diff --git a/src/plugins/bookmarks/bookmarkfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/bookmarks/bookmarkfilter.cpp
index b0f162ff1d8..be9dc2b2254 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bookmarks/bookmarkfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/bookmarks/bookmarkfilter.cpp
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ BookmarkFilter::BookmarkFilter(BookmarkManager *manager)
     setId("Bookmarks");
     setDisplayName(tr("Bookmarks"));
     setPriority(Medium);
-    setShortcutString("b");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("b");
 }
 
 void BookmarkFilter::prepareSearch(const QString &entry)
diff --git a/src/plugins/clangcodemodel/clangcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/clangcodemodel/clangcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
index 395babd6e33..28200684103 100644
--- a/src/plugins/clangcodemodel/clangcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/clangcodemodel/clangcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
@@ -56,9 +56,9 @@ ClangCurrentDocumentFilter::ClangCurrentDocumentFilter()
 {
     setId(CppTools::Constants::CURRENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(CppTools::Constants::CURRENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(QString(QLatin1Char('.')));
+    setDefaultShortcutString(".");
     setPriority(High);
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 
     Core::EditorManager *editorManager = Core::EditorManager::instance();
     connect(editorManager, &Core::EditorManager::currentEditorChanged,
diff --git a/src/plugins/clangrefactoring/locatorfilter.h b/src/plugins/clangrefactoring/locatorfilter.h
index 08560ce049a..9990dbf890d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/clangrefactoring/locatorfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/clangrefactoring/locatorfilter.h
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ public:
     {
         setId(id);
         setDisplayName(displayName);
-        setShortcutString(shortCut);
-        setIncludedByDefault(includedByDefault);
+        setDefaultShortcutString(shortCut);
+        setDefaultIncludedByDefault(includedByDefault);
     }
 
     QList<Core::LocatorFilterEntry> matchesFor(QFutureInterface<Core::LocatorFilterEntry> &future,
diff --git a/src/plugins/cmakeprojectmanager/cmakelocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cmakeprojectmanager/cmakelocatorfilter.cpp
index a8e768d6152..c0d85123964 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cmakeprojectmanager/cmakelocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cmakeprojectmanager/cmakelocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ BuildCMakeTargetLocatorFilter::BuildCMakeTargetLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId("Build CMake target");
     setDisplayName(tr("Build CMake target"));
-    setShortcutString("cm");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("cm");
     setPriority(High);
 }
 
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ OpenCMakeTargetLocatorFilter::OpenCMakeTargetLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId("Open CMake target definition");
     setDisplayName(tr("Open CMake target"));
-    setShortcutString("cmo");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("cmo");
     setPriority(Medium);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/commandlocator.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/commandlocator.cpp
index 7ad0fea3867..8b630d3fd52 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/commandlocator.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/commandlocator.cpp
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ CommandLocator::CommandLocator(Id id,
 {
     setId(id);
     setDisplayName(displayName);
-    setShortcutString(shortCutString);
+    setDefaultShortcutString(shortCutString);
 }
 
 CommandLocator::~CommandLocator()
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.cpp
index aa3d3f1c150..6a730b0e07c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
 #include <utils/filesearch.h>
 
 #include <QFileDialog>
+#include <QJsonArray>
+#include <QJsonObject>
 
 using namespace Utils;
 
@@ -44,61 +46,102 @@ namespace Core {
     \internal
 */
 
-DirectoryFilter::DirectoryFilter(Id id)
-    : m_filters({"*.h", "*.cpp", "*.ui", "*.qrc"}),
-      m_exclusionFilters({"*/.git/*", "*/.cvs/*", "*/.svn/*"})
+const char kDisplayNameKey[] = "displayName";
+const char kDirectoriesKey[] = "directories";
+const char kFiltersKey[] = "filters";
+const char kFilesKey[] = "files";
+const char kExclusionFiltersKey[] = "exclusionFilters";
+
+const QStringList kFiltersDefault = {"*.h", "*.cpp", "*.ui", "*.qrc"};
+const QStringList kExclusionFiltersDefault = {"*/.git/*", "*/.cvs/*", "*/.svn/*"};
+
+static QString defaultDisplayName()
 {
-    setId(id);
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
-    setDisplayName(tr("Generic Directory Filter"));
+    return DirectoryFilter::tr("Generic Directory Filter");
 }
 
-QByteArray DirectoryFilter::saveState() const
+DirectoryFilter::DirectoryFilter(Id id)
+    : m_filters(kFiltersDefault)
+    , m_exclusionFilters(kExclusionFiltersDefault)
+{
+    setId(id);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDisplayName(defaultDisplayName());
+}
+
+void DirectoryFilter::saveState(QJsonObject &object) const
+{
+    QMutexLocker locker(&m_lock); // m_files is modified in other thread
+
+    if (displayName() != defaultDisplayName())
+        object.insert(kDisplayNameKey, displayName());
+    if (!m_directories.isEmpty())
+        object.insert(kDirectoriesKey, QJsonArray::fromStringList(m_directories));
+    if (m_filters != kFiltersDefault)
+        object.insert(kFiltersKey, QJsonArray::fromStringList(m_filters));
+    if (!m_files.isEmpty())
+        object.insert(kFilesKey,
+                      QJsonArray::fromStringList(
+                          Utils::transform(m_files, &Utils::FilePath::toString)));
+    if (m_exclusionFilters != kExclusionFiltersDefault)
+        object.insert(kExclusionFiltersKey, QJsonArray::fromStringList(m_exclusionFilters));
+}
+
+static QStringList toStringList(const QJsonArray &array)
+{
+    return Utils::transform(array.toVariantList(), &QVariant::toString);
+}
+
+void DirectoryFilter::restoreState(const QJsonObject &object)
 {
     QMutexLocker locker(&m_lock);
-    QByteArray value;
-    QDataStream out(&value, QIODevice::WriteOnly);
-    out << displayName();
-    out << m_directories;
-    out << m_filters;
-    out << shortcutString();
-    out << isIncludedByDefault();
-    out << Utils::transform(m_files, &Utils::FilePath::toString);
-    out << m_exclusionFilters;
-    return value;
+    setDisplayName(object.value(kDisplayNameKey).toString(defaultDisplayName()));
+    m_directories = toStringList(object.value(kDirectoriesKey).toArray());
+    m_filters = toStringList(
+        object.value(kFiltersKey).toArray(QJsonArray::fromStringList(kFiltersDefault)));
+    m_files = Utils::transform(toStringList(object.value(kFilesKey).toArray()),
+                               &FilePath::fromString);
+    m_exclusionFilters = toStringList(
+        object.value(kExclusionFiltersKey)
+            .toArray(QJsonArray::fromStringList(kExclusionFiltersDefault)));
 }
 
