The Interface

MainBranch keeps almost everything one click away from the left sidebar. This page is a quick tour of the shell.

The left sidebar

The sidebar is your main navigation. You can collapse it to icons by clicking the chevron at the top, or by pressing the collapse shortcut (Cmd/Ctrl + .). Your preference is saved across sessions.

From top to bottom:

• MainBranch logo — Click to start a new chat. Also expands the sidebar if it was collapsed.
• Search — Opens the search palette (also Cmd/Ctrl + K).
• New Chat — Starts a fresh conversation. Also Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + O.
• Applications — Quick jumps to Vault, Meetings, and the Tools (Smart Forms, Presentations).
• Chat history — Pinned chats at the top, then recent chats ordered by last activity. Scroll to load older conversations. Hover any chat to reveal a menu with pin, rename, archive, and delete actions.
• Notifications bell — A dot indicates unread items. Click to open your notification inbox.
• Profile button — Your avatar, name, and the menu described below.

The profile menu

Click your name in the sidebar footer to open the profile menu. It contains:

• Profile settings — Display name, avatar, password, two-factor, notification preferences, and data controls.
• Workspace settings — Only visible if you're an admin or owner. Opens the workspace administration area.
• Theme — Light, Dark, or System. The active theme has a check mark.
• Help & support — Links to this documentation, FAQ, and a contact email for support.
• Terms and Privacy — Open the legal pages in a new tab.
• Sign out — Signs you out (with confirmation).

Search

Press Cmd/Ctrl + K from anywhere to open the search palette. It searches across your chat history, Vault files, and meetings, and offers quick links into the app. For the full search experience with filters, see Search.

Theme

MainBranch ships with light and dark themes. Pick one from the profile menu. System follows your operating system setting and switches automatically.

Notifications

The bell in the sidebar footer opens your notification inbox. You'll see in-app alerts for things like a completed transcription, a document someone shared with you, or a data export that's ready. Click any notification to jump to the related item. You can archive, delete, or mark notifications as read from the menu (⋯) at the top of the popover.

Notification preferences live in Profile settings → Notifications. There you decide which types you receive in-app vs. by email.

What's next

Try Your First Chat.