Tour the workspace

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 sidebar

The column on the left holds navigation, your projects, and your chats. In a narrow window or on a phone it becomes a drawer: tap Open sidebar to show it, and picking an item closes it again.

From top to bottom:

Area	What it does	More
Chat	Your chats	Organize chats
Prompt Templates	Saved prompts with fill-in fields that run as a form in any chat	Write, attach, and send
Routines	Prompts that run on a schedule. Pro and higher; on Free it shows only if you already have routines	Routines
Meetings and Recordings	Record a meeting or a voice note and get a transcript	Meetings
Magnifier (Search conversations)	Opens Search chats and files…, with Chats and Files tabs. Shortcut ⌘ F (Ctrl F on Windows and Linux)	Organize chats
New Chat	Opens the New Chat launcher, outside any project	The New Chat launcher
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
Projects	Your projects. The header has Collapse all projects and New project; each project opens to Settings, Docs & Data, a button to start a chat, and 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	Shows how many chats you’ve archived and opens the archive list	Organize chats
Account menu	The bottom row, with your email, plan badge, and usage meter	The account menu

Signs on a chat row. An accent bar on the left 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.

More actions (the … on a chat row, shown on hover, and always on touch screens and for the open chat) 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. With a mouse, you can also drag a chat onto a project to move it there.

The account menu

Select the bottom row of the sidebar. The row shows your email, your plan, and a usage meter with a percentage, plus “+boost” while a Credit Boost is active.

• App Settings opens the Settings window where you left it.
• Billing & Pro opens Settings → Billing.
• Developers opens Settings → API Keys. It appears when API keys or personal remote modules are allowed for your account.
• Organizations opens the organizations console.
• Follow us on X, Give Feedback, and Logout.

On the Free plan, an Unlock more AI — Go Pro banner in the sidebar 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 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; the sidebar button starts 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. “Start this chat in a project” opens a picker with “Find or create a project…”, Recent, All projects, New project, and No project. The chip then reads “Starting in project” with the project’s name. The project is fixed once the chat starts.
• Encryption. Before you set up end-to-end encryption, a dismissible “Set up end-to-end encryption” prompt sits under the composer. After setup, a lock in the strip switches this draft between end-to-end and standard encryption. It can’t change while the draft has attachments. See Privacy and security.
• Work locally. In the desktop app, the chip shows but stays disabled until the chat loads (“Available once the chat loads”).
• 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, with Highlights, Also new, and Fixes & improvements. To open it yourself, use the command menu → Show all… → Show Release Notes.

The chat screen

Header

From left to right:

• Project and title. In a project chat, the project’s name comes first. Select the title to rename the chat: Enter saves, Esc reverts.
• Browse files. Appears once the chat has files. It opens a drawer with Project, Uploaded, and Generated tabs. See Documents.
• New chat. A pen icon, shown only while the sidebar is closed.
• Share. Turns the substance of the conversation into a Page you review before publishing. See Pages and Canvas.
• Open Browser. In the desktop app, a globe that opens Bearly Browser. See Browser and computer use.
• … opens the command menu. See The command menu.

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. See Work with answers.
• Thinking. A model’s reasoning, folded into collapsible Thinking steps.
• Tool steps. Each tool Bearly uses shows as a collapsible row with Input, Result, and, if something failed, Error.
• Approval cards. When a tool needs your OK, a card shows what it wants to do, with Deny, Allow, and an Approval duration choice. See Permissions.
• Result cards. Interactive results such as a Deep Research report, a Chart, a YouTube video card, or the image editor.
• 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.

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 you queued while Bearly was working.
• 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 button, which reads Send message, Queue message while Bearly works and you have a draft, or Stop while Bearly works and the box is empty. See Choose and compare models and Voice.
• Top right of the box: the dictation microphone. See Voice.

Context strip

A row of chips under the message box:

• Project. The chat’s project, if it has one.
• 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.

The command menu

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

• Actions: New, Delete & New, Delete, Rename, 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

Open it with ⌘ , (Ctrl , on Windows and Linux), the account menu → App Settings, or the sliders button → Chat Settings. It opens on the pane you used last. The header shows Saving…, Saved, or Not saved; if a save fails, the window stays open showing Not saved. In a narrow window, a dropdown at the top replaces the list of panes.

Section	Panes	When a pane shows
Chats	This Chat, New Chats, Personalization, Voice, Dictation	In a chat. Voice and Dictation need those features allowed for your account
Settings	Appearance, Get Desktop App, Skills, Connectors, Privacy & Security, Billing, Usage, Phone & SMS, Account, Devices	Get Desktop App is hidden inside the desktop app. Usage is on paid plans. Connectors and Phone & SMS need those features allowed
Desktop	Desktop, Browser, Runtime, Chrome Extension	Desktop app only. Browser appears when Bearly Browser is available to your account
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:

• This Chat: settings for this conversation only: Model, Language, Response Style, Memories, Web Search, Reasoning Effort, Instructions, Temperature, and 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.
• Personalization: what you write in Name, Occupation, and About you, added to your chats only while the switch 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.
• Appearance: Theme, Font, and Font size, for this device only.
• Get Desktop App: downloads for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
• Skills: the Skill Store and your installed skills. Installing needs the desktop app.
• Connectors: Your connectors, Built-in connectors, and Add custom MCP server.
• Privacy & Security: Zero Data Retention only, End-to-end encryption, and Start new chats in Full access, among others.
• Billing: Current Plan, Credit Boost, and the plan picker. Usage: Current Period and Usage by service.
• Phone & SMS: add and verify a US or Canadian mobile number for texts and codes, or turn texts off.
• Account: Version, Lock all data, Delete account, and Log out.
• Devices: where you’re signed in, Sign out all other devices, and Browser extension and API keys.
• Desktop: Keyboard shortcut, Always on top, Auto-hide, Launch on boot, and Latest version.
• Browser: Enable Browser, Allow chats to use Browser, Block ads and trackers, Import browser cookies, Reset open tabs, and Delete browser data.
• Runtime: tools the desktop app installs for local work, the Windows Computer Use helper, and environment variables for local commands.
• Chrome Extension: Control Chrome from chat and the connection status.
• 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

• Prompt Templates. Make your first with Create Prompt Template, or later with New Prompt, which opens the AI Prompt Builder with Popular Ideas. The editor has Basic Information, Template Design, and Field Configuration; your list is My Prompts.
• Routines. A Create a routine box where you describe the result and the timing, then Draft routine; Start from scratch for a blank editor; your routines with their badges; and a Next seven days strip. See Routines.
• Meetings and Recordings. Source cards for Online meeting (desktop app) and In person or voice note, Start recording, and your recordings with their transcripts. See Meetings.
• Project Settings and Docs & Data. Open from a project in the sidebar. Settings covers sharing, encryption, the project’s chat settings, skills, and, in the desktop app, Local Directory Sync. Docs & Data holds the project’s files. See Projects.
• Organizations. The account menu → Organizations. Everyone sees Overview, Members, and Groups. Admins also see Policies, Projects, and Activity, plus Billing and Usage where they apply. 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 settings section, 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 Open 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
Timeline rail	Not shown	Not shown
Context strip	Shown under 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	Open PDF opens them 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.

Related

• What Bearly is
• Get Bearly
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Settings reference
• Fix common problems