 void DirectoryFilter::restoreState(const QByteArray &state)
 {
-    QMutexLocker locker(&m_lock);
+    if (isOldSetting(state)) {
+        // TODO read old settings, remove some time after Qt Creator 4.15
+        QMutexLocker locker(&m_lock);
 
-    QString name;
-    QStringList directories;
-    QString shortcut;
-    bool defaultFilter;
-    QStringList files;
+        QString name;
+        QStringList directories;
+        QString shortcut;
+        bool defaultFilter;
+        QStringList files;
 
-    QDataStream in(state);
-    in >> name;
-    in >> directories;
-    in >> m_filters;
-    in >> shortcut;
-    in >> defaultFilter;
-    in >> files;
-    m_files = Utils::transform(files, &Utils::FilePath::fromString);
-    if (!in.atEnd()) // Qt Creator 4.3 and later
-        in >> m_exclusionFilters;
-    else
-        m_exclusionFilters.clear();
+        QDataStream in(state);
+        in >> name;
+        in >> directories;
+        in >> m_filters;
+        in >> shortcut;
+        in >> defaultFilter;
+        in >> files;
+        m_files = Utils::transform(files, &Utils::FilePath::fromString);
+        if (!in.atEnd()) // Qt Creator 4.3 and later
+            in >> m_exclusionFilters;
+        else
+            m_exclusionFilters.clear();
 
-    if (m_isCustomFilter)
-        m_directories = directories;
-    setDisplayName(name);
-    setShortcutString(shortcut);
-    setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
+        if (m_isCustomFilter)
+            m_directories = directories;
+        setDisplayName(name);
+        setShortcutString(shortcut);
+        setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
 
-    locker.unlock();
-    updateFileIterator();
+        locker.unlock();
+        updateFileIterator();
+    } else {
+        ILocatorFilter::restoreState(state);
+    }
 }
 
 bool DirectoryFilter::openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh)
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.h
index 4b48aa636c5..c629722ac2a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/directoryfilter.h
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ class CORE_EXPORT DirectoryFilter : public BaseFileFilter
 
 public:
     DirectoryFilter(Utils::Id id);
-    QByteArray saveState() const override;
     void restoreState(const QByteArray &state) override;
     bool openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh) override;
     void refresh(QFutureInterface<void> &future) override;
@@ -60,7 +59,9 @@ public:
     void setFilters(const QStringList &filters);
     void setExclusionFilters(const QStringList &exclusionFilters);
 
-    using ILocatorFilter::setDisplayName;
+protected:
+    void saveState(QJsonObject &object) const final;
+    void restoreState(const QJsonObject &object) final;
 
 private:
     void handleAddDirectory();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/executefilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/executefilter.cpp
index b77712c5cc1..6110f13f713 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/executefilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/executefilter.cpp
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ ExecuteFilter::ExecuteFilter()
 {
     setId("Execute custom commands");
     setDisplayName(tr("Execute Custom Commands"));
-    setShortcutString("!");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("!");
     setPriority(High);
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 
     m_process = new Utils::QtcProcess(this);
     m_process->setEnvironment(Utils::Environment::systemEnvironment());
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/externaltoolsfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/externaltoolsfilter.cpp
index 2c68454815d..da8887b1f45 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/externaltoolsfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/externaltoolsfilter.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ ExternalToolsFilter::ExternalToolsFilter()
 {
     setId("Run external tool");
     setDisplayName(tr("Run External Tool"));
-    setShortcutString("x");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("x");
     setPriority(Medium);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.cpp
index f7d940a73fc..118ebb25325 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include <utils/fileutils.h>
 
 #include <QDir>
+#include <QJsonObject>
 #include <QPushButton>
 #include <QRegularExpression>
 
@@ -65,8 +66,8 @@ FileSystemFilter::FileSystemFilter()
 {
     setId("Files in file system");
     setDisplayName(tr("Files in File System"));
-    setShortcutString("f");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("f");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 void FileSystemFilter::prepareSearch(const QString &entry)
@@ -235,28 +236,36 @@ bool FileSystemFilter::openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh)
     return false;
 }
 
