Tour the workspace

View as markdown

The web app, a phone browser, the desktop app, and the iOS app all run the same Bearly app, so the screens on this page look alike everywhere. Each area below names its controls as the app shows them and links to the page that covers it in depth. The browser extension is separate: it has its own side panel for quick page actions, covered in Get Bearly.

The column on the left holds navigation, your projects, and your chats. Hide or show it with the sidebar button at the top left, or with ⌘ \ (Ctrl \ on Windows and Linux), which works even while you type. In a narrow window or on a phone it becomes a drawer: tap Show sidebar to open it. Picking a row, tapping outside it, pressing Esc, or opening another page closes it.

From top to bottom:

Area	What it does	More
Top row	Hide sidebar, then a magnifier (Search chats, which opens Search chats and files, with Chats and Files tabs) and New chat, which opens the New Chat launcher outside any project. On a project’s page and on Routines, Prompt templates, and Meetings, `⌘` `F` (`Ctrl` `F` on Windows and Linux) opens search too	Organize chats
Needs attention	Appears with a count when other chats are waiting for an approval or have replies you haven’t read. Select it to see Awaiting approval and Unread; select it again to show all chats	Organize chats
Encrypted chats locked	Appears when this device can’t open your end-to-end encrypted chats yet. Approve starts device approval	Privacy and security
Chat	Opens the New Chat launcher, as New chat in the top row does	The New Chat launcher
Prompt templates	Saved prompts with fill-in fields that run as a form in any chat	Make a prompt template
Routines	Prompts that run on a schedule. Pro and higher; on Free it shows only if you already have routines	Routines
Meetings	Record a meeting or a voice note and get a transcript	Meetings
Projects	Your projects, one row each. The header has New project, and Collapse all projects once any project is expanded. Select a project to open its page; the arrow at the end of its row shows or hides its chats	Projects
Pinned	Chats you pinned	Organize chats
Date groups	Every other chat by last activity: Today, This week, This month, then each earlier month of this year, then earlier years	Organize chats
Archives	Near the bottom, once you’ve archived something. Shows how many chats you’ve archived and opens the archive list	Organize chats
Account menu	The bottom row, with your email, your plan, and the percentage of your allowance used	The account menu

Folding sections. Select a section’s header (Projects, Pinned, or a date group) to fold it. A folded section shows one row saying what it holds, such as “4 projects” or “2 chats”, with a mark if a chat in it is unread, working, or waiting for approval. Bearly remembers which sections you folded on this device. Creating a project unfolds Projects.

Signs on a chat row. A dot at the end of the row means unread. A spinner means Bearly is working. A shield means the chat is waiting for your approval. A lock reads “Approve this device to open this chat”: it’s an end-to-end encrypted chat this device can’t open yet. A people icon after a project’s name means it’s shared; hover it to see with how many people.

More actions (the … on a chat row, shown when you point at the row or tab to it, and always on touch screens) offers Rename, Pin or Unpin, Move to project…, Archive or Unarchive, Mark unread or Mark read, Delete, and Select for choosing several chats at once. A project’s … offers Rename, Archive, and Delete. With a mouse, you can also drag a chat onto a project to move it there.

Select the bottom row of the sidebar. The row shows your email, your plan, and how much of this month’s plan you’ve used, plus “+boost” while a Credit Boost is active. The percentage turns red from 90%.

Settings opens the Settings window where you left it (on a phone, at the list of panes).
Billing opens Settings → Billing.
Developers opens Settings → API keys. It appears when API keys or personal remote modules are allowed for your account.
Organizations opens your organizations’ pages. Your organizations are also listed in Settings, under Organizations.
Follow us on X, Give feedback, and Log out.

On the Free plan, an Unlock more AI — Go Pro link above the account row opens Billing. See Plans, credits, and limits.

The New Chat launcher

The launcher is the screen a new chat opens on. Get there with New chat or Chat in the sidebar, ⌘ N (Ctrl N on Windows and Linux), or New in the command menu. From inside a project chat, the shortcut and New start the new chat in the same project, and the shortcut does the same on a project’s page; the sidebar buttons start it outside any project.

