diff --git a/check_targets.jai b/check_targets.jai
index e416c87..8b4f66b 100644
--- a/check_targets.jai
+++ b/check_targets.jai
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ APP_NAME        :: "mcap";
 APP_FOLDER_NAME :: "mcap";
 GIT_BRANCH    :: "check";
 GIT_HASH      :: "-";
-VERSION       :: "0.1.18";
+VERSION       :: "0.1.19";
 BUILD_DATE    :: "-";
 DEBUG         :: true;
 COMPILE_TESTS :: true;
diff --git a/first.jai b/first.jai
index 121cbb9..d5683f0 100644
--- a/first.jai
+++ b/first.jai
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ APP_NAME              :: "mcap";
 APP_FOLDER_NAME       :: "mcap";
 APP_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER :: "com.example.mcap";
 
-VERSION :: "0.1.18";
+VERSION :: "0.1.19";
 // Where everything goes: bin/, or bin-headless/ for builds made with no_crash_dialog, so automated
 // builds never write over the ones you run by hand.
 build_directory := "bin";
diff --git a/src/test/logger_tests.jai b/src/test/logger_tests.jai
index df5bfe1..8266387 100644
--- a/src/test/logger_tests.jai
+++ b/src/test/logger_tests.jai
@@ -229,6 +229,38 @@ settings_tests :: () {
   defer settings_free(*settings);
   expect(ok && !seen.event_log && settings.event_log_capacity == EVENT_LOG_CAPACITY_DEFAULT,
          "a file without the key gave seen % and capacity %", seen.event_log, settings.event_log_capacity);
+
+  // A section that does not mention an action gets its default installed right away, since the save
+  // that writes it into the file does not reload it; a pre-upgrade file gets "none" instead.
+  {
+    group("hotkeys missing from [hotkeys]");
+    hotkey_actions_init();
+    defaults := hotkey_defaults();
+    bindings: [..] Hotkey_Binding;
+    bindings.allocator = temp;
+    errors := hotkeys_parse_section("logger_tests", "[hotkeys]\nCtrl-Shift-Q   program_exit\nnone  minimize_to_tray\n", hotkey_actions, *bindings);
+    expect(errors == 0 && bindings.count == 2, "the partial section gave % bindings and % errors", bindings.count, errors);
+
+    exit_action  := hotkey_find_action(hotkey_actions, "program_exit");
+    minimize     := hotkey_find_action(hotkey_actions, "minimize_to_tray");
+    focus_search := hotkey_find_action(hotkey_actions, "focus_search");
+
+    installed := hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(hotkey_actions, bindings, defaults, APP_USER_SETTINGS_VERSION);
+    count_for :: (bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding, action: s32) -> int {
+      count := 0;
+      for bindings  if it.action == action  count += 1;
+      return count;
+    }
+    expect(count_for(installed, exit_action) == 1, "program_exit has % bindings, not just its own 1", count_for(installed, exit_action));
+    expect(count_for(installed, minimize) == 1, "minimize_to_tray's \"none\" was joined by % more", count_for(installed, minimize) - 1);
+    expect(count_for(installed, focus_search) == count_for(defaults, focus_search) && count_for(defaults, focus_search) > 0,
+           "focus_search got % of its % default bindings", count_for(installed, focus_search), count_for(defaults, focus_search));
+    missing, _ := hotkeys_missing_lines(hotkey_actions, installed, defaults, APP_USER_SETTINGS_VERSION);
+    expect(missing == "", "with the defaults added, these are still missing:%", missing);
+
+    old := hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(hotkey_actions, bindings, defaults, APP_USER_SETTINGS_VERSION - 1);
+    expect(old.count == bindings.count, "a pre-upgrade file got % default bindings", old.count - bindings.count);
+  }
 }
 