-QByteArray FileSystemFilter::saveState() const
+const char kIncludeHiddenKey[] = "includeHidden";
+
+void FileSystemFilter::saveState(QJsonObject &object) const
 {
-    QByteArray value;
-    QDataStream out(&value, QIODevice::WriteOnly);
-    out << m_includeHidden;
-    out << shortcutString();
-    out << isIncludedByDefault();
-    return value;
+    if (m_includeHidden != kIncludeHiddenDefault)
+        object.insert(kIncludeHiddenKey, m_includeHidden);
+}
+
+void FileSystemFilter::restoreState(const QJsonObject &object)
+{
+    m_currentIncludeHidden = object.value(kIncludeHiddenKey).toBool(kIncludeHiddenDefault);
 }
 
 void FileSystemFilter::restoreState(const QByteArray &state)
 {
-    QDataStream in(state);
-    in >> m_includeHidden;
+    if (isOldSetting(state)) {
+        // TODO read old settings, remove some time after Qt Creator 4.15
+        QDataStream in(state);
+        in >> m_includeHidden;
 
-    // An attempt to prevent setting this on old configuration
-    if (!in.atEnd()) {
-        QString shortcut;
-        bool defaultFilter;
-        in >> shortcut;
-        in >> defaultFilter;
-        setShortcutString(shortcut);
-        setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
+        // An attempt to prevent setting this on old configuration
+        if (!in.atEnd()) {
+            QString shortcut;
+            bool defaultFilter;
+            in >> shortcut;
+            in >> defaultFilter;
+            setShortcutString(shortcut);
+            setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
+        }
+    } else {
+        ILocatorFilter::restoreState(state);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.h
index 0a4c8cec818..fb0bb3b2ea1 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/filesystemfilter.h
@@ -47,16 +47,20 @@ public:
                                          const QString &entry) override;
     void accept(LocatorFilterEntry selection,
                 QString *newText, int *selectionStart, int *selectionLength) const override;
-    QByteArray saveState() const override;
     void restoreState(const QByteArray &state) override;
     bool openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh) override;
     void refresh(QFutureInterface<void> &) override {}
 
+protected:
+    void saveState(QJsonObject &object) const final;
+    void restoreState(const QJsonObject &object) final;
+
 private:
     static MatchLevel matchLevelFor(const QRegularExpressionMatch &match, const QString &matchText);
 
-    bool m_includeHidden = true;
-    bool m_currentIncludeHidden = true;
+    static const bool kIncludeHiddenDefault = true;
+    bool m_includeHidden = kIncludeHiddenDefault;
+    bool m_currentIncludeHidden = kIncludeHiddenDefault;
     QString m_currentDocumentDirectory;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.cpp
index ec064bba522..66a2b86e2cd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
 #include <QCoreApplication>
 #include <QDialog>
 #include <QDialogButtonBox>
+#include <QJsonDocument>
+#include <QJsonObject>
 #include <QLabel>
 #include <QLineEdit>
 #include <QRegularExpression>
@@ -117,32 +119,55 @@ void ILocatorFilter::prepareSearch(const QString &entry)
 }
 
 /*!
-    Sets the \a shortcut string that can be used to explicitly choose this
-    filter in the locator input field. Call from the constructor of subclasses
-    to set the default setting.
+    Sets the default \a shortcut string that can be used to explicitly choose
+    this filter in the locator input field. Call for example from the
+    constructor of subclasses.
 
     \sa shortcutString()
 */
+void ILocatorFilter::setDefaultShortcutString(const QString &shortcut)
+{
+    m_defaultShortcut = shortcut;
+    m_shortcut = shortcut;
+}
+
+/*!
+    Sets the current shortcut string of the filter to \a shortcut. Use
+    setDefaultShortcutString() if you want to set the default shortcut string
+    instead.
+
+    \sa setDefaultShortcutString()
+*/
 void ILocatorFilter::setShortcutString(const QString &shortcut)
 {
     m_shortcut = shortcut;
 }
 
+const char kShortcutStringKey[] = "shortcut";
+const char kIncludedByDefaultKey[] = "includeByDefault";
+
 /*!
     Returns data that can be used to restore the settings for this filter
     (for example at startup).
     By default, adds the base settings (shortcut string, included by default)
-    with a data stream.
+    and calls saveState() with a JSON object where subclasses should write
+    their custom settings.
 
     \sa restoreState()
 */
 QByteArray ILocatorFilter::saveState() const
 {
-    QByteArray value;
-    QDataStream out(&value, QIODevice::WriteOnly);
-    out << shortcutString();
-    out << isIncludedByDefault();
-    return value;
+    QJsonObject obj;
+    if (shortcutString() != m_defaultShortcut)
+        obj.insert(kShortcutStringKey, shortcutString());
+    if (isIncludedByDefault() != m_defaultIncludedByDefault)
+        obj.insert(kIncludedByDefaultKey, isIncludedByDefault());
+    saveState(obj);
+    if (obj.isEmpty())
+        return {};
+    QJsonDocument doc;
+    doc.setObject(obj);
+    return doc.toJson(QJsonDocument::Compact);
 }
 
 /*!
@@ -153,15 +178,22 @@ QByteArray ILocatorFilter::saveState() const
 */
 void ILocatorFilter::restoreState(const QByteArray &state)
 {
-    QString shortcut;
-    bool defaultFilter;
+    QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(state);
+    if (state.isEmpty() || doc.isObject()) {
+        const QJsonObject obj = doc.object();
+        setShortcutString(obj.value(kShortcutStringKey).toString(m_defaultShortcut));
+        setIncludedByDefault(obj.value(kIncludedByDefaultKey).toBool(m_defaultIncludedByDefault));
+        restoreState(obj);
+    } else {
+        // TODO read old settings, remove some time after Qt Creator 4.15
+        m_shortcut = m_defaultShortcut;
+        m_includedByDefault = m_defaultIncludedByDefault;
 
-    QDataStream in(state);
-    in >> shortcut;
-    in >> defaultFilter;
-
-    setShortcutString(shortcut);
-    setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
+        // TODO this reads legacy settings from Qt Creator < 4.15
+        QDataStream in(state);
+        in >> m_shortcut;
+        in >> m_includedByDefault;
+    }
 }
 
 /*!
@@ -281,13 +313,26 @@ bool ILocatorFilter::isIncludedByDefault() const
 }
 
 /*!
-    Sets whether using the shortcut string is required to use this filter
-    to \a includedByDefault.
+    Sets the default setting for whether using the shortcut string is required
+    to use this filter to \a includedByDefault.
 
