Settings Guide
This comprehensive guide explains all the settings available in M³, organized by category. Understanding these settings will help you configure M³ to work perfectly for your congregation's needs.
Application Configuration
Display Language
Choose the language for M³'s interface. This is independent of the language used for media downloads.
Options: All available interface languages (English, Spanish, French, etc.)
Default: English
Dark Mode
Control the appearance theme of M³.
Options:
- Automatically switch based on system preference
- Always use dark mode
- Always use light mode
Default: Auto
First Day of Week
Set which day should be considered the first day of the week in the calendar view.
Options: Sunday through Saturday
Default: Sunday
Date Format
Format used to display dates in the app.
Example: D MMMM YYYY
Default: D MMMM YYYY
Auto-Start at Login
Automatically start M³ when the computer boots up.
Default: false
Congregation Meetings
Congregation Name
The name of your congregation. This is used for organization and display purposes.
Default: Empty (must be set during setup)
Meeting Language
The primary language for media downloads. This should match the language used in your congregation's meetings.
Options: All available languages from the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses
Default: English (E)
Fallback Language
A secondary language to use when media isn't available in the primary language.
Options: All available languages from the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses
Default: None
Midweek Meeting Day
The day of the week when your midweek meeting is held.
Options: Sunday through Saturday
Default: None (must be set during setup)
Midweek Meeting Time
The start time of your midweek meeting.
Format: HH:MM (24-hour format)
Default: None (must be set during setup)
Weekend Meeting Day
The day of the week when your weekend meeting is held.
Options: Sunday through Saturday
Default: None (must be set during setup)
Weekend Meeting Time
The start time of your weekend meeting.
Format: HH:MM (24-hour format)
Default: None (must be set during setup)
Circuit Overseer Week
The week of the next circuit overseer's visit.
Format: MM/DD/YYYY
Default: None
Memorial Date
The date of the next Memorial celebration.
Format: MM/DD/YYYY
Default: Automatically retrieved periodically
Meeting Schedule Changes
These settings allow you to configure temporary changes to your meeting schedule:
- Change Date: When the change takes effect
- One-time Change: Whether this is a permanent or temporary change
- New Midweek Day: New day for midweek meeting
- New Midweek Time: New time for midweek meeting
- New Weekend Day: New day for weekend meeting
- New Weekend Time: New time for weekend meeting
Automatic Meeting Schedule Updates
When enabled, M³ periodically checks the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses for meeting day and time changes and updates the current profile automatically.
This only works for profiles that were added with congregation lookup and whose congregation name has not been manually changed. If synchronization was disabled because the congregation name changed, use Enable schedule sync to link the profile again.
Refresh Meeting Schedule
Manually synchronize the current and future meeting schedule with the information from the official website.
Media Retrieval and Playback
Metered Connection
Enable this if you're on a limited data connection to reduce bandwidth usage.
Default: false
Media Display
Enable the media display functionality. This is required to present media on a second monitor.
Default: false
Enable Media Preview
Show a live preview of the media window while an image or video is being displayed.
Default: true
Begin Playback Paused
Start videos in a paused state when playback begins.
Default: false
Background Music
Enable Music
Enable background music functionality.
Default: true
Auto-Start Music
Automatically start background music when M³ launches if appropriate.
Default: true
Meeting Stop Buffer
How many seconds before meeting start time to stop background music.
Range: 0-300 seconds
Default: 60 seconds
Music Volume
Volume level for background music (1-100%).
Default: 100%
Cache Management
Enable Extra Cache
Enable additional caching for better performance.
Default: false
Cache Folder
Custom location for storing cached media files.
Default: System default location
Enable Cache Auto-Clear
Automatically clear old cached files to save disk space.
Default: true
Folder Monitoring
Enable Folder Watcher
Monitor a folder for new media files and automatically add them to M³.
Default: false
Folder to Watch
The folder path to monitor for new media files.
Default: Empty
Integrations
Zoom Integration
Enable Zoom
Enable Zoom meeting integration features.
Default: false
Screen Share Shortcut
Keyboard shortcut to trigger Zoom screen sharing.
Default: None
OBS Studio Integration
Enable OBS
Enable OBS Studio integration for automatic scene switching.
Default: false
Important Note
Audio Configuration Required: The OBS Studio integration only handles screen sharing. Audio from M³ media is not automatically transmitted to Zoom participants when using OBS Studio. You must configure Zoom's Original Audio settings or use "Share Computer Sound" to ensure meeting participants can hear the media. See the User Guide for detailed audio setup instructions.
Note: The Zoom integration uses Zoom's native screen sharing which handles audio more seamlessly than OBS Studio integration.
OBS Port
The port number for connecting to OBS Studio WebSocket.
Default: None
OBS Password
The password for OBS Studio WebSocket connection.
Default: None
OBS Scenes
Configure which OBS scenes to use for different purposes:
- Camera Scene: Scene showing the camera/lectern
- Media Scene: Scene for displaying media
- Image Scene: Scene for displaying images (for example, a PIP scene showing both media and the speaker)
OBS Advanced Options
- Postpone Images: Delay sharing images to OBS until manually triggered
- Quick Toggle: Enable quick on/off toggle for OBS integration
- Switch Scene After Media: Automatically return to previous scene after media
- Remember Previous Scene: Remember and restore the previous scene
- Hide Icons: Hide OBS-related icons in the interface
- Recording Controls: Show controls that start and stop OBS recording from M³
Important Note
Audio Configuration Required: OBS Studio integration only handles video/scene switching. Audio from M³ media is not automatically transmitted to Zoom or OBS. The video stream works like a virtual camera without sound, just like a webcam. You must configure Zoom's Original Audio settings or use "Share Computer Sound" to ensure meeting participants can hear the media. See the User Guide for detailed audio setup instructions.
