diff --git a/src/logic/DebugProfile.swift b/src/logic/DebugProfile.swift
index aea9ea2c..cbd7cc48 100644
--- a/src/logic/DebugProfile.swift
+++ b/src/logic/DebugProfile.swift
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class DebugProfile {
             ("OS architecture", Sysctl.run("hw.machine")),
             ("Locale", Locale.current.debugDescription),
             ("Spaces", String(Spaces.allIdsAndIndexes().count)),
-            ("Dark mode", Preferences.getString("AppleInterfaceStyle") ?? "Light"),
+            ("Dark mode", defaults.string(forKey: "AppleInterfaceStyle") ?? "Light"),
             ("\"Displays have separate Spaces\"", NSScreen.screensHaveSeparateSpaces ? "checked" : "unchecked"),
             // hardware
             ("Hardware model", Sysctl.run("hw.model")),
diff --git a/src/logic/Preferences.swift b/src/logic/Preferences.swift
index 5fbc8ffe..00e9119d 100644
--- a/src/logic/Preferences.swift
+++ b/src/logic/Preferences.swift
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ class Preferences {
         defaults.string(forKey: key)
     }
 
-    static func set(_ key: String, _ value: Any?) {
+    static func set(_ key: String, _ value: String) {
         defaults.set(value, forKey: key)
         UserDefaults.cache.removeValue(forKey: key)
     }
@@ -436,39 +436,50 @@ enum CrashPolicyPreference: String, CaseIterable, MacroPreference {
 }
 
 extension UserDefaults {
-    static var cache = [String: Any]()
+    static var cache = [String: String]()
 
-    func getFromCacheOrFresh<T>(_ key: String, _ getterFn: () -> T?) -> T {
+    func getFromCacheOrFetchAndCache(_ key: String) -> String {
         if let c = UserDefaults.cache[key] {
-            return c as! T
+            return c
         }
-        if let v = getterFn() {
-            UserDefaults.cache[key] = v
-            return v
-        }
-        removeObject(forKey: key)
-        let v = getterFn()!
+        let v = defaults.string(forKey: key)!
         UserDefaults.cache[key] = v
         return v
     }
 
+    func getThenConvertOrReset<T>(_ key: String, _ getterFn: (String) -> T?) -> T {
+        let stringValue = getFromCacheOrFetchAndCache(key)
+        if let v = getterFn(stringValue) {
+            return v
+        }
+        removeObject(forKey: key)
+        UserDefaults.cache.removeValue(forKey: key)
+        let stringValue2 = getFromCacheOrFetchAndCache(key)
+        let v = getterFn(stringValue2)!
+        return v
+    }
+
     func string(_ key: String) -> String {
-        return getFromCacheOrFresh(key, { string(forKey: key)! })
+        return getFromCacheOrFetchAndCache(key)
     }
 
     func int(_ key: String) -> Int {
-        return getFromCacheOrFresh(key, { Int(string(key)) })
+        return getThenConvertOrReset(key, { s in Int(s) })
     }
 
     func bool(_ key: String) -> Bool {
-        return getFromCacheOrFresh(key, { Bool(string(key)) })
+        return getThenConvertOrReset(key, { s in Bool(s) })
     }
 
     func cgfloat(_ key: String) -> CGFloat {
-        return getFromCacheOrFresh(key, { Int(string(key)).map { CGFloat($0) } })
+        return getThenConvertOrReset(key, { s in Int(s).flatMap { CGFloat($0) } })
+    }
+
+    func double(_ key: String) -> Double {
+        return getThenConvertOrReset(key, { s in Double(s) })
     }
 
     func macroPref<A>(_ key: String, _ macroPreferences: [A]) -> A {
-        return getFromCacheOrFresh(key, { macroPreferences[safe: int(key)] })
+        return getThenConvertOrReset(key, { s in Int(s).flatMap { macroPreferences[safe: $0] } })
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/preferences-window/LabelAndControl.swift b/src/ui/preferences-window/LabelAndControl.swift
index fde8fe34..b1c695e6 100644
--- a/src/ui/preferences-window/LabelAndControl.swift
+++ b/src/ui/preferences-window/LabelAndControl.swift
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class LabelAndControl: NSObject {
     static func makeLabelWithCheckbox(_ labelText: String, _ rawName: String, extraAction: ActionClosure? = nil, labelPosition: LabelPosition = .leftWithSeparator) -> [NSView] {
         let checkbox = NSButton(checkboxWithTitle: labelPosition == .right ? labelText : " ", target: nil, action: nil)
         checkbox.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        checkbox.state = (Preferences.getString(rawName)! as NSString).boolValue ? .on : .off
+        checkbox.state = defaults.bool(rawName) ? .on : .off
         let views = makeLabelWithProvidedControl(labelText, rawName, checkbox, labelPosition: labelPosition, extraAction: extraAction)
         return views
     }
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class LabelAndControl: NSObject {
             extraAction?(textArea)
         }
         textArea.identifier = NSUserInterfaceItemIdentifier(rawName)
-        textArea.stringValue = Preferences.getString(rawName)!
+        textArea.stringValue = defaults.string(rawName)
         return [textArea]
     }
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class LabelAndControl: NSObject {
         let popUp = NSPopUpButton()
         popUp.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
         popUp.addItems(withTitles: macroPreferences.map { $0.localizedString })
-        popUp.selectItem(at: Int(Preferences.getString(rawName)!)!)
+        popUp.selectItem(at: defaults.int(rawName))
         return popUp
     }
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class LabelAndControl: NSObject {
         return macroPreferences.map {
             let button = NSButton(radioButtonWithTitle: $0.localizedString, target: nil, action: nil)
             button.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-            button.state = Int(Preferences.getString(rawName)!)! == i ? .on : .off
+            button.state = defaults.int(rawName) == i ? .on : .off
             _ = setupControl(button, rawName, String(i), extraAction: extraAction)
             i += 1
             return button
@@ -64,12 +64,12 @@ class LabelAndControl: NSObject {
     }
 
     static func makeLabelWithSlider(_ labelText: String, _ rawName: String, _ minValue: Double, _ maxValue: Double, _ numberOfTickMarks: Int, _ allowsTickMarkValuesOnly: Bool, _ unitText: String = "", extraAction: ActionClosure? = nil) -> [NSView] {
-        let value = Preferences.getString(rawName)!
-        let suffixText = MeasurementFormatter().string(from: Measurement(value: Double(value)!, unit: Unit(symbol: unitText)))
+        let value = defaults.double(rawName)
+        let suffixText = MeasurementFormatter().string(from: Measurement(value: value, unit: Unit(symbol: unitText)))
         let slider = NSSlider()
         slider.minValue = minValue
         slider.maxValue = maxValue
-        slider.stringValue = value
+        slider.stringValue = String(value)
         slider.isContinuous = true
         return makeLabelWithProvidedControl(labelText, rawName, slider, suffixText, extraAction: extraAction)
     }