-    Call from the constructor of subclasses to change the default.
+    Call for example from the constructor of subclasses.
 
     \sa isIncludedByDefault()
 */
+void ILocatorFilter::setDefaultIncludedByDefault(bool includedByDefault)
+{
+    m_defaultIncludedByDefault = includedByDefault;
+    m_includedByDefault = includedByDefault;
+}
+
+/*!
+    Sets whether using the shortcut string is required to use this filter to
+    \a includedByDefault. Use setDefaultIncludedByDefault() if you want to
+    set the default value instead.
+
+    \sa setDefaultIncludedByDefault()
+*/
 void ILocatorFilter::setIncludedByDefault(bool includedByDefault)
 {
     m_includedByDefault = includedByDefault;
@@ -402,7 +447,8 @@ void ILocatorFilter::setPriority(Priority priority)
 }
 
 /*!
-    Sets the translated display name of this filter to \a displayString.
+    Sets the translated display name of this filter to \a
+    displayString.
 
     Subclasses must set the display name in their constructor.
 
@@ -474,6 +520,44 @@ bool ILocatorFilter::openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, QWidget *additionalWidget
     return accepted;
 }
 
+/*!
+    Saves the filter settings and state to the JSON \a object.
+
+    The default implementation does nothing.
+
+    Implementations should write key-value pairs to the \a object for their
+    custom settings that changed from the default. Default values should
+    never be saved.
+*/
+void ILocatorFilter::saveState(QJsonObject &object) const
+{
+    Q_UNUSED(object)
+}
+
+/*!
+    Reads the filter settings and state from the JSON \a object
+
+    The default implementation does nothing.
+
+    Implementations should read their custom settings from the \a object,
+    resetting any missing setting to its default value.
+*/
+void ILocatorFilter::restoreState(const QJsonObject &object)
+{
+    Q_UNUSED(object)
+}
+
+/*!
+    Returns if \a state must be restored via pre-4.15 settings reading.
+*/
+bool ILocatorFilter::isOldSetting(const QByteArray &state)
+{
+    if (state.isEmpty())
+        return false;
+    const QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(state);
+    return !doc.isObject();
+}
+
 /*!
     \fn QList<Core::LocatorFilterEntry> Core::ILocatorFilter::matchesFor(QFutureInterface<Core::LocatorFilterEntry> &future, const QString &entry)
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.h
index 5e09697162a..06decea1eab 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/ilocatorfilter.h
@@ -125,10 +125,12 @@ public:
     Utils::Id actionId() const;
 
     QString displayName() const;
+    void setDisplayName(const QString &displayString);
 
     Priority priority() const;
 
     QString shortcutString() const;
+    void setDefaultShortcutString(const QString &shortcut);
     void setShortcutString(const QString &shortcut);
 
     virtual void prepareSearch(const QString &entry);
@@ -147,6 +149,7 @@ public:
     bool isConfigurable() const;
 
     bool isIncludedByDefault() const;
+    void setDefaultIncludedByDefault(bool includedByDefault);
     void setIncludedByDefault(bool includedByDefault);
 
     bool isHidden() const;
@@ -172,16 +175,22 @@ protected:
     void setHidden(bool hidden);
     void setId(Utils::Id id);
     void setPriority(Priority priority);
-    void setDisplayName(const QString &displayString);
     void setConfigurable(bool configurable);
     bool openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, QWidget *additionalWidget);
 
+    virtual void saveState(QJsonObject &object) const;
+    virtual void restoreState(const QJsonObject &object);
+
+    static bool isOldSetting(const QByteArray &state);
+
 private:
     Utils::Id m_id;
     QString m_shortcut;
     Priority m_priority = Medium;
     QString m_displayName;
-    bool m_includedByDefault = false;
+    QString m_defaultShortcut;
+    bool m_defaultIncludedByDefault = false;
+    bool m_includedByDefault = m_defaultIncludedByDefault;
     bool m_hidden = false;
     bool m_enabled = true;
     bool m_isConfigurable = true;
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/javascriptfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/javascriptfilter.cpp
index 8600580e0cd..b187287630b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/javascriptfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/javascriptfilter.cpp
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ JavaScriptFilter::JavaScriptFilter()
 {
     setId("JavaScriptFilter");
     setDisplayName(tr("Evaluate JavaScript"));
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
-    setShortcutString("=");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("=");
     m_abortTimer.setSingleShot(true);
     m_abortTimer.setInterval(1000);
     connect(&m_abortTimer, &QTimer::timeout, this, [this] {
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locator.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locator.cpp
index 53862f117e1..7bf290612e2 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locator.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locator.cpp
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public:
 
 LocatorData::LocatorData()
 {
-    m_urlFilter.setShortcutString("r");
+    m_urlFilter.setDefaultShortcutString("r");
     m_urlFilter.addDefaultUrl("https://www.bing.com/search?q=%1");
     m_urlFilter.addDefaultUrl("https://www.google.com/search?q=%1");
     m_urlFilter.addDefaultUrl("https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%1");
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ LocatorData::LocatorData()
         "http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=%1");
     m_urlFilter.addDefaultUrl("https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%1");
 
