_Existentialist]

So im a bit confused. I play virtual tabletop (games. I use sound effects to bring more depth to the game and immersion. We use Roll20 as our gaming platform, so it's the same software each time we play either game. Each game would need its own unique set of sound effects, voice-over recordings, and voice changer profiles. Is there a way to easily use either profiles or folders to swap loadouts for a particular game? Example: Game A requires sound effects 1,2,3 and Game B requires sound effects 7,8,9. After I set these profiles up, is there a way to click a drop-down menu or something to load all the sounds for Game A when needed and then the next day, switch to the sounds for Game B?

[@TrapperSevenFour]

I hadn't considered using Profiles like this, I recently swapped to Pages and Folders from just Folders but this is so much better IMO. Thanks for the enlightenment. Great video.

[@kimberlysuemccarty]

How many profiles are you allowed to create within Elgato?

[@TakeOneTech]

Great question, and one that I don't know the answer too!!! I can tell you that I have 45 profiles currently though, if that helps!!

[@alansouthall8221]

So glad I found this before I set mine up

[@adamfeinsilver9296]

Ahhhh...great tip. Totally didn't consider this. It took 8 minutes to get to the point, but point was still worth getting to.😂 Further, it made me look for an extra purpose for pages as well. Pages STILL feel redundant though.

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Adam, glad it was helpful. This was one of my early videos... I try to waffle less these days! I'm not sure I'm succeeding at it though! 😂

[@MrDDawson]

I have been screaming for synced folders and yes I was also someone who thought profiles was useless. Thanks.

[@TakeOneTech]

It's such a natural assumption if you've been using folders for organising files on a computer, as it seems most logical... took me a while to cotton on to the profiles approach!

[@wagonet]

Omg game changer. It's just like using nested scenes in OBS. thank you for this video. Never would have thought of this

[@TakeOneTech]

You're welcome! 🙏😊

[@wagonet]

@@TakeOneTech just spent part of weekend rejigging my stuff to profiles. Big fan. Thanks again

[@AChaser00]

It would kind of fill the same role so I doubt they'll add it, but I feel it would be a little more user friendly if they added "universal folders" and allow you to jump to other folders. Profiles and independent folders would still have their uses, but might be a little more intuitive imo if you could say check a box in a folder and make that folder available from anywhere

[@TakeOneTech]

That could be a cool feature request!

[@IansStudioStockport]

Really interesting - I came to the same conclusion as you re folders and profiles. I do still use some folders but only when the contents relate to the same application (for example profile Lightroom might have folders for extra features that I will only want within LR) - I suspect I might migrate most of those over to pages now that is available. I do use the auto-switching which can be very helpful MOST of the time, but as you will know there is no way to, say, have a button to switch it on/off. BUT there is a "hack"/Workaround for when I'm streaming or recording for videos for my photography YT channel. If I first open the SD application and then minimise (rather than close) the app auto-switching gets turned off. Thus those times when auto-switching will get in the way I can effectively suspend it. The rest of the time I can let it do it to save me a few button presses.

[@KeesKouwenberg]

Interesting, never thought about profiles that way. I will still use folders though. Profile instead of folders are very handy when you want to access the folder from several screens, but I don't do that. I use every folder only in one spot. BUT, I now that if I want to use it from several locations I will make a profile :) My Icons I make in Phptoshop btw, I made a few template (for folders in my screendeck, folders on my computer, for drives, for example) and make all my custom icons (most are) that way.

[@TakeOneTech]

Since making this video, folders have become more useful to me as we now have the 'auto-exit' option for each folder.... so I do now use some folders where I want to go into the folder, have a selection of actions, but then when I press one of the actions within the folder, it auto exits. Great, useful feature.

[@KeesKouwenberg]

@@TakeOneTech Oh.... I don't know that option. Handy! I did notice a while ago that 'just happened'.I can't see the option in the folder edit screenThough. I will dive into it, tnx!

[@colinwinberg]

Great Video Thanks for taking the time to share that. If you are running 4 screens is there any way to determine which screen the app or website will open on? (using a pc but I am very familiar with Mac's)

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Colin, you can’t specify the screen an app will open on in Stream Deck, but you can combine it with an app like Moom or Keyboard Maestro and have it place the window in a specific position on a specific screen.

