Overview
You move around Broki with the sidebar on the left, the header search and buttons across the top, and the footer bar along the bottom. You can reorder, recolor, and hide sidebar items, collapse the sidebar, and choose default views under Settings > My Account > Preferences; these choices only affect your own account.
This article explains what each area contains, how to search, how to customize the sidebar, and how navigation behaves on phones and tablets. For every display option in detail, see Sidebar and display preferences.
At a glance
These are the facts to remember about moving around Broki.
The sidebar lists the main pages. Settings stays pinned and can't be hidden. Communications is hidden by default.
Search opens from the header bar or Ctrl+K (⌘K on a Mac). On a phone, the header search isn't shown.
Sidebar order, colors, and hidden items are personal. Reset All clears color and visibility only, not the order.
On a phone or tablet, swipe right from the left edge to open the sidebar. There is no menu button.
Before you begin
Check these points before you customize navigation.
You need to be signed in. Some sidebar pages only open if your role allows them — for example, Settings needs settings access.
Sidebar, view, and tab preferences are personal. Changing them doesn't change what your teammates see.
The header search bar and the footer bar appear on larger screens only. On a phone, use the sidebar.
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these steps to use the sidebar, search, header, footer, and preferences.
Use the sidebar
Use the sidebar to open Broki's main pages. Also called: menu.
The sidebar lists the main areas of Broki. By default it includes: Getting Started, Dashboard, Calendar, Pipeline, Contacts, Leads, Partners, Marketing, Task Hub, Documents, E-Sign, Portfolio, Analytics, Reporting, Lender Hub, Commission, Automations, Templates, and Settings.
Settings is always pinned at the bottom.
Communications is available but hidden by default for new users. Turn it on in sidebar preferences (see below).
Lender Hub shows a count of unread lender emails.
Select your name and photo at the top of the sidebar to open your account panel. From there you can edit your email or phone, see subscription details (admins), open Account settings, use Add team member (if your role allows), or Sign out.
At the bottom of the sidebar:
Select Collapse sidebar to shrink it to icons only, and Expand sidebar to bring the labels back. Broki remembers your choice.
Use the theme toggle to switch between light and dark.
Search from the header
Search from the header to find a file, contact, partner, document, or task.
Select the search bar at the top of the page, or press Ctrl+K (⌘K on a Mac).
Type a loan code, property address, lender, stage, client name, contact email or phone, partner name, document name, or task.
Narrow results with the chips: All, Files, Docs, Contacts, Partners, Tasks.
Use the ↑ and ↓ keys to move through results, Enter to open one, and Esc to close.
If nothing matches you see "No results for" followed by your search. When there are many contacts, select Show N more contacts → to see them all.
If your role only lets you see your own files, search only returns your own files.
Use the header buttons
Use the header buttons for videos, help, and notifications.
On the right of the header:
Video library opens Broki's video walkthroughs.
Help & Support opens the help panel — see Support center and help.
The bell shows your unread notification count (up to 99+). Select it to open your notifications.
On the Dashboard, the header also shows your team's avatars. Select one to filter the dashboard to that person — see Dashboard overview.
When you open a mortgage file, the header is hidden so the file has more room. The sidebar stays visible; use it to go back to Pipeline or anywhere else.
Use the footer bar
Use the footer bar for calculators, compose, Quick Connect, help, and support.
On larger screens, a bar along the bottom of every page has quick buttons:
Calculators opens the mortgage calculators.
Compose opens a new email.
Quick Connect opens the Quick Connect panel.
Help opens the Help & Support panel.
Support (orange) opens a live chat with Broki support. If chat can't load, it opens the Support Center page instead.
The footer also links to Broki's Privacy, Terms of Use, and Acceptable Use pages. On medium-width screens only the Support button is shown.
Customize the sidebar
Customize the sidebar to reorder, recolor, or hide items on your own account.
Go to Settings > My Account > Preferences.
Open Sidebar items ("Order, colors & visibility").
Reorder: drag an item by its grip handle under Menu Items. You see "Sidebar order updated!".
Recolor: select the color swatch next to an item and pick a color.
Hide or show: select the eye icon. You see "Item hidden from sidebar" or "Item visible in sidebar". Hidden items show a Hidden badge in this list. Settings can't be hidden.
Check the sidebar — your changes apply straight away.
To undo color and visibility changes, select Reset All. You see "Reset to default settings!". Reset doesn't change the order of items.
Choose how the sidebar fits your screen
Choose how the sidebar fits your screen under Sidebar navigation.
In Settings > My Account > Preferences > Sidebar items, find Sidebar navigation.
Choose one of these options.
Dynamic (fit to viewport) — items scale so the whole menu fits without scrolling. You see "Sidebar will scale to fit the viewport".
Scroll to view — items keep their size and the sidebar scrolls. You see "Sidebar will scroll to view all items". This is the default for new users.
Show or hide Getting Started
Show or hide Getting Started in your sidebar.
Go to Settings > My Account > Preferences > Display options.
Under Getting Started, choose Show or Hide.
You see "Getting Started will show in the sidebar" or "Getting Started is hidden from the sidebar".
Set default views
Set default views for pages, pipeline cards, and the tab a mortgage file opens on.
In Settings > My Account > Preferences, Display options sets the default view for Pipeline, Leads, Partners, Calendar, Task Hub, and Mortgage file tasks; what shows at the top of pipeline file cards (Loan code or Last name); and the Mortgage file landing tab you open files on.
