Settings
Settings is where you configure how Big Picture Money works on your computer. Open it from the left navigation or the title bar Account menu.
Categories
Settings uses a two-pane layout: pick a category on the left, then adjust options on the right. Context help (F1 or Documentation for this page) opens an article for the category you have selected, not a single generic Settings page.
| Category | What you can change | Help article |
|---|---|---|
| General | Your display name, appearance (System / Light / Dark), font size, and data file location | Change appearance |
| License | Product license status, activation, and devices | Activate your license |
| AI assistant | Enable AI, refresh suggested models, choose a provider and model, and paste an API key | Configure AI provider |
| Bank integration | Connect institutions for automatic transaction download | Connect a financial institution |
| Export | Full CSV export, encrypted backups, and recent export history | Export and backup |
| Activity | Chronological log of imports, syncs, exports, unlocks, and major data changes | View activity log |
The assistant may propose appearance (System / Light / Dark) from Chat as a preview you Apply. It never pastes or rotates API keys, changes your passphrase, or switches data files — those stay human-only. See AI assistant.
Open Settings
- In the left navigation, click Settings.
- Confirm the page title is Settings and General is selected by default.
You can also click Account → Settings in the title bar.
Switch categories
- On the Settings page, click AI assistant in the left list.
- Confirm the right pane title changes to AI assistant.
- Click Bank integration, then Export, then General again.
Deep links
Search, Help, and other parts of the app can open a specific Settings category directly. The address bar shows ?section=general, ?section=license, ?section=ai, ?section=bank, ?section=backup, or ?section=activity.
Expected result
- Settings opens with categories on the left and detail on the right.
- General is the default category when you open Settings from navigation.
- Each category updates the right pane without leaving Settings.
- Title bar Account → Settings opens the same page.
- Context help follows the selected category’s help article in the table above.