After sign-in you get the same layout on web, Windows, Linux, and Android: spaces on the left, the conversation in the center, and the member list on the right when you need it.
What’s on screen
- Community rail — your communities and the Home button (direct messages). You can switch to the experimental dock panel in User Settings → Look & Feel → Interface.
- Channel or DM list — channels in the selected community, or your conversations and groups.
- Message list — history, replies, attachments, reactions.
- Composer — text, attachments, emoji, stickers, GIFs, and saved media.
- User panel at the bottom left — status, mute, deafen, camera, and the settings gear.
First minutes
- Open settings (the gear, or
Ctrl/Cmd+,) and claim the account if it is still unclaimed. - Fill in your profile: How to customize your profile.
- Add a friend by AstralTag: How to add friends.
- Create a community or paste an invite: How to create or join a community.
- Choose who can message and call you: Blocking and privacy settings.
- Pick a theme and notification rules: Themes and appearance, Notifications and sounds.
Shortcuts worth learning
Ctrl/Cmd+K— Quick Switcher: jump to a channel, DM, or person.Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+N— create or join a community.Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+T— new group.Ctrl/Cmd+/— shortcut help.Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+H— this help center.
Full list: Keyboard shortcuts.
Search
Ctrl / Cmd + F searches the current channel or conversation. You can narrow results by people and dates. Quick Switcher (Ctrl / Cmd + K) searches across all of your spaces.
New group chats and communities start quiet: messages appear in the list but do not ring until you turn notifications on.