 #scope_export
diff --git a/src/ui/imgui_keyboard.jai b/src/ui/imgui_keyboard.jai
index b3fc40a..b3aa749 100644
--- a/src/ui/imgui_keyboard.jai
+++ b/src/ui/imgui_keyboard.jai
@@ -293,9 +293,7 @@ hotkeys_missing_lines :: (actions: [] Hotkey_Action, bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding
   new_active_count := 0;
 
   for action, action_index: actions {
-    mentioned := false;
-    for bindings  if it.action == action_index { mentioned = true; break; }
-    if mentioned  continue;
+    if hotkeys_mention_action(bindings, action_index)  continue;
 
     if !header_written {
       append(*builder, "\n# Added automatically; new since this file was last saved.\n");
@@ -314,6 +312,28 @@ hotkeys_missing_lines :: (actions: [] Hotkey_Action, bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding
   return builder_to_string(*builder,, temp), new_active_count;
 }
 
+// The bindings to install for a section as read: its own, plus the shipped defaults of the actions
+// it does not mention, which hotkeys_missing_lines gives the file in the save that follows. That
+// save records the hash of what it wrote, so the file is not reloaded, and without these a new
+// action would stay unbound until the file next changed. temp.
+hotkeys_with_missing_defaults :: (actions: [] Hotkey_Action, bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding, defaults: [] Hotkey_Binding, file_version: s64) -> [] Hotkey_Binding {
+  if file_version < APP_USER_SETTINGS_VERSION  return bindings;   // these get "none"
+
+  result: [..] Hotkey_Binding;
+  result.allocator = temp;
+  array_add(*result, ..bindings);
+  for action, action_index: actions {
+    if hotkeys_mention_action(bindings, action_index)  continue;
+    for defaults  if it.action == action_index  array_add(*result, it);
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+hotkeys_mention_action :: (bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding, action_index: int) -> bool {
+  for bindings  if it.action == action_index  return true;
+  return false;
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------- the [global_hotkeys] section
 
 // Registered with the OS, so they fire from any app: RegisterHotKey on Windows, Carbon's
diff --git a/src/ui/imgui_theme_registry.jai b/src/ui/imgui_theme_registry.jai
index 5044433..7034ac5 100644
--- a/src/ui/imgui_theme_registry.jai
+++ b/src/ui/imgui_theme_registry.jai
@@ -366,11 +366,11 @@ app_load_user_settings_file :: () -> write_back: bool {
 
   bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding = hotkey_defaults();
   if ok && seen.hotkeys  bindings = app_user_settings.hotkey_bindings;
-  hotkeys_install(bindings);
+  hotkeys_install(hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(hotkey_actions, bindings, hotkey_defaults(), version));
 
   global_bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding = global_hotkey_defaults();
   if ok && seen.global_hotkeys  global_bindings = app_user_settings.global_hotkey_bindings;
-  global_hotkeys_install(global_bindings);
+  global_hotkeys_install(hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(global_hotkey_actions, global_bindings, global_hotkey_defaults(), version));
 
   if !ok  return false;
 
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ app_reload_user_settings_if_changed :: () {
   settings_file_hash = hash;
 
   fresh: App_User_Settings;
-  ok, seen, _ := settings_parse(path, file_data, *fresh);
+  ok, seen, version := settings_parse(path, file_data, *fresh);
   if !ok {
     settings_free(*fresh);
     log_error("[settings] Could not apply the changes to %; keeping the current settings.", path);
@@ -832,11 +832,11 @@ app_reload_user_settings_if_changed :: () {
 
   bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding = hotkey_defaults();
   if seen.hotkeys  bindings = app_user_settings.hotkey_bindings;
-  hotkeys_install(bindings);
+  hotkeys_install(hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(hotkey_actions, bindings, hotkey_defaults(), version));
 
   global_bindings: [] Hotkey_Binding = global_hotkey_defaults();
   if seen.global_hotkeys  global_bindings = app_user_settings.global_hotkey_bindings;
-  global_hotkeys_install(global_bindings);
+  global_hotkeys_install(hotkeys_with_missing_defaults(global_hotkey_actions, global_bindings, global_hotkey_defaults(), version));
   global_hotkeys_reapply();
 
   settings_note_synced();