Advanced Logos Bible Study users often skip the helpful dashboard. Instead, they open a specially designed layout with their Bible and tools arranged on screen, ready for study. However, you should often look at the dashboard and consider loading it by default each time you open the Logos Bible Study platform (partner link – click to get 30 days free).
What is the Logos Bible Study Dashboard? When a user opens the program, it loads the Dashboard by default. You can change this in the Program Settings.
To open the Program Settings, open the menu in the lower left corner with three vertical dots. Then click on Program Settings. The screen below appears.
Find the entry on the left that reads At Startup Open to and click it. Choose Dashboard to open the Dashboard each time you load the program. You can also choose another layout.
We now consider the six reasons for using the Logos Bible Study Dashboard by default. Even if you don’t load it automatically each time you open Logos, you should consider opening it regularly to look at it. Here are the six reasons not to skip the Logos Bible Study Dashboard.
Search the Bible or Whole Library
At the very top of the Dashboard you’ll see a search box. Inside you will see and example search topic. Next to you there’s a button to Search Bible, which limited searches to your Bible. The other says Search All and looks in your whole library. This uses Logos AI-generated Smart Search, although you can switch to Precise search, the old method of searching before AI.
To use AI-powered Smart Search, you must subscribe to one of the new Logos Bible Study Plans (partner offer).
Shortcuts to Basic Bible Study Task on Logos Dashboard
Another card on the dashboard, in the upper left corner of the Logos Bible Study Dashboard, takes you to six study tools. Click each button in the card to open the following in predefined Layouts for each purpose.
- Personal study: Click this card and enter a passage. Logos opens your top Bible, favorite study Bible, and favorite commentary. You’ll also see the Help Center in a small window on the right edge.
- Group Bible study: opens a different Layout with your top bible, a Bible Study Builder window, and Notes. Like the Person Study, you’ll also get a small Help window on the right.
- Write a sermon: This link opens your passage in the Factbook. You also get a Sermon Builder, Notes, the top Commentary, the top Bible, and a Greek or Hebrew Bible. In addition, you’ll get the Help Center.
- Original language: This button opens either a Greek or Hebrew Bible, the LXX for OT passages, the top Bible, the top language dictionaries or lexicons, the top commentaries, or the Help Center.
- Pick up where I left off: You can open the last layout with this fifth button.
Get Help Using Features on the Logos Bible Study Dashboard
Beginning users of Logos Bible Study should frequently look at the Logos Bible Study Dashboard. I advise new users to load it by default for the first few months.
The Logos Dashboard contains what they call cards. The top row includes three cards. Learn to use Logos Bible Study with the shortcuts in the second card, “Need some help?”
The Help card shows users seven things. Here’s what each item does to help you use the program.
- Ask about Logos, where you can search for what you want to do to help. A window opens with results showing how to do what you asked.
- Get Started button opens a site that shows tips for new users.
- Videos and Webinars button opens a page with tutorial videos and seminars on using Logos. You can sign up for them or watch old ones.
- The features button opens a page that helps you use the basic features of Logos Bible Study.
- Technical Support takes you to Logos’ tech support site.
- Community opens the brand new Logos Community forums page.
- Help Manual opens a book inside Logos with help for using the program.
These sites will help you use Logos. Start with the “Get Started, ” then jump to the Videos and sign up for Webinars. Also, head over to the Community. Hundreds of users man the forums and help people. You won’t wait too long for a helpful response to your request for help.
The help you’ll get from each button on this card will turn you into a power user in only weeks. You’ll go from a newbie to an advanced user even if it doesn’t.
Quickly Jump Into Reading Plans
The Logos Bible Study Dashboard includes cards that will open your Reading Plans. Logos lets you create Reading Plans for a Bible or books in your library. They will show up on the Dashboard. Click to open them and quickly start reading.
Reading plans stand out because each Reading Plan card has a colored banner at the top with the Reading Plan title.
Logos Reading Plans show the segment of the book or Bible that you’re supposed to read that day. You’ll notice a date and title in a green box at the top of the section. The end of the section shows a pick box with the link Mark done. Click the link, and it will register in your Reading Plan that you finished that day’s plan.
Updated Reading Plans won’t include the date like the dated plans show.
Discover New Tools, Books, and Features
The founder of Logos, Bob Pritchett, famously said that Logos created the Dashboard (then called the Home Page)) to “facilitate serendipitous discovery.” That means they intend for users to discover the tools in their library. When I sometimes look at the Logos Bible Study Dashboard, I find a book I didn’t remember buying because it came in a package upgrade. It feels like getting something new without paying for it at that moment.
I have nearly 10,000 volumes in my library. Some users own double that or more. You might own a tenth of that. However, finding interesting books is hard unless you know what you’re searching for. The Dashboard shows books that you own as well as books you can buy.
Notice in the screenshot above three categories of books you can buy…
- Books From Your Library – the red outline above.
- Books You Can Buy – see the deals in the top center for 50% off Gospels-Acts Commentary Bundles. Also, notice a link at the top of the Dashboard that shows a current sale Logos wants everyone to see. These change depending on what Logos or publishers put on sale.
- Books You Can Pre-order – these refer to books that are not yet shipped but will ship soon. Notice the books labeled Pre-order with a blue Logos logo icon.
Other Books or Tools on Logos Bible Study Dashboard
You’ll also see some other books on your Logos Bible Study Dashboard. These include …
- Layouts with books organized into a window ready for your work.
- Workflows that take you through different Bible study steps.
- Lectionaries are readings for the church year published by multiple denominations.
- Links to download the Logos Mobile Apps for iOS or Android.
How to Customize the Logos Dashboard
Your Logos Dashboard might look different than mine if you changed your Dashboard Settings.
You can change the number of columns of cards from Auto, the default setting, to three, four, or five. You can also remove the Banner by turning it off. This removes the blue bar at the very top that Logos uses to advertise their current sale.
To add new cards or remove some, you can click on the little circle with a plus sign in it just below the Settings icon. You’ll see check marks next to the first two items on the list. Remove or add the Get Started Wizard, which is the light blue card with things like Personal Study, Group Bible study, and more. You’ll see the question What would you like to do today? Also, you can remove or add the Help Center card, which is the white card you see with the question Need some help?
You can also add the following…
- Course
- Daily Devotional
- Layout
- Lectionary
- Prayer List
- Reading Plan
- Sermon
- Workflow