Dubsado's navigation lives in a single sidebar. It stays out of your way as a slim icon rail and expands when you need it, so more of your screen goes to your actual work.
The sidebar at a glance
Everything you need to move around Dubsado is in the sidebar, grouped from top to bottom.
Your workspace and account button sits in the top left corner of your screen, showing your workspace logo and name
A toolbar row holds Search, the time tracker, and the notetaker
Your main sections start with Home, Projects, Contacts, and Messages, and include Insights for your reports
The footer, in the bottom left corner of your screen, holds Chat, the beta menu, and the dark mode toggle
Sections, sub-menus, and tabs
Dubsado's navigation has three layers, and the help center uses the same name for each one.
The sidebar holds Dubsado's main sections. Click a section, like Messages or Invoicing, to open it.
A sub-menu lists the options inside a section. The Messages sub-menu, for example, holds Inbox and Sent, along with your Custom templates and Default templates. When an article gives a path like Invoicing ➔ Packages, click Invoicing in the sidebar, then Packages in its sub-menu.
A tab is a section inside a project or contact, like a project's Messages or Invoicing tab. Many tabs have their own sub-menu, scoped to that project or contact.
A tab's sub-menu doesn't always match the same section's sub-menu in the sidebar. Inside a project, for example, the Messages and Invoicing tabs don't show your templates, so manage those from Messages and Invoicing in the sidebar instead.
How a sub-menu looks depends on how wide your browser window is. When there's enough room, its options appear in their own column next to the page. In a narrower window that column is hidden, and the name of the page you're on (like Inbox) appears at the top of the list with up and down arrows beside it. Hover over that name, or click it, to open the sub-menu.
Expanding and pinning the sidebar
By default the sidebar sits as a slim rail of icons. Hover over it and it expands briefly so you can read the labels, then slides closed again when you move your pointer away.
If you would rather keep it open, you can pin it. A pinned sidebar stays expanded as a full column and the page content sits alongside it rather than underneath.
Hover over the sidebar to expand it.
Click the pin icon that appears at the top of the sidebar.
Click it again to unpin and return to the icon rail.
The tooltips read Pin sidebar and Unpin sidebar so you can tell which state you are in.
If the sidebar sliding open and closed is distracting, pin it. Your choice is remembered in that browser, so set it once on each computer you work from.
If you open a menu from the sidebar, the sidebar stays expanded until you close that menu, so it will not slide shut while you are choosing something.
The breadcrumb bar
A slim bar runs across the top of the content area, to the right of the sidebar, showing where you are in Dubsado. Inside a project, for example, it shows the Projects page followed by that project's name. Use it to see your current location at a glance, and click any earlier step to move back up.
Actions that apply to the page you are on appear on the same bar, so they stay in reach without taking up space.
The workspace and account menu
Your workspace and your account settings share one button in the top left corner of your screen. It shows your workspace logo and name, and clicking it opens everything tied to your account.
Inside the menu you will find:
Your workspace and role, so you can confirm which workspace you are working in
Switch workspace, listing your other workspaces, with Create new workspace to add another
Settings, for your workspace settings
Invite team members
Your name and email under Account, which opens your name and sign-in details
Affiliate Dashboard, for workspace owners
Sign out
Workspaces that are still on a trial show a Trial badge in the Switch workspace list.
For more on running more than one workspace, see manage multiple workspaces.
Search
Search sits on the toolbar row near the top of the sidebar, beside the time tracker and notetaker icons.
Press / anywhere in Dubsado to open search without reaching for your mouse. Cmd + K on Mac and Ctrl + K on Windows open it too. For the full list of shortcuts, see keyboard shortcuts.
Updates and unread indicators
Dubsado marks new activity quietly so it tells you what needs attention without pulling your eye away from your work.
The Updates bell shows a dot when something new has arrived, with a count on the row itself. Messages works the same way, showing a dot when you have unread mail, and turning into a compose button when you hover over it so you can start an email from where you are.
Opening the Updates panel keeps the sidebar expanded, so it will not collapse out from under you while you read.
For control over what generates an update, see notification settings and the updates panel.
The time tracker and notetaker
Both tools live on the sidebar toolbar row, next to Search.
Click the time tracker icon to start or return to a timer. While a timer is running, a live row appears in the sidebar so you can see your elapsed time from anywhere in Dubsado and stop it without hunting for the tab you started it in. For the full walkthrough, see time tracking.
Click Start Notetaker to open the notetaker so you can bring it into a call. Opening it does not begin recording on its own.
The sidebar footer
The sidebar footer, in the bottom left corner of your screen, is where you reach support, share feedback, and switch between light and dark mode.
Click Chat to open a conversation with the Dubsado support team. A count appears on it when you have unread replies waiting.
Beside it, a 3.0 beta button opens a short menu:
Go back to 2.0 returns you to the previous Dubsado interface
Share an idea sends a feature suggestion to the product team
Help center opens this help center in a new tab
What's new opens the Dubsado product updates page
Switching to dark mode
The dark mode toggle sits at the end of the footer row, beside the 3.0 beta button. It has no text label: it shows a moon icon while you are in light mode, and a sun icon while you are in dark mode. Click it to switch between the two. Hovering over it shows a tooltip reading Dark mode or Light mode, so you can confirm which way you are switching before you click.
The toggle appears only while the sidebar is expanded. If you are looking at the slim icon rail and cannot find it, hover over the sidebar to expand it, or pin it open.
Until you pick a mode yourself, Dubsado follows your computer's appearance setting. If that computer is set to dark, Dubsado opens in dark mode the first time you sign in there. Click the toggle to choose for yourself.
Your choice is saved in that browser, so set it once on each computer you work from.
FAQ
Where do I find the time tracker?
The time tracker is on the toolbar row near the top of the sidebar, beside Search. While a timer is running, a live row also appears in the sidebar showing your elapsed time.
How do I stop the sidebar from sliding open and closed?
Hover over the sidebar to expand it, then click the pin icon at the top. The sidebar stays open as a full column until you unpin it.
Why isn't my pinned sidebar pinned on my other computer?
Your pin setting is saved in the browser you set it in rather than on your Dubsado account. Pin it once in each browser or on each computer where you work.
Where do I find support chat?
Click Chat in the sidebar footer, in the bottom left corner of your screen, to open a conversation with the support team.
Where is the dark mode toggle?
It is in the sidebar footer, in the bottom left corner of your screen, beside the 3.0 beta button. It shows a moon icon in light mode and a sun icon in dark mode. The toggle is hidden while the sidebar is collapsed to its icon rail, so hover over the sidebar to expand it if you do not see it.
Why did Dubsado open in dark mode on its own?
Until you choose a mode yourself, Dubsado follows your computer's appearance setting, so a computer set to dark opens Dubsado in dark mode. Click the dark mode toggle in the sidebar footer to switch, and Dubsado remembers your choice in that browser.
Where are my reports?
Reports live under Insights in the sidebar. If you do not see Insights, your role may not include access to reports.
Does Cmd + K still open search?
Yes. Cmd + K, Ctrl + K, and / all open global search.
Where do I manage billing?
Billing is in your workspace settings. Click the workspace and account button in the top left corner of your screen, then click Settings.