diff --git a/InitUiElements.ts b/InitUiElements.ts
index cb7cdc5623..a5b738e9ca 100644
--- a/InitUiElements.ts
+++ b/InitUiElements.ts
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export class InitUiElements {
 
     }
 
-    static LoadLayoutFromHash(userLayoutParam: UIEventSource<string>) {
+    static LoadLayoutFromHash(userLayoutParam: UIEventSource<string>): [LayoutConfig, string]{
         try {
             let hash = location.hash.substr(1);
             const layoutFromBase64 = userLayoutParam.data;
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ export class InitUiElements {
             // @ts-ignore
             const layoutToUse = new LayoutConfig(json, false);
             userLayoutParam.setData(layoutToUse.id);
-            return layoutToUse;
+            return [layoutToUse, btoa(Utils.MinifyJSON(JSON.stringify(json)))];
         } catch (e) {
 
             new FixedUiElement("Error: could not parse the custom layout:<br/> " + e).AttachTo("centermessage");
diff --git a/index.ts b/index.ts
index 79a81b2ea0..472fb943fb 100644
--- a/index.ts
+++ b/index.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import {QueryParameters} from "./Logic/Web/QueryParameters";
 import {UIEventSource} from "./Logic/UIEventSource";
 import * as $ from "jquery";
 import LayoutConfig from "./Customizations/JSON/LayoutConfig";
-import {Utils} from "./Utils";
 import MoreScreen from "./UI/BigComponents/MoreScreen";
 import State from "./State";
 import Combine from "./UI/Base/Combine";
@@ -34,7 +33,6 @@ if (location.href.indexOf("buurtnatuur.be") >= 0) {
 }
 
 
-
 let testing: UIEventSource<string>;
 if (location.hostname === "localhost" || location.hostname === "127.0.0.1") {
     testing = QueryParameters.GetQueryParameter("test", "true");
@@ -88,7 +86,7 @@ new Combine(["Initializing... <br/>",
     new FixedUiElement("<a>If this message persist, something went wrong - click here to try again</a>")
         .SetClass("link-underline small")
         .onClick(() => {
-        localStorage.clear();
+            localStorage.clear();
             window.location.reload(true);
 
         })])
@@ -136,8 +134,8 @@ if (layoutFromBase64.startsWith("http")) {
     });
 
 } else if (layoutFromBase64 !== "false") {
-    layoutToUse = InitUiElements.LoadLayoutFromHash(userLayoutParam);
-    InitUiElements.InitAll(layoutToUse, layoutFromBase64, testing, defaultLayout, location.hash.substr(1));
+    let [layoutToUse, encoded] = InitUiElements.LoadLayoutFromHash(userLayoutParam);
+    InitUiElements.InitAll(layoutToUse, layoutFromBase64, testing, defaultLayout, encoded);
 } else if (layoutToUse !== undefined) {
     // This is the default case: a builtin theme
     InitUiElements.InitAll(layoutToUse, layoutFromBase64, testing, defaultLayout);