Skip to main content

User Interface Overview

The user interface is divided into three parts:

Standard on most screens:

  • On the left, we have the sidebar, which lets you easily switch between the various views, such as Budget, Reports, and Accounts.
  • The server and sync status (if used) are shown in the red box in the upper right corner.
  • The content of the rest of the interface depends on the functionality you have chosen in the sidebar. This screenshot shows an example of a Budget view.

Top Right Corner​

  • The eye icon will scramble the numbers on the screen. This is useful if you need to report a bug to the Actual team but want to keep your numbers private.
  • If clicking on the sync icon, your local file will sync to the server.
  • The current text, Server online shows the connection status. Thus, it could easily read Server offline if you are not connected to a server. If you click on this text, you can change your password, sign out of the server or change the server URL.

The Sidebar​

From the sidebar, you have easy access to all Actual's functionality.

  • Access to your Budget, Reports and Schedules.
  • Less used functions are found under More, like managing Payees and Rules; this is where you find the software settings.
  • The sidebar also holds all of your accounts, both on and off-budget; these will display in a list under the heading to which they belong, e.g., On Budget.

Most of these will we cover later in the tour.