-    m_bugFilter.setShortcutString("bug");
+    m_bugFilter.setDefaultShortcutString("bug");
     m_bugFilter.addDefaultUrl("https://bugreports.qt.io/secure/QuickSearch.jspa?searchString=%1");
 }
 
@@ -172,7 +172,11 @@ bool Locator::delayedInitialize()
 void Locator::loadSettings()
 {
     SettingsDatabase *settings = ICore::settingsDatabase();
-    settings->beginGroup("QuickOpen");
+    // check if we have to read old settings
+    // TOOD remove a few versions after 4.15
+    const QString settingsGroup = settings->contains("Locator") ? QString("Locator")
+                                                                : QString("QuickOpen");
+    settings->beginGroup(settingsGroup);
     m_refreshTimer.setInterval(settings->value("RefreshInterval", 60).toInt() * 60000);
 
     for (ILocatorFilter *filter : qAsConst(m_filters)) {
@@ -297,12 +301,14 @@ void Locator::saveSettings() const
 
     SettingsDatabase *s = ICore::settingsDatabase();
     s->beginTransaction();
-    s->beginGroup("QuickOpen");
+    s->beginGroup("Locator");
     s->remove(QString());
     s->setValue("RefreshInterval", refreshInterval());
     for (ILocatorFilter *filter : m_filters) {
-        if (!m_customFilters.contains(filter))
-            s->setValue(filter->id().toString(), filter->saveState());
+        if (!m_customFilters.contains(filter)) {
+            const QByteArray state = filter->saveState();
+            s->setValueWithDefault(filter->id().toString(), state);
+        }
     }
     s->beginGroup("CustomFilters");
     int i = 0;
@@ -311,7 +317,8 @@ void Locator::saveSettings() const
                                  Constants::CUSTOM_DIRECTORY_FILTER_BASEID)
                                  ? kDirectoryFilterPrefix
                                  : kUrlFilterPrefix;
-        s->setValue(prefix + QString::number(i), filter->saveState());
+        const QByteArray state = filter->saveState();
+        s->setValueWithDefault(prefix + QString::number(i), state);
         ++i;
     }
     s->endGroup();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locatorfiltersfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locatorfiltersfilter.cpp
index b229327aadb..9b95274ff38 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locatorfiltersfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/locatorfiltersfilter.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ LocatorFiltersFilter::LocatorFiltersFilter():
 {
     setId("FiltersFilter");
     setDisplayName(tr("Available filters"));
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
     setHidden(true);
     setPriority(Highest);
     setConfigurable(false);
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/opendocumentsfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/opendocumentsfilter.cpp
index b58293fae8f..2a10fcce006 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/opendocumentsfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/opendocumentsfilter.cpp
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ OpenDocumentsFilter::OpenDocumentsFilter()
 {
     setId("Open documents");
     setDisplayName(tr("Open Documents"));
-    setShortcutString("o");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("o");
     setPriority(High);
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
 
     connect(DocumentModel::model(), &QAbstractItemModel::dataChanged,
             this, &OpenDocumentsFilter::refreshInternally);
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.cpp
index 4306e9cd336..494a9a8583b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -205,11 +205,6 @@ static QString defaultCaseSensitiveArguments()
     return "-l 10000 -r \"%{Query:Regex}\"";
 }
 
-const char kShortcutStringDefault[] = "md";
-const bool kIncludedByDefaultDefault = false;
-
-const char kShortcutStringKey[] = "shortcut";
-const char kIncludedByDefaultKey[] = "includeByDefault";
 const char kCommandKey[] = "command";
 const char kArgumentsKey[] = "arguments";
 const char kCaseSensitiveKey[] = "caseSensitive";
@@ -244,6 +239,8 @@ static MacroExpander *createMacroExpander(const QString &query)
 SpotlightLocatorFilter::SpotlightLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId("SpotlightFileNamesLocatorFilter");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("md");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
     setDisplayName(tr("File Name Index"));
     setConfigurable(true);
     reset();
@@ -305,45 +302,25 @@ bool SpotlightLocatorFilter::openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefres
     return accepted;
 }
 
-QByteArray SpotlightLocatorFilter::saveState() const
+void SpotlightLocatorFilter::saveState(QJsonObject &obj) const
 {
-    QJsonObject obj;
-    if (shortcutString() != kShortcutStringDefault)
-        obj.insert(kShortcutStringKey, shortcutString());
-    if (isIncludedByDefault() != kIncludedByDefaultDefault)
-        obj.insert(kIncludedByDefaultKey, isIncludedByDefault());
     if (m_command != defaultCommand())
         obj.insert(kCommandKey, m_command);
     if (m_arguments != defaultArguments())
         obj.insert(kArgumentsKey, m_arguments);
     if (m_caseSensitiveArguments != defaultCaseSensitiveArguments())
         obj.insert(kCaseSensitiveKey, m_caseSensitiveArguments);
-    QJsonDocument doc;
-    doc.setObject(obj);
-    return doc.toJson(QJsonDocument::Compact);
 }
 
