Overview
Settings > Preferences controls how Broki looks and behaves for you: your color theme, the order and colors of sidebar items, default views and team filters, which tabs appear on mortgage files, your language, and who can see your Communications inbox. These settings are personal; changing them doesn't affect other team members.
Also called: Preferences.
Preferences has five sections: Appearance & theme, Display options, Sidebar items, Mortgage file tabs, and Language.
At a glance
Preferences are personal and follow your account to other browsers and computers.
Most options save as soon as you change them. Mortgage file tabs needs Save changes.
Mortgage Summary, Documents, and Notes cannot be hidden. The Communications tab always shows.
Sharing your inbox always lets that teammate read it. Reply and organize and Delete forever are optional.
Before you begin
Everyone can open Preferences. They are saved to your account, and they can't grant a page you don't have permission for.
Everyone can open Settings > Preferences.
Most preferences save as soon as you change them. Mortgage file tabs is the exception: it needs Save changes.
Your preferences are saved to your account, so they follow you to other browsers and computers.
The sidebar only lists pages your permissions allow. Hiding or showing an item here can't give you access to a page you don't have permission for.
Step-by-step instructions
These steps set your theme, default views, inbox sharing, sidebar, mortgage file tabs, and language.
Choose a theme
Choose a theme in Appearance & theme. It applies straight away.
Go to Settings > Preferences > Appearance & theme.
Select a theme.
The themes are:
Light Mode, Dark Mode, Slate, and Obsidian.
Mixed Mode: light from 6 AM to 6 PM, dark from 6 PM to 6 AM, based on your computer's clock.
Hybrid Light: light content with a dark sidebar.
Light themes with a colored sidebar: Blue theme (popular with DLC brokers), The red theme (popular with MCC brokers), The light blue theme (popular with MA brokers), Mixed Blue Style (popular for tango brokers), Midnight Lime Style, and Slate Orange Style.
Custom sidebar: a light main area with a sidebar color you choose.
If you chose Custom sidebar, use the Sidebar color wheel to pick a color. Select Reset to go back to the default color.
Turn Sidebar right edge line on or off to show a line on the right edge of the sidebar.
Set default views and filters
Set default views and filters in Display options. Each option saves when you change it, and you see "Display preference saved".
File card display: show Loan code or Last name at the top of each file card on the pipeline.
Mortgage file landing tab: the tab a file opens on. A link to a specific tab still opens that tab.
Calendar: the default calendar view (Day, Week, Month, Timeline, or Multi-day).
Mortgage file tasks and Task Hub: Card or List.
Pipeline, Leads, and Partners: Kanban or List when you open those pages.
Pipeline card: select Configure Pipeline Card to choose the fields and activity indicators on pipeline cards and the board zoom.
Lead card: select Configure Lead Card to choose the fields on lead cards.
Team defaults: Pipeline team, Leads team, Task Hub assignee, Contacts team, Contact tasks, File tasks, and Commission team choose which team member is selected when you open those pages. Choose None for no default.
Getting Started: Show or Hide the Getting Started page in the sidebar.
Share your inbox
Share your inbox so a teammate can work in your Communications inbox. Inbox sharing is at the bottom of Display options.
Before you continue: The teammate can always read your inbox once you share it.
In Select a teammate, choose the person.
Optional: turn on Reply and organize (send from your mailbox, mark read, star, archive, trash, restore) and Delete forever (permanently remove mail already in Trash).
Select Share. You see "Your inbox is now shared with Jordan Example".
The person appears as a pill. Select Reply or Delete forever on the pill to change their access, or the X to revoke it ("Access revoked"). Admins also see Other delegations in your organization and can revoke any of them.
Customize the sidebar
Customize the sidebar in Sidebar items to change order, color, the divider, and which items are hidden. Settings cannot be hidden.
Go to Settings > Preferences > Sidebar items.
Under Sidebar navigation, choose Dynamic (fit to viewport) to shrink the menu to fit your screen, or Scroll to view to keep full-size items and scroll.
Under Menu Items, use the controls on each row.
The row controls are:
Drag the grip handle to reorder items. You see "Sidebar order updated!".
Select the color swatch to change an item's color.
Select the chevron to move an item above or below the divider line.
Select the eye icon to hide or show an item. Settings can't be hidden.
To undo colors, divider placement, and hidden items, select Reset All. You see "Reset to default settings!".
