diff --git a/src/core/plugins/plugins.cpp b/src/core/plugins/plugins.cpp
index 054b612..b32a77a 100644
--- a/src/core/plugins/plugins.cpp
+++ b/src/core/plugins/plugins.cpp
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ Snore::PluginSettingsWidget *SnorePlugin::settingsWidget()
 
 QString SnorePlugin::normaliseKey(const QString &key) const
 {
-    return QString("%1/%2").arg(m_name, key);
+    return QString("%1/%2/%3").arg(m_name, settingsVersion(), key);
 }
 
 const QString &SnorePlugin::name() const
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ const QString SnorePlugin::typeName() const
     return PluginContainer::typeToString(m_type);
 }
 
+QString SnorePlugin::settingsVersion() const
+{
+    return "1";
+}
+
 bool SnorePlugin::deinitialize()
 {
     if (m_initialized) {
diff --git a/src/core/plugins/plugins.h b/src/core/plugins/plugins.h
index c9ce72b..e216019 100644
--- a/src/core/plugins/plugins.h
+++ b/src/core/plugins/plugins.h
@@ -59,8 +59,11 @@ public:
 
     virtual PluginSettingsWidget *settingsWidget();
 
+protected:
+    virtual QString settingsVersion() const;
+
 private:
-    SnorePlugin() {}
+    SnorePlugin() = delete;
     QString normaliseKey(const QString &key) const;
 
     QString m_name;
diff --git a/src/core/settingsdialog.cpp b/src/core/settingsdialog.cpp
index d4fc436..24db5b7 100644
--- a/src/core/settingsdialog.cpp
+++ b/src/core/settingsdialog.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ SettingsDialog::SettingsDialog(QWidget *parent) :
         ui->tabWidget->addTab(widget, widget->name());
         m_tabs.append(widget);
     }
-    load();
 }
 
 SettingsDialog::~SettingsDialog()
@@ -77,10 +76,10 @@ void SettingsDialog::load()
 void SettingsDialog::save()
 {
     snoreDebug(SNORE_DEBUG) << "saving";
-    SnoreCorePrivate::instance()->setBackendIfAvailible(ui->primaryBackendComboBox->currentText());
     for (auto w : m_tabs) {
         w->saveSettings();
     }
+    SnoreCorePrivate::instance()->syncSettings();
 }
 
 void Snore::SettingsDialog::on_buttonBox_clicked(QAbstractButton *button)
@@ -99,3 +98,9 @@ void Snore::SettingsDialog::on_buttonBox_clicked(QAbstractButton *button)
         snoreDebug(SNORE_WARNING) << "unhandled role" << button->text();
     }
 }
+
+void SettingsDialog::show()
+{
+    load();
+    QDialog::show();
+}
diff --git a/src/core/settingsdialog.h b/src/core/settingsdialog.h
index 774dffe..f366620 100644
--- a/src/core/settingsdialog.h
+++ b/src/core/settingsdialog.h
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ public:
     explicit SettingsDialog(QWidget *parent = 0);
     ~SettingsDialog();
 
+    void show();
+
 private slots:
     void on_pushButton_clicked();
     void load();
diff --git a/src/core/snore.cpp b/src/core/snore.cpp
index ec1c75f..5250a78 100644
--- a/src/core/snore.cpp
+++ b/src/core/snore.cpp
@@ -100,9 +100,6 @@ void SnoreCore::broadcastNotification(Notification notification)
 {
     Q_D(SnoreCore);
     snoreDebug(SNORE_DEBUG) << "Broadcasting" << notification << "timeout:" << notification.timeout();
-    if (!notification.isUpdate()) {
-        d->syncSettings();
-    }
     if (d->m_notificationBackend != nullptr) {
         if (notification.isUpdate() && !d->m_notificationBackend->canUpdateNotification()) {
             requestCloseNotification(notification.old(), Notification::REPLACED);
@@ -200,22 +197,22 @@ QList<PluginSettingsWidget *> SnoreCore::settingWidgets()
 QVariant SnoreCore::value(const QString &key) const
 {
     Q_D(const SnoreCore);
-    QString nk = d->normalizeKey(key);
+    QString nk = d->specificKey(key);
     if(d->m_settings->contains(nk))
     {
         return d->m_settings->value(nk);
     }
-    return d->m_settings->value(key);
+    return d->m_settings->value(d->versionizeKey(key));
 