-void SpotlightLocatorFilter::restoreState(const QByteArray &state)
+void SpotlightLocatorFilter::restoreState(const QJsonObject &obj)
 {
-    QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(state);
-    if (doc.isNull() || !doc.isObject()) {
-        reset();
-        ILocatorFilter::restoreState(state); // legacy settings from Qt Creator < 4.15
-    } else {
-        const QJsonObject obj = doc.object();
-        setShortcutString(obj.value(kShortcutStringKey).toString(kShortcutStringDefault));
-        setIncludedByDefault(obj.value(kIncludedByDefaultKey).toBool(kIncludedByDefaultDefault));
-        m_command = obj.value(kCommandKey).toString(defaultCommand());
-        m_arguments = obj.value(kArgumentsKey).toString(defaultArguments());
-        m_caseSensitiveArguments = obj.value(kCaseSensitiveKey)
-                                       .toString(defaultCaseSensitiveArguments());
-    }
+    m_command = obj.value(kCommandKey).toString(defaultCommand());
+    m_arguments = obj.value(kArgumentsKey).toString(defaultArguments());
+    m_caseSensitiveArguments = obj.value(kCaseSensitiveKey).toString(defaultCaseSensitiveArguments());
 }
 
 void SpotlightLocatorFilter::reset()
 {
-    setShortcutString(kShortcutStringDefault);
-    setIncludedByDefault(kIncludedByDefaultDefault);
     m_command = defaultCommand();
     m_arguments = defaultArguments();
     m_caseSensitiveArguments = defaultCaseSensitiveArguments();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.h
index 874f54af7f2..b96e0cae8c5 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/spotlightlocatorfilter.h
@@ -44,8 +44,9 @@ public:
     using ILocatorFilter::openConfigDialog;
     bool openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh) final;
 
-    QByteArray saveState() const final;
-    void restoreState(const QByteArray &state) final;
+protected:
+    void saveState(QJsonObject &obj) const final;
+    void restoreState(const QJsonObject &obj) final;
 
 private:
     void reset();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.cpp
index 8041b476c25..2e3b8628941 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -25,9 +25,12 @@
 
 #include "urllocatorfilter.h"
 
+#include <utils/algorithm.h>
 #include <utils/stringutils.h>
 
 #include <QDesktopServices>
+#include <QJsonArray>
+#include <QJsonObject>
 #include <QMutexLocker>
 #include <QUrl>
 
@@ -136,8 +139,9 @@ UrlLocatorFilter::UrlLocatorFilter(Id id)
 UrlLocatorFilter::UrlLocatorFilter(const QString &displayName, Id id)
 {
     setId(id);
+    m_defaultDisplayName = displayName;
     setDisplayName(displayName);
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 UrlLocatorFilter::~UrlLocatorFilter() = default;
@@ -177,37 +181,51 @@ void UrlLocatorFilter::refresh(QFutureInterface<void> &future)
     // Nothing to refresh
 }
 
-QByteArray UrlLocatorFilter::saveState() const
+const char kDisplayNameKey[] = "displayName";
+const char kRemoteUrlsKey[] = "remoteUrls";
+
+void UrlLocatorFilter::saveState(QJsonObject &object) const
 {
-    QByteArray value;
-    QDataStream out(&value, QIODevice::WriteOnly);
-    out << m_remoteUrls.join('^');
-    out << shortcutString();
-    out << isIncludedByDefault();
-    out << displayName();
-    return value;
+    if (displayName() != m_defaultDisplayName)
+        object.insert(kDisplayNameKey, displayName());
+    if (m_remoteUrls != m_defaultUrls)
+        object.insert(kRemoteUrlsKey, QJsonArray::fromStringList(m_remoteUrls));
+}
+
+void UrlLocatorFilter::restoreState(const QJsonObject &object)
+{
+    setDisplayName(object.value(kDisplayNameKey).toString(m_defaultDisplayName));
+    m_remoteUrls = Utils::transform(object.value(kRemoteUrlsKey)
+                                        .toArray(QJsonArray::fromStringList(m_defaultUrls))
+                                        .toVariantList(),
+                                    &QVariant::toString);
 }
 
 void UrlLocatorFilter::restoreState(const QByteArray &state)
 {
-    QDataStream in(state);
+    if (isOldSetting(state)) {
+        // TODO read old settings, remove some time after Qt Creator 4.15
+        QDataStream in(state);
 
-    QString value;
-    in >> value;
-    m_remoteUrls = value.split('^', Qt::SkipEmptyParts);
+        QString value;
+        in >> value;
+        m_remoteUrls = value.split('^', Qt::SkipEmptyParts);
 
-    QString shortcut;
-    in >> shortcut;
-    setShortcutString(shortcut);
+        QString shortcut;
+        in >> shortcut;
+        setShortcutString(shortcut);
 
-    bool defaultFilter;
-    in >> defaultFilter;
-    setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
+        bool defaultFilter;
+        in >> defaultFilter;
+        setIncludedByDefault(defaultFilter);
 
-    if (!in.atEnd()) {
-        QString name;
-        in >> name;
-        setDisplayName(name);
+        if (!in.atEnd()) {
+            QString name;
+            in >> name;
+            setDisplayName(name);
+        }
+    } else {
+        ILocatorFilter::restoreState(state);
     }
 }
 
@@ -232,6 +250,7 @@ bool UrlLocatorFilter::openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh)
 void UrlLocatorFilter::addDefaultUrl(const QString &urlTemplate)
 {
     m_remoteUrls.append(urlTemplate);
+    m_defaultUrls.append(urlTemplate);
 }
 
 QStringList UrlLocatorFilter::remoteUrls() const
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.h
index 21c5f674cfb..3b7cdf4f413 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/locator/urllocatorfilter.h
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ public:
     void accept(Core::LocatorFilterEntry selection,
                 QString *newText, int *selectionStart, int *selectionLength) const override;
     void refresh(QFutureInterface<void> &future) override;
-    QByteArray saveState() const override;
     void restoreState(const QByteArray &state) override;
     bool openConfigDialog(QWidget *parent, bool &needsRefresh) override;
 
