What is Preferences > General > 'Prefer metafile to raster when pasting from external application'

[Brian_J]

Anybody know what this preferences setting does? It's in all 3 apps (Designer, Photo, Publisher). From what I understand, it's a Windows-only setting.

[walt.farrell]

The Windows clipboard can hold multiple formats of data, and many applications put multiple formats of the data you copy into the clipboard. (This is probably true on Mac, too, but this question is only about Windows.)

If you have performed a Copy in a Windows application that has put WMF or EMF (Windows Meta File, Enhanced Meta File) data into the clipboard, I think that option will use it in preference to any raster data the application may also have put into the clipboard.

[MikeTO]

There are other Windows-only settings on this screen. "Documents open in a new floating window", "Documents open in the current active group", and "Open Lens Profiles Folder in Explore" are all specific to Windows.

Likewise, Mac users have a "Prefer to keep selection after delete" option.

There are a couple of very minor typos on this screen:

• "Reopen document on startup" should be "Reopen document(s) on startup" to match macOS.
• "Save thumbnails with documents." and "Enable "Save" over imported PSD files." shouldn't have periods at the end. This is true on macOS and Windows and in all three apps.

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

Likewise, Mac users have a "Prefer to keep selection after delete" option.

Might be nice to have that one on Windows, too  

I'm a bit surprised Mac doesn't also have the Open Lens Profiles Folder option.

[Brian_J]

8 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

Likewise, Mac users have a "Prefer to keep selection after delete" option.

My screenshot of the Preferences window is from Affinity Photo. On Windows, Affinity Designer and Publisher do have the "Prefer to keep selection after delete" setting. Not sure why Photo doesn't.