Headline. A short line at the top that changes with the date and the time of day. The default is “Ready when you are.”
Composer. The same composer as in a chat, with the cursor already in it. Its placeholder rotates; the default is “How can I help today?” If the chat can’t be prepared, your draft stays put and a notice offers Try again.
Project chip. In the context strip at the foot of the composer, it reads No project (tooltip “Start this chat in a project”) or the project’s name. It opens a picker with “Find or create a project…”, Recent, All projects, New project, and No project. The project is fixed once the chat starts.
Encryption. One quiet line under the composer says how this chat will be encrypted, with one action. It never stops you sending: a chat that can’t be end-to-end encrypted on this device starts with standard encryption instead.
- Before you set up end-to-end encryption: Set up end-to-end encryption, marked Beta. Dismissing it asks Hide encryption setup?; you can set it up later in Settings → Privacy and security.
- When this device hasn’t been approved yet: “Encrypted chats are locked on this device” with Approve.
- When this draft is set to end-to-end encryption but this device can’t encrypt it yet: “Approve this device to send this chat end-to-end encrypted.” (or “Finish setup to send…”) with Use standard encryption. The send button reads Approve this device to send until you approve the device or switch.
- When Bearly couldn’t check your encryption settings in time: “This chat uses standard encryption.” with Turn on end-to-end encryption.
- After setup, the lock in the context strip switches this draft between end-to-end and standard encryption. It can’t change while the draft has attachments. See Privacy and security.
Strip controls. While the chat prepares, the context strip shows Work locally, Permissions, and Connectors; they work once the chat has loaded.
Tips. Short notes appear under the composer, labeled Tip, Note, What’s new, or Required, and you get at most one tip a day. Dismissing one hides tips for the rest of the day on all your devices. A Required notice blocks sending until you select Acknowledge.

When a release newer than the last one you saw on this device is out, What’s New opens on its own in the bottom-right corner of the window, with Highlights, Also new, and Fixes & improvements. To open it yourself, use the command menu → Show all… → Show Release Notes.

The chat screen

The chat’s title sits at the top center, and the thread scrolls up behind it. In a project chat, the project’s name comes first. Select the title to open the chat’s menu:

Rename. Turns the title into a text box: Enter saves, Esc reverts.
Open plus the project’s name, in a project chat. Opens the project’s page. See Projects.
Files. Appears once the chat has files, with their count. It opens the side panel on Files; while that tab is showing, it reads Hide files and closes the panel. See The side panel.
Open Browser. In the desktop app, opens Bearly Browser. When agents have tabs open, it shows how many, and how many are working. It’s hidden while Browser is open. See Browser and computer use.
New chat (⌘ ⇧ N, or Ctrl Shift N on Windows and Linux). Starts a new chat, in the same project when you’re in a project chat.
All commands (⌘ K, or Ctrl K). Opens the command menu. See The command menu.

Share, the round button in the top-right corner, turns the substance of the conversation into a Page you review before publishing. See Pages and Canvas.