@@ -59,9 +58,13 @@ public:
     void setIsCustomFilter(bool value);
     bool isCustomFilter() const;
 
-    using ILocatorFilter::setDisplayName;
+protected:
+    void saveState(QJsonObject &object) const final;
+    void restoreState(const QJsonObject &object) final;
 
 private:
+    QString m_defaultDisplayName;
+    QStringList m_defaultUrls;
     QStringList m_remoteUrls;
     bool m_isCustomFilter = false;
     mutable QMutex m_mutex;
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/menubarfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/menubarfilter.cpp
index 51de8809eec..524ad4d07b8 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/menubarfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/menubarfilter.cpp
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ MenuBarFilter::MenuBarFilter()
 {
     setId("Actions from the menu");
     setDisplayName(tr("Actions from the Menu"));
-    setShortcutString("t");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("t");
     connect(ICore::instance(), &ICore::contextAboutToChange, this, [this] {
         if (LocatorManager::locatorHasFocus())
             updateEnabledActionCache();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.cpp
index dd00ca1c9f6..a7e9a1ca167 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.cpp
@@ -195,7 +195,21 @@ QVariant SettingsDatabase::value(const QString &key, const QVariant &defaultValu
 
 bool SettingsDatabase::contains(const QString &key) const
 {
-    return d->m_settings.contains(d->effectiveKey(key));
+    // check exact key
+    // this already caches the value
+    if (value(key).isValid())
+        return true;
+    // check for group
+    if (d->m_db.isOpen()) {
+        const QString glob = d->effectiveKey(key) + "/?*";
+        QSqlQuery query(d->m_db);
+        query.prepare(
+            QLatin1String("SELECT value FROM settings WHERE key GLOB '%1' LIMIT 1").arg(glob));
+        query.exec();
+        if (query.next())
+            return true;
+    }
+    return false;
 }
 
 void SettingsDatabase::remove(const QString &key)
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.h
index 5879de22455..833355ef827 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/settingsdatabase.h
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ public:
 
     void setValue(const QString &key, const QVariant &value);
     QVariant value(const QString &key, const QVariant &defaultValue = QVariant()) const;
+
+    template<typename T>
+    void setValueWithDefault(const QString &key, const T &val, const T &defaultValue);
+    template<typename T>
+    void setValueWithDefault(const QString &key, const T &val);
+
     bool contains(const QString &key) const;
     void remove(const QString &key);
 
@@ -61,4 +67,22 @@ private:
     Internal::SettingsDatabasePrivate *d;
 };
 
+template<typename T>
+void SettingsDatabase::setValueWithDefault(const QString &key, const T &val, const T &defaultValue)
+{
+    if (val == defaultValue)
+        remove(key);
+    else
+        setValue(key, QVariant::fromValue(val));
+}
+
+template<typename T>
+void SettingsDatabase::setValueWithDefault(const QString &key, const T &val)
+{
+    if (val == T())
+        remove(key);
+    else
+        setValue(key, QVariant::fromValue(val));
+}
+
 } // namespace Core
diff --git a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppclassesfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppclassesfilter.cpp
index efa6fec9658..24182259fc2 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppclassesfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppclassesfilter.cpp
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ CppClassesFilter::CppClassesFilter(CppLocatorData *locatorData)
 {
     setId(Constants::CLASSES_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::CLASSES_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(QLatin1String("c"));
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("c");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 CppClassesFilter::~CppClassesFilter() = default;
diff --git a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
index fdd49205040..388aca6c701 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppcurrentdocumentfilter.cpp
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ CppCurrentDocumentFilter::CppCurrentDocumentFilter(CppTools::CppModelManager *ma
 {
     setId(Constants::CURRENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::CURRENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(".");
+    setDefaultShortcutString(".");
     setPriority(High);
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 
     search.setSymbolsToSearchFor(SymbolSearcher::Declarations |
                                  SymbolSearcher::Enums |
diff --git a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppfunctionsfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppfunctionsfilter.cpp
index 597e0f4d035..8b83508e421 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppfunctionsfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppfunctionsfilter.cpp
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ CppFunctionsFilter::CppFunctionsFilter(CppLocatorData *locatorData)
 {
     setId(Constants::FUNCTIONS_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::FUNCTIONS_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString("m");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("m");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 CppFunctionsFilter::~CppFunctionsFilter() = default;
diff --git a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppincludesfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppincludesfilter.cpp
index 0856d268641..32eef13349d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cpptools/cppincludesfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cpptools/cppincludesfilter.cpp
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ CppIncludesFilter::CppIncludesFilter()
 {
     setId(Constants::INCLUDES_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::INCLUDES_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString("ai");
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("ai");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
     setPriority(ILocatorFilter::Low);
 
     connect(ProjectExplorerPlugin::instance(), &ProjectExplorerPlugin::fileListChanged,
diff --git a/src/plugins/cpptools/cpplocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/cpptools/cpplocatorfilter.cpp
index 1705634cad0..2bca12c5556 100644
--- a/src/plugins/cpptools/cpplocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/cpptools/cpplocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ CppLocatorFilter::CppLocatorFilter(CppLocatorData *locatorData)
 {
     setId(Constants::LOCATOR_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::LOCATOR_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(":");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString(":");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 CppLocatorFilter::~CppLocatorFilter() = default;
diff --git a/src/plugins/help/helpindexfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/help/helpindexfilter.cpp
index 4d0a89a08f9..ee810c866e7 100644
--- a/src/plugins/help/helpindexfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/help/helpindexfilter.cpp
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ HelpIndexFilter::HelpIndexFilter()
 {
     setId("HelpIndexFilter");
     setDisplayName(tr("Help Index"));
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
-    setShortcutString("?");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("?");
 
