Run Zwift with minimal distractions using this simple hack

March 15, 2016

LAST UPDATED March 6, 2023

Update: this hack is no longer needed, as Zwift has added “Hide the Display” mode in April 2021. Read all about how it works >

To run Zwift with minimal on-screen “heads up display” elements, add this line to the <config> section of your Zwift preferences file located at Documents/Zwift/prefs.xml:

<MINIMAL_UI>1</MINIMAL_UI>

This turns off the rider list, leaderboards, speed/rider timer, and more. Here’s a screenshot of the result:

Zwift running with minimal interface elements

Here is my prefs.xml file with the line added. If you’ve never edited an XML file before, it is as easy as opening the file in a text editor (Notepad works great on a PC), editing the file and saving your changes. Saving a backup copy of the original file is always a good idea!

<ZWIFT>
 <DEVICES>
     <LASTCADENCEDEVICE>720996</LASTCADENCEDEVICE>
     <LASTPOWERDEVICE>720996</LASTPOWERDEVICE>
     <CTF>12543</CTF>
     <LASTHRMDEVICE>7891038</LASTHRMDEVICE>
     <LASTSPEEDDEVICE>9716</LASTSPEEDDEVICE>
     <LASTTRAINERDEVICE>2837993477</LASTTRAINERDEVICE>
 </DEVICES>
 <CONFIG>
     <MINIMAL_UI>1</MINIMAL_UI>
     <RICHMOND_BRANCH_PREFERENCE>0</RICHMOND_BRANCH_PREFERENCE>
     <BRANCH_PREFERENCE>3</BRANCH_PREFERENCE>
     <BATTPREFS>20</BATTPREFS>
     <PREFERRED_MONITOR>2147516416</PREFERRED_MONITOR>
     <TRAINER_EFFECT>0.5</TRAINER_EFFECT>
     <IMGPREFS>0</IMGPREFS>
     <USER_RESOLUTION_PREF>1920x1080</USER_RESOLUTION_PREF>
     <AMBIENT_VOL>0</AMBIENT_VOL>
     <SFX_VOL>0</SFX_VOL>
 </CONFIG>
 <WORKOUTS>
     <LAST_WORKOUT>4035902721</LAST_WORKOUT>
     <EDIT_IN_WATTS>1</EDIT_IN_WATTS>
     <USE_ERG>1</USE_ERG>
 </WORKOUTS>
</ZWIFT>