EverQuest multiboxing window manager for Shards of Dalaya
Fan-made project. EQSwitch is an independent, open-source utility and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Daybreak Game Company, Darkpaw Games, or the Shards of Dalaya team. EverQuest is a registered trademark of Daybreak Game Company LLC. This tool does not distribute, modify, or host any game content — it is a client-side window manager only.
A lightweight EverQuest multiboxer — hotkey switching, encrypted auto-login, PiP overlays, CPU affinity, multi-monitor support, and zero-telemetry privacy for Shards of Dalaya.
| File | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EQSwitch.exe | ~179 MB | Self-contained — no runtime needed, click and go |
| eqswitch-hook.dll | ~132 KB | Ships with exe — hooks SetWindowPos/MoveWindow inside eqgame.exe |
| dinput8.dll | ~132 KB | Ships with exe — deployed to EQ directory for background auto-login |
Tip
Place in any folder and run — no installation needed. Config is stored as eqswitch-config.json next to the exe.
Screenshots coming soon
- Window Switching — Cycle EQ clients with hotkeys (keyboard hook for single keys, RegisterHotKey for combos)
- Fullscreen Window — WinEQ2-style borderless mode that hides the titlebar above the screen edge
- DLL Hook Injection — Hooks SetWindowPos/MoveWindow inside eqgame.exe for zero-flicker window positioning
- Multi-Monitor — One client per physical monitor with automatic arrangement
- Process Priority — Active client on High, background on AboveNormal (configurable per-character)
- CPU Core Assignment — CPUAffinity0-5 slots written to eqclient.ini for per-client core pinning
- PiP Overlay — Live DWM thumbnail previews (zero CPU, GPU composited). Vertical or horizontal layout, 7 size presets + custom
- Staggered Launch — Multi-client launch with configurable delay and auto-arrange
- Settings GUI — Dark-themed tabbed settings (General, Video, Accounts, PiP, Hotkeys, Paths)
- EQ Client Settings — Sub-forms for editing eqclient.ini (Video, Key Mappings, Chat, Particles, Models)
- Video Settings — Resolution presets, custom presets, windowed mode enforcement
- Configurable Tray Actions — Left/double/middle click actions are fully customizable
- Character Profiles — Per-character priority overrides, export/import
- Custom Tray Icon — Custom .ico support
- Auto-Login — Encrypted account presets with one-click launch, login, server select, and character enter world
- Background Auto-Login — Types passwords in background windows via DirectInput shared memory injection — no focus stealing, true one-click multi-login
- DirectInput Proxy — dinput8.dll hooks IAT for focus faking (GetForegroundWindow, GetAsyncKeyState, etc.) and injects keyboard state via per-PID shared memory
- Portable — Single exe + 2 DLLs, config stored next to it, no installer needed
- Privacy First — Zero telemetry, no network calls, no data collection. Saved passwords are encrypted with Windows DPAPI and can only be decrypted by your Windows account on your machine
- Windows 10/11
git clone https://github.com/itsnateai/eqswitch.git
cd eqswitch
# Build the native hook DLL (requires MSVC Build Tools, 32-bit x86 target)
bash Native/build.sh
# Build the DirectInput proxy DLL (32-bit x86)
bash Native/build-dinput8.sh
# Self-contained single-file (~179MB, no runtime needed)
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained -p:PublishSingleFile=trueOutput: bin/Release/net8.0-windows/win-x64/publish/EQSwitch.exe + eqswitch-hook.dll + dinput8.dll
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
\ |
Swap to last active EQ client (EQ must be focused) |
] |
Global switch — cycle next / bring EQ to front |
| Alt+N | Toggle single-screen / multi-monitor mode |
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Right-click | Context menu |
| Single-click | Launch one EQ client |
| Triple-click | (configurable) |
| Middle-click | Toggle PiP overlay |
| Middle-triple-click | Open Settings |
Config is stored as eqswitch-config.json alongside the exe (portable). Auto-backups are created in a backups/ subfolder (last 10 kept).