Thread

Messages. Your messages and Bearly’s answers. Controls sit under each one: they appear on hover with a mouse and stay visible on touch screens and in narrow windows. Under your messages: Copy, Edit Query, Rerun with same model, the Rerun model menu, a version switcher such as ‹ 2 / 3 ›, Query info, and Delete Query. Answers have most of the same, plus Read aloud on text-only answers and Edit in Canvas. While an answer is still running, its controls stay hidden. See Work with answers.
Photos. Several photos sent together show as one stack, the first on top with a count. Select it to open the image viewer, which fills the window: step through the chat’s images with the arrows, keys, swipes, or the thumbnail strip, zoom, copy, download, or close.
What Bearly is doing. While an answer runs, one line under it names the current step: “Thinking”, what a tool is doing (such as “Checking current prices…”), or “Waiting for your approval”. A timer appears once a step passes 10 seconds, and the line hides while the answer’s text streams in. When the answer ends, the line becomes a summary such as “Worked 28s · 4 steps”, with “1 step failed” if one did; in most chats it also counts the sources Bearly read. Select either to open the answer’s Steps tab in the side panel, where a running step has a square Stop.
Approval cards. When a tool needs your OK, a card shows what it wants to do, with Deny, Allow, and an Approval duration choice. In most chats you can answer it from any of your devices; in a shared chat, only the person who sent the message can, and everyone else sees “Waiting for the person who sent this message”. See Permissions.
Result cards. Interactive results such as a Deep Research report, a Chart, a YouTube video card, or the image editor. Research results such as sources start folded to one line; select them to expand.
Timeline rail. In windows at least 1,280 pixels wide, chats with 5 or more prompts get a slim rail of ticks on the right edge, one per prompt. Hover a tick for “Prompt N of M” and a preview; select it to jump. Ticks marked Chapter label a stretch of the conversation. ⌘ Shift ↑ and ⌘ Shift ↓ (Ctrl on Windows and Linux) jump between prompts.
Scroll to bottom. A button that appears when you’ve scrolled up.
Running on another device or Stopped responding. In most chats, if a running answer gets no updates for 2 minutes, a notice above the composer says so, with Stop.

The side panel

Files, file previews, Canvas, and an answer’s steps open as tabs in one panel to the right of the chat. Drag its edge to resize it (double-click the edge to reset), and close it with Esc or Close panel at its top right; each tab also has its own close button. In windows narrower than 900 pixels the panel covers the chat. On a phone it’s a full-screen sheet: ‹ Chat goes back, and the count at the top lists the open items.

Files. Every file in the chat, newest first and grouped by day, with Search files and All, Uploaded, Generated, and Project filters, each with a count. Photos and PDFs show thumbnails, Canvas documents are listed too, and each file has Jump to message. Opening a photo opens the image viewer on every image in the chat.
A file or Canvas. Opens as its own tab. See Documents and Pages and Canvas.
Steps. Every step of one answer, live while it runs: thinking, each tool call with its Input, Result, and, if something failed, Error, and how long each took. A running tool call has a stop button. Messages you sent into the running answer appear in order; Jump to your message scrolls the chat back to one.

Photos and screenshots you upload with a generic name, such as image.png, are renamed by when you took them, like “Photo Nov 2, 3:13 PM.jpg” or “Screenshot Nov 2, 3:13 PM.png”.

Composer

The message box at the bottom. Its placeholder reads “How can I help? Type / or @ for tools”. See Write, attach, and send.

Up next. Above the box, messages waiting to send after the current answer.
Left of the toolbar: + (Attach files and Share your screen); Take photo on touch screens; the sliders button, which opens this chat’s Web, Style, Scholar, Reasoning, Memories, and History settings plus Chat Settings. See Tune a chat.
Right of the toolbar: the model button (Select model), which shows the current model’s short name; Start voice call, with a sound-wave icon; and the send buttons. With nothing running there’s one: Send. While Bearly works, an empty box shows Stop; once you type, you get Stop, Queue, and Send: Send adds your message to the running answer, and Queue holds it until the answer finishes. Chats that can’t take a message mid-answer show only Stop and Send, and Send waits for the answer. See Send while Bearly is working, Choose and compare models, and Voice.
Top right of the box: the dictation microphone. See Voice.

Context strip

A band at the foot of the message box, a shade darker than the box, holds the chat’s context:

Project. The chat’s project, if it has one; on a new chat, the project chip.
Encryption lock. “End-to-end encrypted” or “Standard encryption”. If your organization requires device-only encryption, it reads “Local key encryption” and can’t be turned off.
Work locally. Desktop app only. It shows the working folder’s name, or “Work locally” with “· Off”. Its menu lists recent folders, Choose folder…, Clear folder, and Off for this chat or Turn on for this chat. In the web app it opens the desktop download pane; on phones and in the iOS app it’s hidden. See Browser and computer use.
Connectors. The connected service’s name, or a count such as “2 connectors”. Each row reads Active, Off, Connect, or Retry, and Manage connectors… opens settings. See Connectors and skills.
Permissions. Reads Permissions, or Full access while Full access is on, with a Paused badge if it’s paused. It opens Standard and Full access, your saved approvals with Revoke, Revoke all saved approvals, and Clear all permissions. See Permissions.