Set mortgage file tabs
Set mortgage file tabs to reorder or hide tabs inside a file.
In Settings > My Account > Preferences, Mortgage file tabs lets you reorder and hide tabs inside mortgage files. Mortgage Summary, Documents, and Notes are required and can't be hidden. Select Save changes to apply, or Reset to go back to the defaults.
Set your theme and language
Set your theme and language under Appearance & theme and Language.
In Settings > My Account > Preferences, Appearance & theme and Language set your theme and your admin and client portal languages.
Open the sidebar on a phone or tablet
Open the sidebar on a phone or tablet by swiping from the left edge.
Swipe right from the left edge of the screen.
Select a page.
There's no menu button on phones and tablets; the swipe opens the sidebar.
Practical examples and other ways to use it
These examples show ways to arrange the sidebar and find a file quickly.
Processor who lives in documents. Jordan Example drags Documents and Task Hub to the top of the sidebar, hides Marketing and Commission, and sets the mortgage file landing tab to Documents.
Finding a file during a call. Alex Sample presses Ctrl+K, types the borrower's last name, selects the Files chip, and opens the file with Enter.
Small laptop screen. A broker switches Sidebar navigation to Dynamic (fit to viewport) so every item fits without scrolling, and collapses the sidebar when reviewing wide document lists.
Suggestion: color-code the sidebar items you use most so they stand out at a glance.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
These mistakes come up when hiding sidebar items, resetting them, or searching on a phone.
Thinking a hidden item was removed for everyone. Hiding only affects your own sidebar. Teammates still see the item. To restrict access for others, an admin changes permissions in Roles and permissions.
Expecting Reset All to restore the original order. It clears colors and hidden items only. Drag items back into place to change the order.
Looking for the search bar on a phone. The header search isn't shown on small screens. Use the sidebar to open Pipeline or Contacts and search there.
Leaving Mortgage file tabs without saving. Tab changes don't apply until you select Save changes. Watch for "You have unsaved changes — use Save changes to apply them."
Troubleshooting
Use this section when a page is missing, search fails, Settings is blocked, or the phone sidebar won't open.
A page I need is missing from the sidebar
Use this section when a page you need is missing from the sidebar.
Possible causes
You hid it in sidebar preferences.
It's hidden by default (for example, Communications).
On a phone, Templates isn't shown.
Check first
Look in Settings > My Account > Preferences > Sidebar items for a Hidden badge.
To fix
Select the eye icon next to the item.
Or select Reset All to show every item again.
Confirm it worked
The item appears in the sidebar.
Contact support if
The item isn't listed in Menu Items at all.
"Cannot hide the Settings page"
This message appears when you try to hide the Settings page.
Possible causes
You selected the eye icon on Settings.
Check first
None — this is expected.
To fix
Leave Settings visible. You can still move other items around it.
Confirm it worked
Settings stays at the bottom of the sidebar.
Contact support if
Not applicable.
"Access Denied" when opening Settings
This message appears when opening Settings is denied for your role.
Possible causes
Your role doesn't include access to settings.
Check first
Ask your admin whether your role should have settings access.
To fix
Select Back to Dashboard.
Ask an admin to update your permissions.
Confirm it worked
Settings opens.
Contact support if
You're an admin and see this message.
Search doesn't find a file
Use this section when search doesn't find a file.
Possible causes
The file belongs to someone else and your role only shows your own files.
The search term doesn't match the loan code, address, lender, stage, or client name.
Check first
Try the loan code or the client's last name.
To fix
Select All to search every type.
Ask the file owner or an admin to check your file access.
Confirm it worked
The file appears under Files.
Contact support if
Searching for an exact loan code you can open from the pipeline returns nothing.
The sidebar won't open on my phone
Use this section when the sidebar won't open on your phone.
Possible causes
The swipe didn't start at the very edge of the screen.
Check first
Make sure you're swiping from the left edge, not the middle.
To fix
Place your finger at the left edge and swipe right.
Confirm it worked
The sidebar slides in.
Contact support if
The sidebar doesn't open on a phone or tablet after several tries. Include your device and browser.
Tips and best practices
These tips make the sidebar and search faster to use.
Learn Ctrl+K (⌘K). It opens search from any page, which is faster than going through the sidebar.
Hide what you never use. A shorter sidebar means less scanning, and you can bring items back at any time.
Set your landing tab to the tab you open most. Every file then opens where you work, saving a click each time.
Use the footer Support button for urgent issues. It opens live chat directly instead of going through menus.
Limitations and important behavior
These limits apply to the sidebar, header, footer, and Reset All.
Sidebar, view, and tab preferences are saved per user.
Settings can't be hidden and always stays at the bottom.
E-Sign is always shown in the sidebar.
The header (including search) is shown on larger screens only, and is hidden while a mortgage file is open.
The footer bar is hidden on small screens; on medium screens only Support is shown.
On phones and tablets the sidebar opens by swiping from the left edge.
Reset All doesn't reset item order.
Frequently asked questions
These questions are about the sidebar, calculators, and the header on a mortgage file.
Can an admin set the sidebar for the whole team? No. Sidebar preferences are personal. Admins control access through roles and permissions.
Where is the Calculators page? Use the Calculators button in the footer bar.
Why can't I see the header on a mortgage file? It's hidden to give the file more space. Use the sidebar to leave the file.
Does collapsing the sidebar stick? Yes. Broki remembers whether you left it collapsed or expanded.
Related articles
These articles cover preferences, the dashboard, help, and opening a file.