diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 748dc287ef..3650c495f2 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -7389,7 +7389,10 @@ void Application::updateDisplayMode() {
         getApplicationCompositor().setDisplayPlugin(newDisplayPlugin);
         _displayPlugin = newDisplayPlugin;
         connect(_displayPlugin.get(), &DisplayPlugin::presented, this, &Application::onPresent);
-        offscreenUi->getDesktop()->setProperty("repositionLocked", wasRepositionLocked);
+        auto desktop = offscreenUi->getDesktop();
+        if (desktop) {
+            desktop->setProperty("repositionLocked", wasRepositionLocked);
+        }
     }
 
     bool isHmd = _displayPlugin->isHmd();
diff --git a/interface/src/ui/LoginDialog.cpp b/interface/src/ui/LoginDialog.cpp
index c9341fd3d9..515215a8d3 100644
--- a/interface/src/ui/LoginDialog.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/ui/LoginDialog.cpp
@@ -169,12 +169,14 @@ void LoginDialog::openUrl(const QString& url) const {
     auto offscreenUi = DependencyManager::get<OffscreenUi>();
 
     if (tablet->getToolbarMode()) {
-        auto browser = offscreenUi->load("Browser.qml");
-        browser->setProperty("url", url);
+        offscreenUi->load("Browser.qml", [=](QQmlContext* context, QObject* newObject) {
+            newObject->setProperty("url", url);
+        });
     } else {
         if (!hmd->getShouldShowTablet() && !qApp->isHMDMode()) {
-            auto browser = offscreenUi->load("Browser.qml");
-            browser->setProperty("url", url);
+            offscreenUi->load("Browser.qml", [=](QQmlContext* context, QObject* newObject) {
+                newObject->setProperty("url", url);
+            });
         } else {
             tablet->gotoWebScreen(url);
         }
diff --git a/libraries/ui/src/OffscreenUi.cpp b/libraries/ui/src/OffscreenUi.cpp
index c1120f1775..b4a07ecd47 100644
--- a/libraries/ui/src/OffscreenUi.cpp
+++ b/libraries/ui/src/OffscreenUi.cpp
@@ -554,20 +554,19 @@ void OffscreenUi::createDesktop(const QUrl& url) {
     getSurfaceContext()->setContextProperty("DebugQML", QVariant(false));
 #endif
 
-    _desktop = dynamic_cast<QQuickItem*>(load(url));
-    Q_ASSERT(_desktop);
-    getSurfaceContext()->setContextProperty("desktop", _desktop);
+    load(url, [=](QQmlContext* context, QObject* newObject) {
+        _desktop = static_cast<QQuickItem*>(newObject);
+        getSurfaceContext()->setContextProperty("desktop", _desktop);
+        _toolWindow = _desktop->findChild<QQuickItem*>("ToolWindow");
 
-    _toolWindow = _desktop->findChild<QQuickItem*>("ToolWindow");
+        _vrMenu = new VrMenu(this);
+        for (const auto& menuInitializer : _queuedMenuInitializers) {
+            menuInitializer(_vrMenu);
+        }
 
-    _vrMenu = new VrMenu(this);
-    for (const auto& menuInitializer : _queuedMenuInitializers) {
-        menuInitializer(_vrMenu);
-    }
-
-    new KeyboardFocusHack();
-
-    connect(_desktop, SIGNAL(showDesktop()), this, SIGNAL(showDesktop()));
+        new KeyboardFocusHack();
+        connect(_desktop, SIGNAL(showDesktop()), this, SIGNAL(showDesktop()));
+    });
 }
 
 QQuickItem* OffscreenUi::getDesktop() {
diff --git a/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.cpp b/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.cpp
index 84466f41b0..d29dc7a0f9 100644
--- a/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.cpp
+++ b/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.cpp
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ void OffscreenQmlSurface::setBaseUrl(const QUrl& baseUrl) {
     _qmlContext->setBaseUrl(baseUrl);
 }
 
-QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::load(const QUrl& qmlSource, bool createNewContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
+void OffscreenQmlSurface::load(const QUrl& qmlSource, bool createNewContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
     if (QThread::currentThread() != thread()) {
         qCWarning(uiLogging) << "Called load on a non-surface thread";
     }
@@ -662,32 +662,32 @@ QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::load(const QUrl& qmlSource, bool createNewContext,
             [this, qmlComponent, targetContext, f](QQmlComponent::Status) {
             finishQmlLoad(qmlComponent, targetContext, f);
         });
-        return nullptr;
+        return;
     }
 
-    return finishQmlLoad(qmlComponent, targetContext, f);
+    finishQmlLoad(qmlComponent, targetContext, f);
 }
 
-QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::loadInNewContext(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
-    return load(qmlSource, true, f);
+void OffscreenQmlSurface::loadInNewContext(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
+    load(qmlSource, true, f);
 }
 
-QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::load(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
-    return load(qmlSource, false, f);
+void OffscreenQmlSurface::load(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
+    load(qmlSource, false, f);
 }
 
 void OffscreenQmlSurface::clearCache() {
     _qmlContext->engine()->clearComponentCache();
 }
 
-QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlContext* qmlContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
+void OffscreenQmlSurface::finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlContext* qmlContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f) {
     disconnect(qmlComponent, &QQmlComponent::statusChanged, this, 0);
     if (qmlComponent->isError()) {
         for (const auto& error : qmlComponent->errors()) {
             qCWarning(uiLogging) << error.url() << error.line() << error;
         }
         qmlComponent->deleteLater();
-        return nullptr;
+        return;
     }
 
 
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlCon
             qFatal("Unable to finish loading QML root");
         }
         qmlComponent->deleteLater();
-        return nullptr;
+        return;
     }
 
     qmlContext->engine()->setObjectOwnership(this, QQmlEngine::CppOwnership);
@@ -726,19 +726,19 @@ QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlCon
     }
 
     // If we already have a root, just set a couple of flags and the ancestry
-    if (_rootItem) {
+    if (newItem && _rootItem) {
         // Allow child windows to be destroyed from JS
         QQmlEngine::setObjectOwnership(newObject, QQmlEngine::JavaScriptOwnership);
         newObject->setParent(_rootItem);
         if (newItem) {
             newItem->setParentItem(_rootItem);
         }
-        return newObject;
+        return;
     }
 
     if (!newItem) {
         qFatal("Could not load object as root item");
-        return nullptr;
+        return;
     }
 
     connect(newItem, SIGNAL(sendToScript(QVariant)), this, SIGNAL(fromQml(QVariant)));
@@ -747,7 +747,6 @@ QObject* OffscreenQmlSurface::finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlCon
     _rootItem = newItem;
     _rootItem->setParentItem(_quickWindow->contentItem());
     _rootItem->setSize(_quickWindow->renderTargetSize());
-    return _rootItem;
 }
 
 void OffscreenQmlSurface::updateQuick() {
diff --git a/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.h b/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.h
index 3b53f6a185..7da929723c 100644
--- a/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.h
+++ b/libraries/ui/src/ui/OffscreenQmlSurface.h
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ public:
     void resize(const QSize& size, bool forceResize = false);
     QSize size() const;
 
-    Q_INVOKABLE QObject* load(const QUrl& qmlSource, bool createNewContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
-    Q_INVOKABLE QObject* loadInNewContext(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
-    Q_INVOKABLE QObject* load(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
-    Q_INVOKABLE QObject* load(const QString& qmlSourceFile, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {}) {
+    Q_INVOKABLE void load(const QUrl& qmlSource, bool createNewContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
+    Q_INVOKABLE void loadInNewContext(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
+    Q_INVOKABLE void load(const QUrl& qmlSource, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {});
+    Q_INVOKABLE void load(const QString& qmlSourceFile, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f = [](QQmlContext*, QObject*) {}) {
         return load(QUrl(qmlSourceFile), f);
     }
     void clearCache();
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ protected:
 private:
     static QOpenGLContext* getSharedContext();
 
-    QObject* finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlContext* qmlContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f);
+    void finishQmlLoad(QQmlComponent* qmlComponent, QQmlContext* qmlContext, std::function<void(QQmlContext*, QObject*)> f);
     QPointF mapWindowToUi(const QPointF& sourcePosition, QObject* sourceObject);
     void setupFbo();
     bool allowNewFrame(uint8_t fps);