While you edit an earlier message, the strip shows Editing message with Cancel. While Computer Use works in the desktop app, a Computer chip shows its status and a Stop action.

Press ⌘ K (Ctrl K on Windows and Linux) or select the chat’s title → All commands. It shows the chat’s title, a Search… box, and two groups:

Actions: New, Delete & New, Delete, Rename (opens the chat’s title for editing), Refresh Chat, Generate New Name, Download as Markdown, New Routine (Pro and higher), and Show all…, which adds Show Release Notes.
Switch Chats: every chat, including project chats.

See Keyboard shortcuts.

The Settings window

Settings open in a window over the page you’re on, which stays as it was underneath. Open it with ⌘ , (Ctrl , on Windows and Linux), the account menu → Settings, or the sliders button → Chat Settings. Links elsewhere in Bearly that point to a setting, such as Billing, open the window on that pane. It opens on the pane you used last. The list of panes is on the left and the open pane on the right; the header shows Saving…, Saved, or Not saved. Close it with Esc, Close settings, or a click outside it; if a save fails, it stays open on that pane showing Not saved. On a phone it fills the screen and shows either the list or one pane; select Settings at the top of a pane to go back to the list.

Group	Panes	When a pane shows
Account	Profile, Billing, Usage	Usage is on paid plans
Organizations	Each organization you belong to, and New organization	When organizations are available to your account. Selecting one closes Settings and opens that organization’s pages. New organization is hidden if your admin turned off creating organizations
Chats	This chat, New chats, Permissions, Personalization, Voice, Dictation, Skills	Permissions always; the others when you open Settings from a chat. Voice, Dictation, and Skills need those features allowed for your account
Preferences	Appearance, Phone and SMS	Phone and SMS when texting is allowed
Privacy	Privacy and security, Devices	Always
Connections	Connectors, Chrome extension	Connectors when connectors are allowed. Chrome extension in the desktop app only
Desktop app	Desktop, Runtime, Browser, Get desktop app	Desktop, Runtime, and Browser in the desktop app only; Browser when Bearly Browser is available to your account. Get desktop app everywhere except the desktop app
Developer	API keys, Modules	API keys when developer API access is allowed, which it is by default. Modules only when an organization admin allows personal remote modules

What each pane holds:

Profile: Version, Lock all data, Change email, Delete account, and Log out.
Billing: Current Plan, Credit Boost, and the plan picker. Usage: Current Period and Usage by service.
This chat: settings for this conversation only, under Model (Model, Reasoning Effort), Responses (Language, Response Style, Temperature), and Context (Memories, Web Search, Instructions), plus Reset all to defaults.
New chats: the same settings as defaults for new chats, with Recommended as a model choice. Project chats use the project’s settings instead.
Permissions: Start new chats in Full access, for this device only. See Permissions.
Personalization: what you write in Name, Occupation, and About you, added to your chats only while Use in chats is on. See Personalization.
Voice: the model voice calls use. Dictation: Enable dictation, the push-to-talk shortcut, what happens after dictation, transcript cleanup, and words and names.
Skills: the Skill Store and your installed skills. Installing needs the desktop app.
Appearance: Theme, then Font and Font size under Text, for this device only.
Phone and SMS: add and verify a US or Canadian mobile number for texts and codes, or turn texts off.
Privacy and security: Zero Data Retention only, unitemized billing, and End-to-end encryption with your approved devices and recovery options.
Devices: where you’re signed in, Sign out all other devices, and the browser extension and API keys that have their own access.
Connectors: Your connectors, Built-in connectors, and Add custom MCP server.
Chrome extension: Control Chrome from chat and the connection status.
Desktop: Keyboard shortcut, Always on top, Auto-hide, Launch on boot, and Latest version.
Runtime: tools the desktop app installs for local work, the Windows Computer Use helper, and environment variables for local commands.
Browser: Enable Browser, Allow chats to use Browser, Block ads and trackers, Import browser cookies, Reset open tabs, and Delete browser data.
Get desktop app: downloads for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
API keys: keys for calling Bearly models from your own code. Modules: remote modules that add tools from your own server.

