diff --git a/components/settings/settings.cpp b/components/settings/settings.cpp
index 500d3c6e6..463230bc7 100644
--- a/components/settings/settings.cpp
+++ b/components/settings/settings.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using namespace Settings;
 
 Ogre::ConfigFile Manager::mFile = Ogre::ConfigFile();
 Ogre::ConfigFile Manager::mDefaultFile = Ogre::ConfigFile();
+SettingCategoryVector Manager::mChangedSettings = SettingCategoryVector();
 
 void Manager::loadUser (const std::string& file)
 {
@@ -77,8 +78,11 @@ void Manager::setString (const std::string& setting, const std::string& category
     {
         Ogre::ConfigFile::SettingsMultiMap::iterator i = it.current();
 
-        if ((*i).first == setting)
+        if ((*i).first == setting && (*i).second != value)
+        {
+            mChangedSettings.push_back(std::make_pair(setting, category));
             (*i).second = value;
+        }
 
         it.getNext();
     }
@@ -98,3 +102,10 @@ void Manager::setBool (const std::string& setting, const std::string& category,
 {
     setString(setting, category, Ogre::StringConverter::toString(value));
 }
+
+const SettingCategoryVector Manager::apply()
+{
+    SettingCategoryVector vec = mChangedSettings;
+    mChangedSettings.clear();
+    return vec;
+}
diff --git a/components/settings/settings.hpp b/components/settings/settings.hpp
index 46f8139c4..98fad605e 100644
--- a/components/settings/settings.hpp
+++ b/components/settings/settings.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 namespace Settings
 {
+    typedef std::vector< std::pair<std::string, std::string> > SettingCategoryVector;
 
     ///
     /// \brief Settings management (can change during runtime)
@@ -12,9 +13,13 @@ namespace Settings
     class Manager
     {
     public:
+
         static Ogre::ConfigFile mFile;
         static Ogre::ConfigFile mDefaultFile;
 
+        static SettingCategoryVector mChangedSettings;
+        ///< tracks all the settings that were changed since the last apply() call
+
         void loadDefault (const std::string& file);
         ///< load file as the default settings (can be overridden by user settings)
 
@@ -27,6 +32,9 @@ namespace Settings
         void saveUser (const std::string& file);
         ///< save user settings to file
 
+        const SettingCategoryVector apply();
+        ///< returns the list of changed settings and then clears it
+
         static const int getInt (const std::string& setting, const std::string& category);
         static const float getFloat (const std::string& setting, const std::string& category);
         static const std::string getString (const std::string& setting, const std::string& category);