The first time you open the panel there is a lot on screen and it is not obvious what does what. The layout is actually always the same and has four parts. This article explains every part, every button, and where each one sits on a phone.
The layout of the screen
On a desktop the screen splits into four areas:
Left rail — the account switcher, the section menu, and your name at the bottom.
Top bar — the search field, Help, the notification bell and the user bar.
Bands — warning strips that appear above the top bar. They are not always there.
Work area — the content of whichever section you opened.
On a phone the left rail is hidden: sections drop into a bottom tab bar and the menu becomes a drawer that opens from the left.
Which bands can appear
Announcement — read it and close it with the cross on the right.
Trial — if your plan is on a trial, it shows the days left and a link to the plan page. Only the portfolio owner sees it.
Overdue payment — a red strip saying a payment could not be taken. Also owner-only.
Connection broken — appears when the open account's channel connection drops, with a Reconnect link for roles allowed to connect. While this strip is up, no messages arrive and no automations run.
The left menu and its sections
The list in the middle of the left rail is the set of sections for the account that is open. Which ones appear depends on three things: the account's channel type, your plan and your role in the portfolio.
Home — where the account stands right now.
Inbox — all conversations.
Automations — flows, folders, rules and sequences.
Contacts — a record for everyone who writes to you.
Media — the files used in flows and conversations.
Reports — the panel's own numbers.
My profile — Instagram accounts only. The post grid; the Insights and Create post entries live under this screen too.
Settings — the settings of the open account only.
At the bottom sit your name and email; clicking there opens the user menu.
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💡 If you cannot see a section in the menu, the reason is usually one of these: it is closed for your role, your plan does not cover it, or it does not exist for this channel type (for example, My profile is not there for a WhatsApp account). Typing the address by hand does not help either; the page enforces the same rule itself.
Switching accounts and portfolios
The box at the very top of the left rail is the account switcher. It shows the name and picture of the account currently open; clicking it lists all your portfolios and the accounts inside them.
How to read that list:
Portfolio headings — the ones you own come first. For a portfolio you do not own, your role is shown; if it is scheduled for deletion, a To be deleted marker appears.
Gear icon — next to the portfolio heading; opens Portfolio settings. Only the owner and admins see it.
Account rows — @username on Instagram, the number's name or the number itself on WhatsApp. The open row carries a check mark.
Connect account — under each portfolio, if you have permission to connect and the portfolio is not locked.
New portfolio — at the bottom of the list.
When you switch to an account, the panel remembers it as your "last used account" and opens there next time. To change that, use Account to open after sign-in in My user settings › Preferences.
The top bar: search, help and notifications
Search (⌘K)
The search field on the left of the top bar is the fastest route through the panel. Open it with ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows), or with / when you are not typing into a field.
Search returns two kinds of result:
Sections and Settings — filtered instantly. Choosing a setting takes you to that page and highlights the field.
Contacts, Conversations, Automations — fetched from the server as you type.
Move through results with ↑ ↓, open with Enter, close with Esc. On a phone the search icon opens a full-screen search page.
Help
The Help button in the top bar opens the article for the screen you are on, in a new tab. If that screen has no article, it goes to the help centre home page — the button never leads nowhere.
Notification bell
The bell shows the unread count as a badge. Inside it:
Incoming message notifications, automation errors and announcements are listed line by line.
The Account filter switches between This account and All. With several accounts, that filter saves a lot of scrolling.
The Mark all as read link clears the list.
Clicking a row takes you to the conversation or automation it refers to.
User bar
The user bar at the far right carries:
My profile and My user settings links.
Theme buttons: Light, Dark, System.
Language (when more than one language is enabled).
Sign out.
What is on the home page
An account's home page is a snapshot of that account right now. From top to bottom:
Header block — a greeting with your name, the account's name, and two numbers: unread conversations and messages sent. If you are on a trial, the days left appear here too. Below it sit Inbox and Automations shortcuts.
Continue setup — appears only while something is missing. It can hold three steps: Reconnect this account, Invite your team, Publish your first automation, each with a shortcut. Finish later shrinks the card to a thin line; Show setup brings it back.
Counters — four tiles: Contacts, Unread conversations, Running automations, Messages sent · 7 days. Each carries a sub-line ("12 new in 7 days") and clicking a tile takes you to the matching list.
Needs attention — appears when something is wrong: automation runs that could not finish, messages that could not be sent, conversations with no assignee, and disconnected channels. If there is a line here, that is the first job of the day.
Plan usage — used/limit values for contacts, active automations, team members, AI credits, file storage and accounts. This card is visible only to the portfolio owner; admins, editors, agents and viewers do not see someone else's plan.
If you have not turned on two-step verification, a short reminder with a Turn on now button appears here as well.
Theme, language and personal preferences
Appearance preferences concern only you; they do not affect your teammates. You can change them in two places: quickly from the user bar in the top bar, or permanently in My user settings › Preferences.
The fields on the Preferences screen:
Interface language — the language of the panel.
Theme — System, Light or Dark. With System it follows your device setting.
Account to open after sign-in — Last used or a specific account. Shown only if you have more than one account.
Enter sends the message — when off, Enter adds a new line and the message goes out with the Send button or Ctrl+Enter.
Changes are written with the Save button.
On phones and tablets
The panel behaves like an app on a phone. The differences:
Bottom tab bar — the Menu button at the far left, then Home, Chats, Automations. The Chats tab shows the unread count as a badge.
Menu drawer — the Menu button opens it from the left; the account switcher, all sections and the user menu live there.
Search — the icon in the top bar opens full-screen search.
Install prompt — a card offers to add the panel to your home screen. How that works is covered in the installing the app article.
On a tablet the layout leans towards the desktop or the phone arrangement depending on screen width; the sections are identical, only the menu's position changes.
⚠️ Note: On the Portfolio settings and My user settings screens, the left menu shows a single Back to the panel link instead of the section list. That is expected: those screens are not inside an account.
Once you can find your way around, the next step is the first-week checklist. If a screen puzzles you, press the Help button in the top bar while you are on it.