# Getting around The TalkBar layout, the sidebar, Home, universal search, Quick Actions, the session bar, guided tours, keyboard shortcuts and the interface language. Canonical URL: https://docs.talkbar.app/getting-started/getting-around Keyboard shortcuts shown below are Windows defaults. On macOS, check the shortcut shown in TalkBar or its settings; configurable shortcuts can be changed there. This page shows where everything is in the TalkBar main window and how to move around quickly. For a guided version, take the *Find your way around* tour from **Help → Take a tour**. ## The sidebar The sidebar on the left holds the main areas of the app. | Item | What it opens | | --- | --- | | **Home** | Your start page. | | **Recording** | The session you are recording now. After a session ends it is called **Last session** and opens the most recent one. A status indicator shows when you are recording, paused or on hold. | | **Sessions** | Every recorded session. Your recent sessions are listed underneath. | | **Chats** | Your conversations with TalkBar. | | **Notes** | Your own notes. | | **Knowledge** | Memory cards, documents, people, companies and action items that TalkBar keeps for you. A **Review** item appears under it when AI suggestions are waiting. | | **Projects** | Your projects, one click away. Use **+** to create one, and pin the ones you use most. | | **Settings** | All settings. A red badge means something needs your attention. | | Account card | At the very bottom: your profile and the active workspace. Click it to switch workspace or manage your account. | Collapse the sidebar to a narrow rail with the button at its top. To pin icon links to Knowledge pages, such as **Documents** or **People**, under Knowledge, turn on **Show Knowledge shortcuts** in **Settings → General → Appearance**. ## The title bar | Control | What it does | | --- | --- | | **TalkBar logo** | Opens the TalkBar menu: **About TalkBar**, **Check for updates**, a **Settings** submenu, **Set up AI…**, **Turn on Private AI Mode** (or **Turn off Private AI Mode**), **Show Session Bar** (or **Hide Session Bar**), **Close Window** and **Quit TalkBar**. | | **New session** | Opens the New session window to start a recording. | | **Upcoming** | Lists your scheduled sessions. A session that is starting soon gets a **Start** button. | | **Help** | **Take a tour**, **Documentation** and **Contact us**. | When Private AI Mode is on, the logo becomes a green shield to remind you that all AI features run on local models only. See [Private AI Mode](/ai/private-ai-mode). **Close Window** hides TalkBar to the system tray, and so does the window's close button. TalkBar keeps running there. Use **Quit TalkBar** to exit completely. ## Home Home is your start page for the active workspace. - The greeting names the active **workspace**. **New session** starts a recording. - **Add** creates a **Chat**, **Note**, **Person**, **Company** or **Knowledge card**. - Four tiles count your **Sessions**, **Chats**, **Notes** and **Documents**. Click a tile to open that list. - **Up next** appears when sessions are scheduled soon. Start one, or open its preparation. - The time range menu sets how far back the recent list goes, such as **Today** or **This week**. Click **Set as default** to keep your choice. - The recent list shows your latest sessions, notes and chats by day. Switch between **All** and **Pinned**, filter by type, and search. ## Universal search Press `Ctrl+K`, or click the search box at the top of the sidebar, to search everything in the workspace. Outside text fields, `/` opens search too. Search finds sessions, notes, chats, action items, documents, memory cards, people, companies, projects and series. Matches inside a transcript, summary or document text are marked as such. In the note editor these keys belong to the editor: `/` opens the editor's command menu and `Ctrl+K` inserts a link. To find a setting, use the **Find a setting…** box at the top of the Settings sidebar. ## Quick Actions The round button in the bottom-right corner opens **Quick Actions**, your shortcuts for common tasks. By default it holds **Home**, **New session**, **Sessions**, **Chat** and **Settings**. You can also add Recording, Calendar, Chats, Knowledge, Notes, Documents and Projects. Choose and reorder the items in **Settings → Quick Actions**. See [Quick Actions settings](/settings/quick-actions). ## The