Navigating the dashboard

Whatever else is on screen, the dashboard is always these three things:

1. The top bar — everything you can do: help, import, merge, invite, and creating a tree.
2. The find row — search, sort, and how the cards are laid out. Appears once you have trees.
3. A card per tree — open it, and every action that applies to that one tree.

Opens the help panel on the right. Search anything, or browse the sections. Many answers carry a Show me button that highlights the actual control on screen — useful when you know what you want but not where it lives.

Keyboard: F1.

Opens the written guide in the same tab: concepts, a reference for every field, the glossary, and Essentials — the index of illustrated walkthroughs like this one.

Help is for a quick answer in place; Guide is for reading properly.

A menu with three sources: a Salasilah backup (the JSON you get from a card's Backup button, encrypted or not), a GEDCOM file from other genealogy software, or test data — a sample family to explore with.

For when you built or imported a small tree separately and want it inside your main one. You say which people are the same person before anything is written, and nothing happens until you approve it.

Only appears once you have two or more trees — there's no source and target to pick otherwise.

Shows the one link that lets someone else start their own tree. Copy it and send it. It does not give them access to yours.

Full walkthrough: How to invite a friend.

Name it and it opens straight into the tree editor, empty and ready for the first person. You can rename it later from its card.

The sun/moon button switches the whole app between light and dark. Remembered per browser.

New accounts start on Simple, which keeps power-user tools off the screen. Switch to Advanced to reveal them, and back whenever you like.

Ends your session. Your trees stay exactly as they are; sign back in with the same Google account to find them.

Filters the cards by tree name as you type. It searches the names of your trees, not the people inside them — to find a person, open the tree and use the search there.

Recently modified (the default), least recently modified, newest or oldest created, or by name A–Z / Z–A.

The default: one roomy card per tree, with every action visible.

Compact rows instead of cards — easier to scan once you have a lot of trees. The same actions are all still there. Your choice is remembered.

Opens the tree itself, where you add people and draw the family out. The card's name and icon go to the same place.

The card also shows how many people are in the tree, and when it was last updated and created.

Downloads the whole tree as a JSON file you keep. You can optionally lock it with a password. Import it later, here or on another account, to restore it.

Creates an independent copy of the tree in your own account. Handy before restructuring something, or to split a branch off and work on it separately.

Changes the tree's name and nothing else. Safe at any time.

Removes the tree and everyone in it.

Appears when a tree has active share links, and says how many. Click it to review them, see each link's passcode and expiry, or revoke one.

You create shares inside the tree, not here — this badge only manages what already exists. See the sharing guide.

Appears when the tree has people who are disconnected, missing a parent, or not linked to their co-parent. Click it to open the tree with those people listed.