--- title: Main Menu description: "## Getting started: a tour of the SYNDi Online main screen This guide introduces the SYNDi Online main screen and explains the purpose of every menu and tool. By the end, you will be able to confidently find your way…" url: "https://syndi.ca/kb/main-menu/" updated: "2026-05-27" category: SYNDi Online tags: - Main Menu - Navigation - Notifications --- # Main Menu ## Getting started: a tour of the SYNDi Online main screen This guide introduces the SYNDi Online main screen and explains the purpose of every menu and tool. By the end, you will be able to confidently find your way to any feature. No accounting or technical experience is required. ### 1. Signing in and where you begin When you sign in, SYNDi Online returns you to the last screen and company you were working in, so you can pick up exactly where you left off. The first time you sign in, you begin on the **Search Contacts** screen, which lists the people and businesses set up in your company. [![The SYNDi Online Search Contacts screen shown after signing in](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/01-landing-contacts.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/01-landing-contacts.png) The Search Contacts screen. (Click any image to enlarge.) ### 2. The navigation bar Every feature in SYNDi Online is reached from the **navigation bar** along the top of the screen. It remains visible on every screen. Menus are grouped on the left, and your company and account tools are on the right. [![The SYNDi Online top navigation bar](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/02-navbar.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/02-navbar.png) The navigation bar: menus on the left, company and account tools on the right. ### 3. The main menus The left side of the navigation bar contains the menus you will use most often: - **Setup** - your company settings, such as company details, accounting options, and loan and contact preferences. You will typically configure these once when starting out, then revisit them only occasionally. - **Contacts** - the people and businesses you work with, such as borrowers and co-signers. - **Loans** - where you create loans and record day-to-day activity such as billing and receipts. - **Reports** - printable statements, listings, and summaries. - **Analytics** *(BETA)* - charts and dashboards summarizing your portfolio. This is a newer feature and is still being refined. A small arrow beside a menu name indicates that it opens a list of choices. For example, the **Contacts** menu offers **Search** to find an existing contact and **New** to add one. [![The Contacts menu open, with Search and New highlighted](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/03-menu-contacts.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/03-menu-contacts.png) The Contacts menu: Search to find a contact, New to add one. The **Loans** menu is the one you will use most. From here you can search loans, create a new loan, run **Billing**, record **Receipts** (payments received from borrowers), and more. [![The Loans menu open, with its options highlighted](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/04-menu-loans.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/04-menu-loans.png) The Loans menu gathers the everyday loan tasks in one place. **Please note:** Your menus may differ slightly from these examples. SYNDi Online displays only the features your company has enabled, so you may see additional menus (such as Security Deposits or Inventory) or fewer than shown here. ### 4. Switching between companies The company name and current date appear near the top right of the navigation bar (for example, "Acme corp"). If you have access to more than one company, click this area to open the company menu. From here you can open the current company's **Setup**, choose **Manage Companies**, or select another company to switch to. [![The company menu open, highlighting company options and switching](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/05-menu-company.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/05-menu-company.png) The company menu lets you open Setup, manage companies, or switch to another company. Each company's information is kept completely separate. Switching companies changes every screen, list, and report to show only that company's data. ### 5. Help, notifications, and sound To the right of the company name you will find three quick tools: - **Help** (the orange question mark) - opens guidance for the screen you are currently viewing. - **Notifications** (the bell) - displays reminders and alerts. - **Sound** (the speaker) - mutes or unmutes the notification sound. **Tip:** If you are ever unsure what to do on a screen, click the orange question mark to open help for that exact screen. ### 6. Your account and profile Your name appears at the far right of the navigation bar. Click it to open your account menu, where you can open **My Settings** or **Sign Out**. [![The account menu open, highlighting My Settings and Sign Out](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/06-menu-user.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/06-menu-user.png) Your account menu: My Settings and Sign Out. Selecting **My Settings** opens your **User Profile**. Here you can update your first and last name, change your password, and manage security options such as two-factor authentication and passkeys. Your email address is shown for reference and is used to sign in. [![The User Profile screen, highlighting the name and email fields](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/06-menu-user.png)](https://syndi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/06-menu-user.png) The User Profile screen, where you manage your name, password, and security options. ### Frequently asked questions **Why do I not start on a home or dashboard page?** SYNDi Online returns you to the screen you used last so you can continue your work immediately. The first time you sign in, that screen is Search Contacts. **A menu shown in this guide does not appear for me.** That feature is likely not enabled for your company. An administrator can enable it under **Setup**. **How do I switch to a different company?** Click the company name near the top right and select the company you want. Each company's data remains entirely separate. ### Summary and next steps You now know how to navigate the SYNDi Online main screen. The recommended order for getting started is: 1. Add a contact (your borrower) 2. Create a loan 3. Record a billing 4. Record a borrower receipt 5. Generate a borrower statement Each step has its own short tutorial in this knowledge base.