[@colinwinberg]

​@@TakeOneTech Hi Alec Just dropping in that I found a solution to opening videos within a chosen monitor and the position that you want to place it. If you use the "Windows Mover" plug in you can place any app, website etc on a set monitor in a set position Thanx for your great teaching videos

[@ericandi]

I am super confused whether to set up nested profiles or nested folders or use pages.

[@TakeOneTech]

Here’s what I do… In almost all cases, a profile is better than a folder since you can link to it from anywhere else. I use profiles for each of my use cases… if for that particular use case I have more actions than there is space for then I add more pages to that profile. (When using the switch profile action you can also link to a specific page within that profile as well if needed) I do still occasionally use folders if there is a group of actions that I use infrequently and that I know are only ever going to relate to the one profile (use case) that I put that folder in. This is all of course just my approach and humble opinion! Hope it helps though 🙏😊

[@jigsound]

This has been insightful, thanks for sharing! 🙏

[@TakeOneTech]

You're welcome.... I can't believe I stuck with folders for so long!! 🙏😊

[@jigsound]

@@TakeOneTech, today we gave it a shot, and it is one powerful feature indeed! For now, we're using a smaller SD to switch profiles on the XL model. 💪

[@TakeOneTech]

That is a stroke of genius! I hadn't even considered the possibility of using one Stream Deck to switch profiles on another.... I think you may have just justified the purchase of that second stream deck I've been aspiring to! 😂😂 Such a great idea!!!

[@jigsound]

​@@TakeOneTech, glad to have given you inspiration in return! 😉 We actually got the XL model just recently as a second hand purchase from Amazon (in an incredibly good shape wih a great discount). The possibilities seem almost limitless with these tools... 👌👌

[@marcw.5492]

Is there anyway to navigate to a folder ? I cant seem to find that Only sWITCH PROFILE ?

[@TakeOneTech]

Hi Marc, folders can only be accessed from the button that they have been assigned to. That is why I realised that profiles are better than folders because you have all of the functionality of a folder, but with the option to also access the contents from other locations too. 😊

[@taranagnew436]

where can i find that emojies icon?

[@TakeOneTech]

Hi Taran, I'm planning on releasing a full emoji icon pack for stream deck... as soon as it's ready I'll drop a link back in here for you. 🙏😊

[@RKBibleStudy]

This video was very helpful. Thank you.

[@TakeOneTech]

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful for you 😊

[@iSpike]

✨F✨A✨N✨T✨A✨S✨T✨I✨C✨ great video man. 👌🏻

[@TakeOneTech]

Thank you 🙏😊

[@Protikugen]

Greetings from Tocantins Brazil

[@TakeOneTech]

Hey, there! Greetings from Thailand! One of the things I love about having a you tube channel is the fact that it connects with people all over the world. Thanks for watching!

[@tommyellison2]

Thanks for the Vid, Alec. Very interesting method for using SD. Here here is my question. Is there a way to move all the buttons from one profile to another easily or do they have to be moved one at a time?

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Tommy, You can duplicate a profile, but going into the preferences of Stream deck (by clicking on the small 'cog wheel' at the top right of the main screen of buttons in the app). Then go to the Profiles tab and right click on any profile name and select duplicate. Now you can rename it. However, if you previously had icons all within folders then the can not be transfered/converted into a profile with a single action.... however you can copy you can copy folders between profiles.... In order to migrate my actions from folder to profiles, after I had created all of my new profiles, I then went back to my original profile and copied the folder relating to the profile I was reconstruction, and pasted it into that new profile.... then it was a simply case of flicking in and out of the folder, and copy/pasting the original actions into the new profile one by one.... if that makes sense? I sense another video coming on.... "Migrating from Folders to Profiles!"

[@devenchambers8003]

Amazing Content, Alec!!!!

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Deven…. I’ve also got an ‘Advanced Streak Deck users guide’ on my list… will let you know when I make it 🙏😊

[@scottpolasky]

In my opinion hardware profile switching, ease of use within the configuration program, and the amount downloadable content are the biggest advantages of the stream deck over loupedeck. The dials are nice on loupedeck. But it’s just not there yet. It could be with more marketplace content and application updates.