EQSwitch ships with two icon styles selectable in Settings:
- Dark (default): Black background, gold EQ lettering with crossed swords
- Stone: Lighter stone background, same design
Place a file named eqswitch-custom.ico next to the exe to use your own icon.
- Active client: High priority
- Background clients: High priority
- Per-character priority overrides in Settings → Characters
- CPU core assignment via eqclient.ini CPUAffinity0-5 slots (Settings → Process Manager)
| Path | Description |
|---|---|
Program.cs |
Entry point — single-instance mutex, first-run setup |
Core/ |
Win32 interop, process management, hotkeys, DLL injection, shared memory |
Config/ |
JSON config model, load/save, AHK migration |
Models/ |
EQ client data model |
UI/ |
Tray manager, settings GUI, PiP overlay, dark theme, process manager |
Native/ |
C++ DLL sources — eqswitch-hook (MinHook) + dinput8 proxy (DirectInput + IAT hooks), 32-bit x86 |
When Background Login is enabled (Settings → Accounts), EQSwitch types passwords into background EQ windows without stealing focus. This allows true one-click multi-account login.
How it works:
dinput8.dllis deployed to your EQ directory before launching- The DLL intercepts DirectInput and hooks keyboard state APIs (GetAsyncKeyState, GetForegroundWindow, etc.)
- Per-PID shared memory injects scan codes directly into EQ's DirectInput keyboard device
- EQ processes the keystrokes as if it were the focused window
Note
EQ must be restarted after enabling background login for the first time — the proxy DLL loads at startup.
Warning
Windows Defender may flag dinput8.dll as suspicious (DirectInput hooking is a common game-tool technique). Add your EQ folder to Defender's exclusion list if the DLL is blocked or quarantined.
Passwords are encrypted using Windows DPAPI (Data Protection API) and stored locally in your config file. Here's what that means:
- AES-256 encryption — DPAPI derives an encryption key from your Windows login credentials (password hash + machine SID + user SID) using PBKDF2, then encrypts with AES-256
- User-scoped — Only your Windows user account on your machine can decrypt the passwords. Other users on the same PC (even administrators) cannot read them
- Zero network traffic — Encryption and decryption happen entirely on your machine. Passwords are never transmitted anywhere
- No master password — Your Windows login IS the master key. The encrypted master key is stored in
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Protect\{SID}\ - Stored as base64 — The encrypted blob is base64-encoded in
eqswitch-config.json. Even if someone reads the file, they see gibberish without your Windows credentials
Important
If you reinstall Windows or create a new user account, stored passwords cannot be recovered. You'll need to re-enter them in Settings.
On first launch, EQSwitch reads your actual eqclient.ini and uses those values as its starting defaults. This means the settings form always shows your real configuration — not generic defaults that could silently overwrite your manual INI edits.
Settings are not enforced until you explicitly click Save in the EQ Client Settings form.
EQSwitch can be fully removed without leaving traces. Two options:
From the GUI: Settings → General tab → Uninstall button
From the command line: Run uninstall.bat (ships next to EQSwitch.exe)
Both options revert all external changes:
- Restores original
dinput8.dllfrom backup (if one was created) - Removes startup shortcut
- Removes desktop shortcut
Your eqclient.ini settings and EQSwitch config files are not modified — restore from .bak files in your EQ folder if needed.
Tip
After running uninstall, you can delete the entire EQSwitch folder to complete the removal.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Hotkeys not working | Run as Administrator — some games need elevated privileges for global hotkeys |
| EQ path not detected | Use Settings → Paths to set your EQ installation directory |
| PiP not showing | Requires 2+ EQ clients running. Middle-click tray icon to toggle |
| CPU affinity not applying | EQ resets affinity after launch — EQSwitch retries automatically. Use tray menu → Force Apply |
| Config lost after moving exe | Move eqswitch-config.json with the exe. Backups in backups/ subfolder |
| dinput8.dll blocked | Add your EQ folder to Windows Defender exclusions |