How to Disable the Affinity V3 Welcome Screen (Unofficial Workaround)

ByMuhammad Imanudin Posted on

If you have recently upgraded from Affinity V2 to the new V3, you may have noticed a significant change in the startup experience. Instead of the unobtrusive splash screen of the past, V3 launches a large “Account/New Document” window that obscures the main interface.

For many users, this breaks the “flow.” You just want to open the software and get to work, not navigate a template menu. Unfortunately, there is currently no native “Do not show this again” checkbox in the V3 preferences.

However, a community-discovered workaround allows you to suppress this screen by editing a settings file.

The XML Fix: How to Turn It Off

⚠️ Disclaimer: This involves editing a configuration file (.xml). While this change is generally harmless, you should proceed at your own risk. It is highly recommended that you make a backup copy of the file before editing it. If the file breaks, the software usually resets it to default, but it is better to be safe.

Note: This guide is for Windows users.

Step 1: Locate the Settings File

Navigate to the hidden Affinity settings folder on your computer. You can copy and paste this path into your File Explorer address bar (replace yourusername with your actual Windows user name):

C:\Users\yourusername\.affinity\Affinity\3.0\Settings\

Step 2: Edit Application.xml

  1. Look for the file named Application.xml.
  2. Right-click the file and select “Open with” > Notepad (or your preferred text editor).
  3. Press Ctrl + F to open the Find tool.
  4. Search for the following tag:<ShowNewDocumentDialog>

Step 3: Change the Value

You will see the line set to “True” by default:

<ShowNewDocumentDialog>True</ShowNewDocumentDialog>

Change “True” to “False” so it looks like this:

<ShowNewDocumentDialog>False</ShowNewDocumentDialog>

Step 4: Save and Restart

Save the file (Ctrl + S) and close Notepad. The next time you launch Affinity Photo, Designer, or Publisher V3, the software should open directly to the workspace without the splash screen.

The “Safe” Alternative: Resize Windows

If you aren’t comfortable editing system files, the only current workaround is UI management.

  1. Launch the app.
  2. Manually resize the Splash/Welcome screen to be smaller.
  3. Resize the main software window to be larger.

While this makes the experience “liveable,” it isn’t a permanent fix for those who want a clean start.

Other V3 Interface Observations

While V3 brings new features, some users have noted UI regressions compared to V2, particularly in Affinity Photo:

  • Focus Merge Source Panel: In V2, the Sources panel was stretchable. In V3, it is currently fixed, forcing users to scroll through a tiny list to see file names. If you are doing ghosting corrections on multiple images, this can significantly slow down your workflow.
  • Scrollbars: The vertical and horizontal scrollbars have become thinner. This requires more precise mouse movement to grab them, which can impede momentum during fast-paced editing.

Summary

Hopefully, Canva/Affinity will add a native toggle for the start screen in a future update (though given that it houses templates and account info, this is not guaranteed). In the meantime, the XML tweak above is the best way to reclaim your immediate workspace.

Don’t forget to use the Help > Feedback menu in the app to report UI issues like the Focus Merge panel!