Alternative: Consider using the Zoom integration instead, as it uses Zoom's native screen sharing which handles audio more seamlessly.
Custom Events
Enable Custom Events
Enable custom shortcuts that will be triggered when a specific event is detected (e.g., media is played, paused, or stopped).
Default: false
Custom Event Shortcuts
Play Media Shortcut
Shortcut that is triggered when media is played.
Default: None
Pause Media Shortcut
Shortcut that is triggered when media is paused.
Default: None
Stop Media Shortcut
Shortcut that is triggered when media is stopped.
Default: None
Last Song Shortcut
Shortcut that is triggered when the last song is played during a meeting.
Default: None
Meeting Recordings
Enable External Recording App Integration
Let M³ control a separate recording application with keyboard shortcuts. This does not record inside M³; it sends the configured shortcuts when you press Start Recording or Stop Recording in the meeting recordings popup.
This option is hidden when OBS recording controls are enabled. If you use OBS Studio, use the OBS recording controls in the OBS integration instead.
Default: false
Recording Shortcuts and Folder
Configure the keyboard shortcut that starts recording, the optional shortcut that stops recording, and the folder where the external app saves recordings. If no stop shortcut is provided, M³ reuses the start shortcut. When a folder is configured, M³ shows a button to open it.
Meeting Timer
Enable Meeting Timer
Enable a separate timer window for timing meeting parts. This is a beta feature and should only be enabled if approved locally.
Default: false
Timer Window Behavior
Configure whether the timer window opens automatically, whether participant timers count up or down by default, whether the clock uses 12-hour or 24-hour time, and whether the current timer value is shown on the action island timer button.
Timer Display Formats
Choose analog or digital display formats for the time of day and countdown timers. The countdown warning indicator can shift the analog countdown ring toward a warning color during the final minute.
Meeting Countdown and Schedule Status
Show a countdown before scheduled meetings and optionally display whether the meeting is ahead of or behind schedule. The meeting countdown appears only on the timer display, not on the main media display.
Timer Appearance and Overtime
Customize the timer text size and colors, and configure overtime indicators such as alternate colors, blinking, and showing only the elapsed overtime amount in count-up mode.
Advanced Settings
Keyboard Shortcuts
Enable Keyboard Shortcuts
Enable customizable keyboard shortcuts for media control.
Default: false
Media Control Shortcuts
Configure shortcuts for media playback:
- Media Window: Open/close media window
- Previous Media: Go to previous media item
- Next Media: Go to next media item
- Pause/Resume: Pause or resume media playback
- Stop Media: Stop media playback
- Music Toggle: Toggle background music
Media Display
Enable Media Window Fade Transitions
Enable fade-in/out transitions when showing or hiding the media window.
Default: true
Enable Playback Speed Control
Allow audio and video playback speed to be adjusted from the media item's context menu.
Default: false
Hide Media Logo
Hide the logo in the media window.
Default: false
Maximum Resolution
Maximum resolution for downloaded media files.
Options: 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p
Default: 720p
Include Printed Media
Include media from the printed publications in media downloads.
Default: true
Exclude Footnotes
Exclude footnote images from media downloads when possible.
Default: false
Exclude Additional Watchtower Study Videos
Exclude additional videos that are referenced in Watchtower Study paragraphs.
Default: false
Exclude media from the Teaching brochure
Exclude media from the Teaching (th) brochure from media downloads.
Default: true
Subtitles
Enable Subtitles
Enable subtitle support for media playback.
Default: false
Subtitle Language
Language for subtitles (can be different from media language).
Options: All available languages from the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses
Default: None
Media Export
Enable Media Auto-Export
Automatically export media files to a specified folder.
Default: false
Media Export Folder
Folder path where media files will be automatically exported.
Default: Empty
Convert Files to MP4
Setting: convertFilesToMp4
Convert exported media files to MP4 format for better compatibility.
Default: false
Profile Settings Transfer
Export the current profile's settings to a JSON file or import a previously exported profile settings file. Importing replaces the current profile's settings.
Danger Zone
Warning
These settings should only be changed if you understand their implications.
Base URL
Base domain used to download publications and media.
Default: jw.org
Disable Hardware Acceleration
Disable hardware acceleration after restarting M³. This may help with graphical glitches or crashes on some systems, but is not otherwise recommended.
Default: false
Suppress Hardware Acceleration Reminder
Hide the reminder to re-enable hardware acceleration after it has been manually disabled.
Default: false
Disable Media Fetching
Completely disable automatic media downloads. Use this only for profiles that will be used for special events or other custom setups.
Default: false
Tips for Optimal Configuration
For New Users
- Start with the setup wizard to configure basic settings
- Enable "Media Display Button" to access presentation features
- Configure your meeting schedule accurately
- Set up OBS integration if you use hybrid meetings
For Advanced Users
- Use folder monitoring to sync media from cloud storage
- Enable media auto-export for backup purposes
- Configure keyboard shortcuts for efficient operation
- Configure Zoom integration for automatic screen sharing
Performance Optimization
- Enable extra cache for better performance
- Use appropriate maximum resolution for your needs
- Configure cache auto-clear to manage disk space
- Consider metered connection setting if on limited bandwidth
Troubleshooting
- If media isn't downloading, check your meeting schedule settings
- If OBS integration isn't working, verify port and password settings
- If performance is slow, try enabling extra cache or reducing resolution
- If you're having language issues, check both interface and media language settings
- If Zoom participants can't hear media audio, configure Zoom's Original Audio settings or use "Share Computer Sound"
- Tip: Consider using Zoom integration instead of OBS Studio for simpler audio handling