     m_icon = Utils::Icons::BOOKMARK.icon();
     connect(Core::HelpManager::Signals::instance(), &Core::HelpManager::Signals::setupFinished,
diff --git a/src/plugins/languageclient/locatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/languageclient/locatorfilter.cpp
index e51aed5aa74..45822fa272a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/languageclient/locatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/languageclient/locatorfilter.cpp
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ DocumentLocatorFilter::DocumentLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_DOCUMENT_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(".");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString(".");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
     setPriority(ILocatorFilter::Low);
     connect(Core::EditorManager::instance(), &Core::EditorManager::currentEditorChanged,
             this, &DocumentLocatorFilter::updateCurrentClient);
@@ -208,8 +208,8 @@ WorkspaceLocatorFilter::WorkspaceLocatorFilter(const QVector<SymbolKind> &filter
 {
     setId(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString(":");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString(":");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
     setPriority(ILocatorFilter::Low);
 }
 
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ WorkspaceClassLocatorFilter::WorkspaceClassLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_CLASS_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_CLASS_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString("c");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("c");
 }
 
 WorkspaceMethodLocatorFilter::WorkspaceMethodLocatorFilter()
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ WorkspaceMethodLocatorFilter::WorkspaceMethodLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_METHOD_FILTER_ID);
     setDisplayName(Constants::LANGUAGECLIENT_WORKSPACE_METHOD_FILTER_DISPLAY_NAME);
-    setShortcutString("m");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("m");
 }
 
 } // namespace LanguageClient
diff --git a/src/plugins/macros/macrolocatorfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/macros/macrolocatorfilter.cpp
index 7e8bed50407..73350757922 100644
--- a/src/plugins/macros/macrolocatorfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/macros/macrolocatorfilter.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ MacroLocatorFilter::MacroLocatorFilter()
 {
     setId("Macros");
     setDisplayName(tr("Text Editing Macros"));
-    setShortcutString("rm");
+    setDefaultShortcutString("rm");
 }
 
 MacroLocatorFilter::~MacroLocatorFilter() = default;
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/allprojectsfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/allprojectsfilter.cpp
index c045dcfbe02..a8ffa7ba7cb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/allprojectsfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/allprojectsfilter.cpp
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ AllProjectsFilter::AllProjectsFilter()
 {
     setId("Files in any project");
     setDisplayName(tr("Files in Any Project"));
-    setShortcutString(QString(QLatin1Char('a')));
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("a");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
 
     connect(ProjectExplorerPlugin::instance(), &ProjectExplorerPlugin::fileListChanged,
             this, &AllProjectsFilter::markFilesAsOutOfDate);
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/currentprojectfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/currentprojectfilter.cpp
index b077a035d13..14d20a587e3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/currentprojectfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/currentprojectfilter.cpp
@@ -35,12 +35,13 @@ using namespace Core;
 using namespace ProjectExplorer;
 using namespace ProjectExplorer::Internal;
 
-CurrentProjectFilter::CurrentProjectFilter() : BaseFileFilter()
+CurrentProjectFilter::CurrentProjectFilter()
+    : BaseFileFilter()
 {
     setId("Files in current project");
     setDisplayName(tr("Files in Current Project"));
-    setShortcutString(QString(QLatin1Char('p')));
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("p");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 
     connect(ProjectTree::instance(), &ProjectTree::currentProjectChanged,
             this, &CurrentProjectFilter::currentProjectChanged);
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectexplorer.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectexplorer.cpp
index 1bd863b26a2..5520137cb45 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectexplorer.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectexplorer.cpp
@@ -2798,8 +2798,9 @@ ProjectExplorerPluginPrivate::ProjectExplorerPluginPrivate()
     : m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter("Files in All Project Directories")
 {
     m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setDisplayName(m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.id().toString());
-    m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setShortcutString("a");      // shared with "Files in Any Project"
-    m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setIncludedByDefault(false); // but not included in default
+    // shared with "Files in Any Project":
+    m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setDefaultShortcutString("a");
+    m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false); // but not included in default
     m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setFilters({});
     m_allProjectDirectoriesFilter.setIsCustomFilter(false);
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmljstools/qmljsfunctionfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/qmljstools/qmljsfunctionfilter.cpp
index 715347ebf34..869401a571f 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmljstools/qmljsfunctionfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmljstools/qmljsfunctionfilter.cpp
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ FunctionFilter::FunctionFilter(LocatorData *data, QObject *parent)
 {
     setId("Functions");
     setDisplayName(tr("QML Functions"));
-    setShortcutString("m");
-    setIncludedByDefault(false);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("m");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(false);
 }
 
 FunctionFilter::~FunctionFilter() = default;
diff --git a/src/plugins/texteditor/linenumberfilter.cpp b/src/plugins/texteditor/linenumberfilter.cpp
index 23ebf25e72e..dc1f6298c2d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/texteditor/linenumberfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/texteditor/linenumberfilter.cpp
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ LineNumberFilter::LineNumberFilter(QObject *parent)
     setId("Line in current document");
     setDisplayName(tr("Line in Current Document"));
     setPriority(High);
-    setShortcutString("l");
-    setIncludedByDefault(true);
+    setDefaultShortcutString("l");
+    setDefaultIncludedByDefault(true);
 }
 
 void LineNumberFilter::prepareSearch(const QString &entry)