 }
 
 void SnoreCore::setValue(const QString &key, const QVariant &value)
 {
     Q_D(SnoreCore);
-    QString nk = key;
+    QString nk = d->versionizeKey(key);
     if(value.canConvert<Setting>() && value.value<Setting>().isSpecific())
     {
-        nk = d->normalizeKey(nk);
+        nk = d->specificKey(key);
     }
     d->m_settings->setValue(nk,value);
 }
@@ -224,10 +221,10 @@ void SnoreCore::setValue(const QString &key, const QVariant &value)
 void SnoreCore::setDefaultValue(const QString &key, const QVariant &value)
 {
     Q_D(SnoreCore);
-    QString nk = key;
+    QString nk = d->versionizeKey(key);
     if(value.canConvert<Setting>() && value.value<Setting>().isSpecific())
     {
-        nk = d->normalizeKey(nk);
+        nk = d->specificKey(key);
     }
     if (!d->m_settings->contains(nk)) {
         d->m_settings->setValue(nk, value);
diff --git a/src/core/snore_p.cpp b/src/core/snore_p.cpp
index 3cec763..b0fe376 100644
--- a/src/core/snore_p.cpp
+++ b/src/core/snore_p.cpp
@@ -133,8 +133,16 @@ bool SnoreCorePrivate::initPrimaryNotificationBackend()
 
 void SnoreCorePrivate::syncSettings()
 {
-    setBackendIfAvailible(m_settings->value("PrimaryBackend").value<Setting>().value().toString());
-    for (auto pluginName : m_pluginNames[SnorePlugin::SECONDARY_BACKEND]) {
+    Q_Q(SnoreCore);
+    QString oldBackend = q->primaryNotificationBackend();
+    m_notificationBackend->deinitialize();
+    m_notificationBackend = nullptr;
+    if(!setBackendIfAvailible(q->value("PrimaryBackend").value<Setting>().value().toString()))
+    {
+        setBackendIfAvailible(oldBackend);
+    }
+//TODO: cleanup
+    auto syncPluginStatus = [&](const QString &pluginName){
         SnorePlugin *plugin = m_plugins.value(pluginName);
         bool enable = m_plugins[pluginName]->value("Enabled").toBool();
         if (!plugin->isInitialized() && enable) {
@@ -142,6 +150,16 @@ void SnoreCorePrivate::syncSettings()
         } else if (plugin->isInitialized() && !enable) {
             plugin->deinitialize();
         }
+    };
+
+    for (auto pluginName : m_pluginNames[SnorePlugin::SECONDARY_BACKEND]) {
+        syncPluginStatus(pluginName);
+    }
+    for (auto pluginName : m_pluginNames[SnorePlugin::FRONTEND]) {
+        syncPluginStatus(pluginName);
+    }
+    for (auto pluginName : m_pluginNames[SnorePlugin::PLUGIN]) {
+        syncPluginStatus(pluginName);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/snore_p.h b/src/core/snore_p.h
index 3fc0644..de27138 100644
--- a/src/core/snore_p.h
+++ b/src/core/snore_p.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #define SNORECOREPRIVATE_H
 
 #include "snore.h"
+#include "version.h"
 #include "plugins/snorebackend.h"
 
 #include <QPointer>
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ public:
      */
     static QString tempPath();
 
+
 public:
     static SnoreCorePrivate *instance();
     ~SnoreCorePrivate();
@@ -63,10 +65,19 @@ public:
 
     bool initPrimaryNotificationBackend();
 
+    inline QString versionSchema() const {
+        return "1";
+    }
+
     void syncSettings();
 
-    QString normalizeKey(const QString &key) const{
-        return QString("AppSpecificSettings/%1/%2").arg(m_hints.value("app_specific_settings","SnoreNotify").toString(),key);
+
+    QString versionizeKey(const QString &key) const{
+        return QString("%1/%2").arg(key, versionSchema());
+    }
+
+    QString specificKey(const QString &key) const{
+        return versionizeKey(QString("AppSpecificSettings/%1/%2").arg(m_hints.value("app_specific_settings","SnoreNotify").toString(),key));
     }
 
 
@@ -80,7 +91,6 @@ private slots:
     void slotAboutToQuit();
 
 private:
-
     SnoreCorePrivate();
     SnoreCore *q_ptr;
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/backends/snarl/snarl.cpp b/src/plugins/backends/snarl/snarl.cpp
index cea5905..ce1ee2a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/backends/snarl/snarl.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/backends/snarl/snarl.cpp
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ bool SnarlBackend::initialize()
 {
     SnarlInterface *snarlInterface = new SnarlInterface();
     if (!snarlInterface->IsSnarlRunning()) {
+        snoreDebug(SNORE_WARNING) << "Snarl is not running";
         delete snarlInterface;
         return false;
     }