Set up Windows

STQRY Signage runs on Windows 10 and 11 as a full-screen app from the Microsoft Store. This suits screens driven by a PC you already have, and screens that need to do something else as well.

Before you start

You'll need:

• 64-bit Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) or later. Windows 11 is fully supported.

• A network connection.
• A Microsoft account, to install from the Store.

You don't need to install the .NET runtime or the Windows App SDK. The Store package is self-contained and carries everything it needs.

Step 1: Install from the Microsoft Store

Open the Microsoft Store, search for STQRY Signage, then install it.

Step 2: Open the app and connect the display

Launch the app. It shows a screen code like S-K4M2XP.

In STQRY Builder, go to Displays → Adopt display and type the code. The PC picks up the adoption within about five seconds.

A Windows PC has a keyboard, so you can instead type the activation key and pick the region directly on the provisioning screen.

Then set the display's project, timezone, license and content. See Connect a display to your account.

Step 3: Configure Windows for unattended running

Six Windows settings make a general-purpose PC behave like a sign.

Power settings. In Control Panel → Power Options, set the display never to turn off and the computer never to sleep. On a laptop, set this for both battery and plugged-in.

Screen saver. Off.

Automatic sign-in. Search for netplwiz, untick Users must enter a user name and password, and enter the credentials once. The machine then comes back after a power cut without anyone typing a password.

Automatic sign-in gives anyone with physical access to the machine access to that account. Use a dedicated local account with no privileges and no access to anything else, not your own.

Start the app at login. Press Win + R, type shell:startup, and put a shortcut to STQRY Signage in the folder that opens.

Windows Update active hours. Set active hours to cover your opening times, so Windows doesn't restart the machine mid-day.

Notifications. Turn on Focus Assist, or turn notifications off entirely, so nothing pops up over the content.

Step 4: Start the app full screen

Pass --fullscreen on launch, or put it in the shortcut you start the app from. The app does not run full screen by default.

Command-line options

This section is for IT admins deploying STQRY Signage across multiple devices without touching each screen. If you're adopting displays with screen codes in Builder, you can skip this.

Instead of typing a screen code on the device, you can pass the region and activation key as command-line options when launching the app:

STQRYSignage.exe --region us --license K4M2XP --fullscreen

The available options:

These options are not saved — they're read fresh each time the app launches. If the app restarts without them, it goes back to the provisioning screen. To make them permanent, add them to the shortcut's target field or put them in a batch file in the startup folder.

See Advanced: command-line options and managed configuration.

Opening the settings overlay

Two routes open the settings overlay on Windows.

• Press Esc

• Click five times in the bottom-right corner within three seconds

Both land on the PIN prompt. See Open the on-device settings overlay.

Portrait mounting

Rotate the display in Windows Settings → System → Display → Display orientation. STQRY Signage follows whatever Windows reports and locks nothing.

Multiple screens

A Windows PC with two monitors runs one instance of the app on one of them. There's no built-in way to span or to drive two different displays from one PC. For two screens, use two display records and two devices, or two instances if your hardware supports it.

Opening STQRY Signage twice in the same browser or app context produces an "Another window detected" message. That's a guard against two copies fighting over the same display record.

Troubleshooting

The app starts and immediately closes, with no error. This affected older versions on machines missing the Windows App SDK or .NET 9. Update to the current version from the Microsoft Store, which is self-contained and doesn't depend on either.

The Store says the app isn't available for this device. Check the Windows version is 1809 (build 17763) or later, and that it's 64-bit. Press Win + R, type winver, and check.

The machine sleeps. Check Power Options. It's almost always Power Options.

Windows restarts overnight and the app doesn't come back. Check automatic sign-in is configured and the app shortcut is in the startup folder.

Content won't load. See Troubleshooting a display.

Next steps

• Quick start: from zero to content on screen

• Advanced: command-line options and managed configuration
• Open the on-device settings overlay