Every setting, with its options and defaults, is in the Settings reference.

Other pages

Every page keeps the same sidebar.

Prompt templates. Your templates, with New template. With none yet, the page opens on New template: describe a prompt you reuse and select Draft template, pick one of the Examples, or start from scratch. Each template has its own page with Basic information, Template design, and Field configuration; changes save automatically. See Write, attach, and send.
Routines. Your routines, with New routine. With none yet, the page opens on New routine. Each routine has its own page with its next run, a run timeline, Run now, Pause, and past runs. See Routines.
Meetings and recordings. A recorder with Online meeting (desktop app) and In person or voice note, Start recording, and your recordings with their transcripts. See Meetings.
A project’s page. Select a project in the sidebar. Its tabs are Chats (with Ask in this project), Files, Sharing, and Settings. See Projects.
Organizations. The account menu → Organizations, or an organization’s row in Settings. Everyone sees Overview, Members, and Groups. Admins also see Policies, Projects, and Activity, plus Billing and Usage where they apply. The settings list stays on the left, with a back arrow to your chats. See Organizations.

In the desktop app

The desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux has the same screens plus a few of its own:

Summon Bearly from anywhere with ⌘ Shift P (Ctrl Shift P on Windows and Linux). Change it in Settings → Desktop → Keyboard shortcut.
The menu bar or tray icon shows the window when you click it.
Closing the window quits Bearly after asking Quit Bearly?. While it’s recording a meeting or saving a Browser download to a chat, it asks Bearly is still working instead, with Keep Bearly open and Quit when finished.
Updates download in the background; an Update ready · Restart pill at the top installs them.
Desktop-only areas: the Work locally chip, Open Browser, the Desktop, Runtime, and Browser settings panes, syncing a folder into a project, and running routines.

See Get Bearly.

On phones and in the iOS app

There’s no Android app; on Android, use Bearly in your phone’s browser. Bearly runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, web, and Chrome. On a phone-sized screen, Bearly tells the AI you’re on a phone and asks it to keep answers brief and prefer lists over tables.

Area	Phone browser	iOS app
Sidebar	A drawer: tap Show sidebar	Same
Sending	`Enter` adds a new line; tap the send button	Same
Photos	Take photo camera button in the toolbar	Same; opens the rear camera
Message controls	Always visible	Same
Moving chats	No dragging; use More actions → Move to project…	Same
Side panel	A full-screen sheet with ‹ Chat	Same
Settings	A full-screen sheet: the list, then one pane	Same
Timeline rail	Not shown	Not shown
Context strip	Shown at the foot of the message box	Permissions moves to the send row; the strip appears only while you edit a message
Work locally	Hidden	Hidden
Sign-in	All sign-in options	Email code only
Connectors that need a service sign-in	Work in a normal phone browser, but not in an Android app’s built-in browser	Show Web browser required; set them up in a browser
Desktop-only features	A prompt to use Bearly on a computer	Same
Routines	Create and manage; they run in the desktop app (“Runs in the desktop app. Get it”)	Same
Meetings	In person or voice note only	Same
Voice calls	Where the browser supports them; the screen can lock mid-call	The screen stays on during a call; keep the app in front
PDFs	Preview in the app	Tapping a PDF opens it outside the app
Downloads	A normal browser download	The iOS share sheet
Billing	Web billing	App Store purchase and Restore; Credit Boost isn’t offered in the iOS app
Get desktop app	Choose a computer	Same

The iOS app has no share extension, widgets, or push notifications. Most Bearly updates reach the iOS app without an App Store update, because the app loads the live Bearly app; changes to the app’s own features, such as purchases, need a new App Store version.

Tour the workspace

The sidebar

The account menu