> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nuvolos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nuvolos.com/getting-started/find-your-way-around.md). # Find your way around Nuvolos mirrors the way computational research and teaching projects are organised: Organisations maintain projects, projects consists of various stages of workflows organised in working environments, and working environments consist of files, data, and software applications. The interface follows that same shape. Nuvolos consists of projects (*Spaces*), organised into *Organisations*, and projects contain working environments (*Instances*), which further have various *States*, containing files, data and applications. Once you know the four navigation elements below, you can reach anything in the platform within a few clicks. This page is a quick tour. For the conceptual model behind the hierarchy, see [The hierarchy and resource model](/concepts/nuvolos-basic-concepts/organisational-hierarchy.md). For the role-based view of what you can see and do at each level, see [Roles and permissions](/concepts/roles-secrets-and-identity/roles.md). ## The four navigation elements Nuvolos provides four ways to move through the platform. You will use all of them, often in combination. * **The Dashboard** - your starting point after logging in. * **The breadcrumbs bar** - your position in the hierarchy * **The sidebar** - actions available in the selected context. You can also change the context using the sidebar. * **The Account & Settings menu** - your profile, secrets, API keys, and resource monitoring. {% hint style="info" %} The **breadcrumbs** have changed on 2026-07-08 - navigation is possible via the sidebar now. {% endhint %} ### The Dashboard The Dashboard is your starting point after logging in. It shows your recent activity and quick-access cards for your most-used Applications, in the context of the most recent *Organisation* you worked in. You can return to the Dashboard at any time by clicking the **Nuvolos logo** in the top left corner. ### The breadcrumbs bar The breadcrumbs bar at the top of the screen shows your current position in the hierarchy. When viewing an Instance, the breadcrumbs show **Organisation → Space → Instance → State**. ### **The sidebar** The sidebar is a constant no matter where you are on Nuvolos. It always shows available actions on the **current context level** you are on in Nuvolos and also lets you navigate between contexts (such as switching a space, organisation or instance). ## **Finding what you need** Most navigation in Nuvolos is a matter of selecting the right level in the sidebar. The patterns below cover the common cases. ### **Finding an Organisation** You can only see *Organisations* for which you have accepted a valid invitation. To find an *Organisation*, navigate first to the dashboard. Click the name of the currently selected organisation, and a filterable menu will appear with all possible choices. Scroll the list, or use the search field to filter. If you cannot find an expected *Organisation*, confirm that you have accepted the invitation email - see [Accepting an invitation](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/accepting-an-invitation.md). ### **Finding a Space** You can only see *Spaces* where you have access to at least one Instance or you are a Space Administrator. To find a *Space*: * Make sure you are in the *Organisation* that contains the space. * On the dashboard, in the *Recent spaces* menu, you can look at your latest projects, but also search and filter for others. * You can use the **Filters icon** next to the search bar at the top to filter by **Courses**, **Projects**, or **Datasets**. * To see archived courses or resting projects/datasets, enable the **Archived** or **Resting** toggle. These Spaces appear with greyed-out text and are hidden by default. When you select a *Space*, Nuvolos automatically opens an *Instance* for you: if you have access to the Master Instance it opens that, otherwise it opens the first Instance you have editor access to. ### **Finding an Instance** You can only see Instances where you are an *Editor* or *Viewer, or* you can see all Instances if you are a *Space Administrator*. To find an Instance: * Navigate to the *Organisation* and *Space* in the sidebar or via the dashboard. * In the context of a Space, click the current Instance name to bring out the context switching menu, notified by the `>` icon appearing on hover. * Filter by name or click **View all instances** to see the full list. ### **Finding a State (Snapshot or current state)** *States* represent points in time status within an Instance. The *Current State* is the live working version; *Snapshots* are immutable copies. To find a state: * Make sure you are in the desired context by navigating to an instance via the sidebar. * In the context of an Instance, click the current Snapshot name to bring out the context switching menu, notified by the `>` icon appearing on hover. * Click **View all snapshots** to open the full snapshot timeline view. ### **Finding an Application** There are three ways to find an *Application*, depending on what you remember about it. * **If you have used it recently**, the Dashboard shows your three most recent *Applications*. * **If it is currently running**, click the desktop monitor icon in the top toolbar. * **For the full list in an instance**, open the *Space and Instance* and click the *Applications* icon in the sidebar. ## **The Account & Settings menu** The **Account & Settings** menu in the bottom left corner is your control panel for everything that is yours rather than belongs to a particular Nuvolos object. It contains: * **Account Settings** - profile, environment variables, secrets, SSH keys, API access, Dropbox sync, table access, and Nuvolos Settings (date/time formatting, AI integrations). * **Resources** - the resource monitoring dashboard, where you can track NCU consumption, storage usage, and Credit balance for the resource pools you have access to. ### Tasks **Tasks and notifications** are available for review on the bell icon in the top right corner. The menu shows running and recent background tasks (for example, distributions, archive extractions) and pending role requests.