Managing Preferences
Customize your Hydra experience with display and behavior settings
Managing Preferences
Personalize how Hydra looks and behaves to match your workflow. From dark mode to default views, make Hydra work the way you prefer.
Accessing Preferences
- Click your profile picture
- Select Settings or Preferences
- Navigate to Preferences tab
preferences-page.png - The preferences settings page
Appearance
Theme Mode
Choose your visual theme:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Light | Bright background, dark text |
| Dark | Dark background, light text |
| System | Follows your device settings |
To change:
- Find Theme in preferences
- Select your preferred mode
- Changes apply immediately
theme-toggle.png - Theme selection with light/dark/system options
Compact Mode
Reduce spacing for information-dense views:
- Normal - Standard spacing, comfortable reading
- Compact - Tighter layout, more content visible
Useful for power users with large monitors.
Language and Region
Language
Select your preferred language for the Hydra interface:
- Find Language setting
- Choose from available languages
- Interface updates to selected language
Date Format
Choose how dates display:
- MM/DD/YYYY (US)
- DD/MM/YYYY (International)
- YYYY-MM-DD (ISO)
Time Format
Choose 12-hour or 24-hour time:
- 12-hour (2:30 PM)
- 24-hour (14:30)
First Day of Week
Set when your week starts for calendars:
- Sunday
- Monday
regional-settings.png - Language and regional format settings
Default Views
Set your preferred starting points:
Dashboard Home
Choose what appears on your dashboard:
- Overview (default)
- Recent Jobs
- Today's Bookings
- Custom widgets
Default Job View
When opening service jobs list:
- Table view
- Card view
- Board view
Items Per Page
How many items display in lists:
- 10, 25, 50, or 100 items
Sidebar Preferences
Customize the navigation sidebar:
Collapsed by Default
Start with sidebar minimized on larger screens.
Pinned Items
Pin frequently used menu items to the top:
- Hover over a menu item
- Click the pin icon
- Item moves to pinned section
sidebar-pins.png - Sidebar with pinned menu items
Keyboard Shortcuts
Enable keyboard shortcuts for power users:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
G then H |
Go to Home |
G then J |
Go to Jobs |
G then B |
Go to Bookings |
/ |
Focus search |
? |
Show shortcut help |
Esc |
Close modal/cancel |
Toggle shortcuts on/off in preferences.
keyboard-shortcuts.png - Keyboard shortcuts reference panel
Notification Preferences
Quick access to notification settings:
- Email frequency
- Push notification toggle
- Sound alerts on/off
See Notification Settings for detailed options.
Accessibility
Reduced Motion
Minimize animations for users sensitive to motion:
- Enable Reduced Motion
- Transitions become instant
- Animations are disabled
High Contrast
Increase contrast for better visibility:
- Enable High Contrast Mode
- Colors adjust for readability
Screen Reader
Hydra is compatible with screen readers. Additional settings:
- Announce notifications
- Extended focus indicators
Saving Preferences
Most preferences save automatically. For settings requiring confirmation:
- Make your changes
- Click Save Preferences
- A confirmation message appears
Syncing Across Devices
Your preferences sync to your account:
- Log in on a new device
- Your preferences apply automatically
- Some device-specific settings stay local
Resetting Preferences
To restore defaults:
- Scroll to bottom of preferences
- Click Reset to Defaults
- Confirm the reset
- All preferences return to default values
Best Practices
- Try dark mode - Easier on eyes in low light
- Set your timezone - Critical for accurate scheduling
- Learn shortcuts - Boost productivity significantly
- Review periodically - Adjust as your workflow evolves