[@6ecko]

Jump to about 8.50. Unless you want to sit through 8 minutes of C3PO having a stroke

[@TakeOneTech]

Oh my! Sometimes I just don’t understand human behaviour. Bleep bloop. Seriously Ben, you made my day…. I do have a tendency to waffle at times! 🙏😊

[@markschmitz5924]

I wish I would of read this 8min ago.

[@GerardWassink]

Looks like a profile is just a named substitute for a folder? What am I missing here?

[@craigward5726]

Video starts @5:45 Good video once we got to the content, but the whole preamble seemed unnecessary and found myself scrubbing through he timeline to find what the video title promised.

[@TakeOneTech]

Sorry for the VERY late reply, Craig! For some reason this comment had been caught in the 'held for review' section of the comments, and I missed it!! I do have a tendency to waffle, which I know is not good when you are looking for information in YouTUbe videos! This was one of my earlier videos on KZbin and I've tried to be a lot more concise of late, so it was definitely a 'known issue'. Thank you for the feedback, I do value it - I'm always looking to improve! Have a great day 🙏😊

[@lepestepergaming]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@Kumodot]

Totally Agree. In fact it's hard for me to find a reason to use Folder. I only see drawbacks. I use profiles for everything. I am even testing creating full screen transitions on streamdeck using folders and delay. 🤣 Just for fun. It loads as fast as folders.

[@kevin_m]

New to the vids and also stream deck. Appreciate the info. 😊

[@purplecrusader2687]

It seems like literally the only thing that is different between profiles and folders is that if you duplicate a profile and edit one of them it edits the other. If you don't ever do duplicates of anything and need to edit every single one of them though it seems like it is no different than folders. Maybe I'm wrong but that is what I got from this.

[@TakeOneTech]

You are correct - if you only want to be able to access the content of a folder in on place and don't every want to access the contents from somewhere else then folders are fine. It is just when you want to have multiple ways into a 'folder' that the profiles work out better. It also means that where previously you may have had multiple nested folders, they can now just each be individual profiles which makes navigating back out of the hierarchy, potentially a single click. All that said, I appreciate not for everyone!

[@williamtopping]

Ideally they should have a button that goes back to the profile it was called from. Like the 'back' command on a browser where it takes you back to the previous website, rather than your homepage. There is no such functionality, two years later. If you're on page 3 of a profile, and you need to access another profile instead of a folder, your only option is to go back to your homepage first. Sure, you can add a button that goes back to the originating profile, but then that defeats the purpose completely. As you would need to add the profile of every profile that calls that profile (phew!) What they need is a BACK, or UP button.

[@yellowboat8773]

Took you 7:20 to get to the actual point of the video, gotta speed that up bro

[@TakeOneTech]

You're so right!! I was about a month into my KZbin content creation journey when I made this video. It's a little bit cringe worthy for me to look at it now! I've still got a long way to go, but lately I've tried to be a lot more to the point with less waffle! I do really appreciate the feedback though... It is comments like yours that help me to improve. Thank you .🙏😊

[@BrandyDerg]

elgato should make it possible to add Pages within Folders in the Stream Deck

[@TakeOneTech]

Neat idea! There is an Elgato discord server.... maybe a good place for a feature request 😉. It's also great to get all of the latest announcements related to Elgato/Stream Deck products. discord.gg/elgato

[@GrantSR]

How does this compare to using "pages"? All the cool kids in the StreamDeck forums are saying pages are the way to go now.

[@ChrisJohnsonDrums]

Fantastic advice 👏

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks Chris! 🙏🙂

[@XMegaJuni]

How can you make a button to take you to the home screen?

[@TakeOneTech]

The home screen is basically just another profile. So assuming you have created a profile called "Home" you can hen get back to it at any point by adding an action, from the list on the right side under the "Stream Deck" heading, called "Switch Profile"... once you've added this action, just select your 'Home' Profile. Then on your Home screen, you use this same action button to switch to all of your other profiles. You can also right click on any of the buttons and select "Copy" and "then paste the you 'back to home screen' button in your other profiles, rather than recreate it separately in each profile. Hope that helps, but let me know if you have any difficulty getting it all working properly!

