The last state of many Inkscape settings is saved in the preferences.xml file when Inkscape is closed. This is separate from the default document or templates, and can lead to unexpected results (especially if more than one person uses the same machine for Inkscape).
If you have a preferred configuration, you can save a copy of that preferences.xml in another directory and use it to over-write the last-used state before launching Inkscape. (This is very useful for instructors setting up multiple machines before teaching.)
To save a preferred configuration:
Launch Inkscape.
Setup the tools, controls and dialogs to your preferred state.
Close Inkscape.
Navigate to the user-profile directory to find the preferences.xml, and save a copy to another directory.
When restoring Inkscape to the preferred configuration, copy the saved preferences.xml to the original directory and replace the most recent.
You can also save your setup of the dialogs by saving a copy of the dialogs-state-ex.ini file in your user profile directory. Like the preferences.xml file, this file gets re-written each time Inkscape closes, so save the copy elsewhere.
(When setting up for a class, I use a paste of my preferred layout on multiple machines to unify the interface for my Inkscape students. )
Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Save a Preferred Inkscape Configuration
Inkscape.org
The last state of many Inkscape settings is saved in the preferences.xml file when Inkscape is closed. This is separate from the default document or templates, and can lead to unexpected results (especially if more than one person uses the same machine for Inkscape).
If you have a preferred configuration, you can save a copy of that preferences.xml in another directory and use it to over-write the last-used state before launching Inkscape. (This is very useful for instructors setting up multiple machines before teaching.)
To save a preferred configuration:
When restoring Inkscape to the preferred configuration, copy the saved preferences.xml to the original directory and replace the most recent.
There are now additional files that can be used to customize Inkscape to your liking:
https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/1.4#Customizable_Handles
You can also save your setup of the dialogs by saving a copy of the dialogs-state-ex.ini file in your user profile directory. Like the preferences.xml file, this file gets re-written each time Inkscape closes, so save the copy elsewhere.
(When setting up for a class, I use a paste of my preferred layout on multiple machines to unify the interface for my Inkscape students. )