# Settings overview How TalkBar Settings is organized, how to find any setting with search, and what highlighted, flagged and locked settings mean. Canonical URL: https://docs.talkbar.app/settings/overview Settings is where you change how TalkBar looks, records, uses AI, shares and stores your data. This section is the complete reference: one page for each Settings tab, with every control, what it does and its default value. For how a feature works, follow the links to its feature page. ## Opening Settings - Click **Settings** at the bottom of the main sidebar. A red badge on it means a setting needs your attention. - Open the TalkBar logo menu and choose **Settings**. A submenu lists every tab, so you can jump straight to one. - Click your account card in the sidebar to open [Account](/settings/account-and-workspaces). - Click the gear in the Quick Actions menu to open [Quick Actions](/settings/quick-actions). Most changes save as soon as you make them. You don't need to press a Save button unless a page shows one, such as **Save Timezone** in [General](/settings/general#time). ## How Settings is organized The Settings sidebar groups the tabs into four sections. | Group | Tab | What you set there | Reference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Workspace | **General** | Appearance, session defaults, session detection, cleanup, knowledge scans, language, updates, startup, time, calendar, logs | [General](/settings/general) | | Workspace | **Projects** | Create, edit, pin and restore projects | [Projects, topics and keywords](/settings/projects-and-topics) | | Workspace | **Topics & Keywords** | Topics, AI keywords and action item labels | [Projects, topics and keywords](/settings/projects-and-topics) | | Workspace | **Templates & Skills** | Session templates, summary sections, note templates, skills and knowledge skills | [Templates & Skills](/settings/templates-and-skills) | | Workspace | **Quick Actions** | The floating Quick Actions button and its shortcuts | [Quick Actions](/settings/quick-actions) | | AI & Voice | **AI Providers** | Default and per-feature models, providers, token limits, request settings | [AI Providers](/settings/ai-providers) | | AI & Voice | **Private Local AI** | Private AI Mode and the models that run on your computer | [Private Local AI](/settings/private-local-ai) | | AI & Voice | **Voice** | Microphone, recording, transcription, dictation and speakers | [Voice](/settings/voice) | | Connections | **Notifications** | Email, Telegram, Slack, Teams and webhook channels, and desktop notifications | [Notifications](/settings/notifications) | | Connections | **MCP Access** | Let other AI apps on this computer work with your TalkBar data | [MCP Access](/settings/mcp-access) | | Connections | **Export & Share** | Export destinations and rules, share links, custom branding | [Export & Share](/settings/export-and-share) | | System | **Account** | Your profiles and workspaces | [Account and workspaces](/settings/account-and-workspaces) | | System | **License** | Your plan, license key and upgrades | [License](/settings/license) | | System | **Data & Backup** | Data folder, backups, transfer between computers, recovery code, reset | [Data & Backup](/settings/data-and-backup) | | System | **Help & Tours** | Replay onboarding and guided tours | [Help & Tours and Doctor](/settings/help-and-doctor) | | System | **Doctor** | Check your setup and jump to fixes | [Help & Tours and Doctor](/settings/help-and-doctor) | At the top of the sidebar, **Back** returns you to where you were before Settings. At the bottom: - **Check for Update** checks for a new TalkBar version right away. - **Contact us** opens a form for sending a message to the TalkBar team. - **Quit / Hide** asks whether to quit TalkBar (**Quit App**) or keep it running in the tray (**Hide to Tray**). ### Inner tabs Several tabs are split into inner tabs along the top of the page. | Tab | Inner tabs | | --- | --- | | **AI Providers** | **AI Features**, **Providers**, **Models**, **Advanced** | | **Private Local AI** | **Local AI models**, **Speech models**, **System models** | | **Voice** | **Recording**, **Transcription**, **Dictation**, **Speakers** | | **Templates & Skills** | **Session templates**, **Summary sections**, **Note templates**, **Skills**, **Knowledge** | | **Topics & Keywords** | **Topics**, **Keywords**, **Action Items** | | **Export & Share** | **Export Session**, **Share Content**, **Custom branding** | ## Find a setting **Find a setting…** at the top of the Settings sidebar searches every setting in every tab. 1. Click **Find a setting…**. With the search box empty, it lists all tabs by group, so you can also use it to jump between tabs. 2. Type a word, such as *dark mode*, *shortcut*, *backup* or *Telegram*. Results are grouped by tab and show the section each setting belongs to. Search also matches related words and descriptions, so *telemetry* finds **Share usage statistics**. English setting names work even when TalkBar is in another language. 3. Pick a result. TalkBar opens the right tab and inner tab, scrolls to the control, and highlights it. If nothing matches, you see **No matching settings**. ## Highlighted settings When search or a link opens a specific setting, the control briefly scales up and flashes in your accent color so you can spot it on the page. A link to a specific setting elsewhere in TalkBar, such as one in an Ask TalkBar answer, opens it the same way. ## Attention dots A red dot next to a tab in the Settings sidebar means something there needs your attention. Dots can appear on: - **AI Providers**: an AI provider or model has a problem, or a saved provider key can't be read. - **Private Local AI**: a built-in model that TalkBar needs isn't downloaded. - **Notifications**: a turned-on delivery channel failed to deliver or is missing its password or token. - **Export & Share**: a saved export destination or branding key can't be read on this computer. - **Data & Backup**: TalkBar can't read your saved keys on this computer. Use your recovery code there to restore them. - **License**: your license needs attention. The **Settings** item in the main sidebar shows a badge while there are problems. [Doctor](/settings/help-and-doctor#doctor) checks your setup and takes you to the fix for most problems. ## Settings managed by your organization If your organization manages TalkBar, some settings may be locked. A tab with locked controls shows a notice at the top: - **Your organization manages some of these settings.** Some controls on the page are locked, and the others work as usual. - **Your organization locked these settings. They keep working as set up.** The whole setup on the page is locked. What's already configured keeps working, but you can't change it. Locked controls are greyed out. A **Managed by your organization** label marks them, and its tooltip reads **Your organization manages this setting.** Notices can appear on **General**, **AI Providers**, **Private Local AI**, **Notifications**, **MCP Access**, **Export & Share**, **Data & Backup** and **License**. To change a locked setting, contact your administrator. ## Related - [Getting around](/getting-started/getting-around) - [First-run setup](/getting-started/first-run-setup) - [General](/settings/general) - [Help & Tours and Doctor](/settings/help-and-doctor) - [Troubleshooting](/help/troubleshooting)