[@delprofundo]

watched this 3 days ago and didnt follow. now im replacing my folders. nice one!

[@TakeOneTech]

Glad it was helpful! :-)

[@DontFollowZim]

Soooo... You spent over 13 minutes trying to say "Use profiles instead of folders because you can have multiple buttons that refer to the same profile but folders are specific to a single button." It's that right? Also... what about pages? Sorry I don't actually use stream deck (I use an alternative} but I've seen others using pages ...

[@DontFollowZim]

Or did pages not exist at the time of recording? I didn't see anything for pages on that UI but I could've missed it.

[@TakeOneTech]

This video is 3 years old, before pages existed on Stream deck. I'd also only been creating KZbin videos for about 1 month, so hadn't really got my processes down! All videos on. my channel are made in one take with no edits and so I do have a tendency to waffle, but that was really the point of the channel.... for me to get better at not doing that. I've improved slightly since this video was posted.

[@thefirm9679]

Good Video

[@TakeOneTech]

Thanks, glad you liked it! 😊

[@ahmadtahlak]

Excellent presentation. I use stream deck and always use folders instead of profiles. But after your presentation you convinced me that profiles is the way to do it. Thanks a lot Alec. I will start using profiles more actively starting today 😃👍

[@TakeOneTech]

Thank you, I'm glad you found the video useful! 🙏😊

[@wolfskind_official]

i politely disagree. I think it's a good video for new stream deck users too. i use stream deck since two days now. i'm still not finished setting everything up as i want it for different applications, but i already can relate to the issues the folder way of using the stream deck creates compared to using profiles since i already ran into some of them myself... Thanks for the great vid. have a good time :)

[@clmrsmn]

the easiest way to explain is that folders are independent and don't link to anything else but profiles are global and always take you to the same place

[@TakeOneTech]

Perfect summary! I probably could have started my video with that and saved a lot of time! 😂. Thanks for the comment 🙏😊

[@irohzero]

[@HeroMagnus]

This video has me reconsidering all my life choices... thx! After searching for a way to auto switch to a certain folder of the streamdeck I find this and oh man, 5 years of folders is gonna be a mighty tough task to organize and switch to profiles.🤣

[@budguy21]

takes 8:30 to get to the point

[@TakeOneTech]

Hey Mike, sorry to keep you hanging... I do have a habit of waffling somewhat. I think it comes from me wanting to make sure I have given full context for my thought process before leaping into stating my beliefs, however trivial they may be. I totally take on board your point though! I could perhaps structure my videos a little differently... critical information at the front and further explanation for those that are interested after it. Thanks again, I hope the point was useful to you, even if it did take a long time for me to reach it in the video. Have a great day 🙏😊

[@bsmracing6592]

they are not better or worse, they are different. A profile is a profile, a folder is a folder.

[@HashtagGamingVideos]

Great video, however your intro was 7 minutes long. Get to the good part a bit faster next time.

[@WilliamHBart]

I love the video. It's well done and the information is useful. But that laugh, man. I just don't understand it. I think you might feel awkward presenting this information, and so you laugh as a way to cope with what I believe is impostor syndrome, so it's a way to distance yourself from what you're doing. Suffer no longer from imposter syndrome. You are the person you make yourself to be. Many other people do exactly what you are doing and they feel right at home. There's no reason to feel like you don't belong in an informational video. Just give us the low-down and don't feel awkward. But that's just what I think, so I'm not 100%. Keep up the good work, mate.

[@toniomiklo2406]

"Eh eh eh eh"

[@DeanTWaters]

Stick to the topic, please. Five minutes in and you've been going on and on describing in detail what the various buttons do within the various screens. You haven't discussed "Why Profiles Are Better Than Folders For Stream Deck Screen Management" as the topic suggests.

[@TakeOneTech]

Sorry about that Dean... this was one of my early videos and I certainly did tend to waffle a lot more then... I make all of my videos in one take with no edits and so what comes out is what is in the video! 😂. I have tried to get better at being more concise.