session bar The session bar is a small floating window that stays on top of your other apps. - While you record, it shows a compact view of the session, with the latest words of the current speaker. - When session detection is on and your microphone is free, TalkBar listens on this computer for a conversation and offers to start a session from the bar. Audio and text never leave this device, and nothing is saved until you start. Show or hide it from the TalkBar logo menu, or with `Ctrl+Alt+B`. You can drag the bar anywhere. Configure detection, the shortcut, its position, how many lines it shows and the **Skip duration** (how long the bar's Skip button pauses detection) in **Settings → General → Session detection**. Session detection is on by default. ## Guided tours Tours point at the real screen and explain it step by step. - **Help → Take a tour** opens a tour picker with the tour for the current screen selected. - **Settings → Help & Tours** lists every tour by group, shows how many you have completed, and lets you **Start** a tour or **Run Again**. - Press `Esc` or click **Skip Tour** to stop a tour. A skipped tour is marked so you can come back to it. - When you finish a tour, TalkBar usually offers the next one in the same group. While a tour runs, only the highlighted part of the screen responds to clicks. ## Keyboard shortcuts ### In the app | Shortcut | What it does | | --- | --- | | `Ctrl+K` | Open or close search. | | `/` | Open search (outside text fields and editors). | | `Esc` | In search, clear the query, then close search. During a tour, stop the tour. On the recording screen, leave Focus mode. | | `Ctrl+J` | In a note, jump to the **Ask AI to write or edit…** bar. | | `Ctrl+Shift+O` | In a chat, start a new chat with the same setup. | | `Shift+Esc` | On the Chats page, return to the message box. | | `J` / `K` | On the Knowledge **Review** page, move to the next or previous suggestion. | | `A` / `E` / `D` / `S` | On the **Review** page, approve, edit, dismiss or snooze the current suggestion. | | `Space` | On the **Review** page, select the current suggestion. | ### Anywhere on your computer These shortcuts work even when TalkBar is in the background. You can change each one, or turn it off, in Settings. | Shortcut | What it does | Default | Where to change it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Hold `Ctrl+Shift` | Start or stop dictation. A short tap does nothing. | On | **Settings → Voice → Dictation → Dictation shortcut** | | `Ctrl+Shift+Enter` | While dictating, insert what you have so far and keep recording. | On | **Settings → Voice → Dictation → Insert while recording** | | `Ctrl+Shift+L` | Polish the dictation with AI and insert it. Works only while **Polish with AI** is on. | On | **Settings → Voice → Dictation → Polish shortcut** | | `Ctrl+Shift+M` | Mute or unmute all microphone input to TalkBar. Other apps are not affected. | On | **Settings → Voice → Recording → Mute microphone shortcut** | | `Ctrl+Alt+B` | Show or hide the session bar. | On | **Settings → General → Session detection → Session bar shortcut** | | `Ctrl+Shift+Space` | Open and focus the main TalkBar window. | Off | **Settings → General → Startup → Show TalkBar shortcut** | If a shortcut is already used by another app, TalkBar tells you and asks you to choose a different one. **Settings → Doctor** also checks your shortcuts. See [Dictation](/voice/dictation). ## Interface language TalkBar's interface is available in 15 languages: English, Español, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Русский, Türkçe, Polski, Українська, 简体中文, Português (Brasil), Português (Portugal), 日本語, 한국어 and 繁體中文. Choose it during first-run setup, or later in **Settings → General → Application UI Language**. The change applies right away, including in the session bar and the dictation panel. Some regional licenses include only certain interface languages. If a language is unavailable, TalkBar explains why and links to **Settings → License**. The interface language is separate from the language TalkBar transcribes. Set that in **Settings → Voice → Transcription**. See [Recording and transcription](/voice/recording-and-transcription). ## Related - [Your first session](/getting-started/first-session) - [Settings overview](/settings/overview) - [General settings](/settings/general) - [Help and Doctor](/settings/help-and-doctor)