For a tour of the sidebar itself, see Navigation, sidebar, and customizing.
Choose mortgage file tabs
Choose mortgage file tabs to set their order and which ones you see. Changes apply only after Save changes.
Go to Settings > Preferences > Mortgage file tabs.
Drag tabs to change their order on mortgage files.
Use the eye icon to hide tabs you don't use. Mortgage Summary, Documents, and Notes are marked Required and can't be hidden.
Select Save changes. You see "Tab preferences saved! Backed up to database."
If you leave without saving, your changes are lost. The page shows "You have unsaved changes — use Save changes to apply them." while changes are pending. To go back to the default tabs, select Reset and confirm "Reset tab preferences to defaults?".
Choose your languages
Choose your languages in Language for Broki and for the client portal on files you own or advise.
Go to Settings > Preferences > Language.
Admin Portal Language: the language you see in Broki (English or Français).
Client Portal Language: the default language of the client portal for files you own or advise. A client who switches language in their portal keeps their own choice.
You see "Language preference saved".
Practical examples and other ways to use it
These examples set a landing tab, card labels, team filters, French portals, or a shared inbox.
Open every file on its documents. Set Mortgage file landing tab to Documents.
See borrower names on the pipeline. Set File card display to Last name. Cards show "Example, Jordan" instead of the loan code.
An assistant who works one advisor's files. Set Pipeline team and File tasks to that advisor so the right person is selected each time.
Serve French-speaking clients. Set Client Portal Language to Français so new client portals for your files open in French.
Cover a colleague's inbox while they're away. They share their inbox with you with Reply and organize, then revoke it when they're back.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
These mistakes lose tab changes, fail to hide a tab, or share more inbox access than you meant.
Leaving Mortgage file tabs without saving. Tab changes aren't applied until you select Save changes.
Trying to hide Communications from files. The Communications tab currently always shows, even if you hide it.
Expecting Reset All to restore the sidebar order. Reset All resets colors, divider placement, and hidden items, but not the order. Drag items back into place.
Expecting another person's view to change. Preferences only affect you. Each team member sets their own.
Sharing your inbox with Delete forever on by default. Only turn on Delete forever if the person really needs to empty your Trash.
Troubleshooting
Use this section when a sidebar item, tab change, or theme doesn't behave as you set it.
A sidebar item I need is missing
A sidebar item is missing when you hid it, or you don't have permission for that page.
Possible causes: You hid it, or you don't have permission for that page.
Check first: Sidebar items > Menu Items. Hidden items are labeled Hidden.
To fix:
Select the eye icon to show it.
If it isn't listed, ask an admin whether you have permission for that page.
Confirm it worked: The item appears in the sidebar.
My tab changes disappeared
Your tab changes disappeared when you left Mortgage file tabs without selecting Save changes.
Possible causes: You left Mortgage file tabs without selecting Save changes.
To fix: Make the changes again and select Save changes.
"Failed to update preference" or "Failed to save sidebar order"
You see "Failed to update preference" or "Failed to save sidebar order" when the change could not be saved.
Possible causes: The change couldn't be saved, for example because your connection dropped.
To fix:
Reload Broki.
Make the change again.
Contact support if: The error keeps appearing. Include which preference you changed.
The theme switched on its own
The theme switched on its own when you are using Mixed Mode, which changes at 6 AM and 6 PM.
Possible causes: You're using Mixed Mode, which changes at 6 AM and 6 PM.
To fix: Choose a fixed theme such as Light Mode or Dark Mode.
Limitations and important behavior
These limits apply to whose preferences you can set, language choices, and tabs you cannot hide.
Preferences are per person. There's no way for an admin to set preferences for the whole team.
Language options are English and Français.
The Communications tab can't currently be hidden from mortgage files.
Settings is always shown in the sidebar.
Admins can see and revoke all inbox sharing in the organization.
Frequently asked questions
These are questions about themes, required tabs, portal language, and shared inboxes.
Will my theme follow me to another computer? Yes. Preferences are saved to your account.
Why can't I hide the Documents tab? Mortgage Summary, Documents, and Notes are required and can't be hidden.
Does Client Portal Language change the language for every client? It sets the default for files you own or advise. Clients can still switch language in their portal.
Can someone I share my inbox with send email as me? Only if you turn on Reply and organize for them.
Related articles
These articles cover the sidebar, Settings search, profiles, files, the pipeline, and the calendar.