--- id: "start-here" lang: "en" title: "Start here: how Zero POS is laid out" summary: "A map of the sidebar, the top bar and your avatar menu, so you always know where a screen lives and why some rows are not there for you." area: "Getting started" kind: "reference" url: "https://zeropos.shop/help/start-here" alternate: "https://zeropos.shop/help/start-here?lang=es" markdown: "https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/start-here.md" screens: [] where_to_find: ["The sidebar and the top bar"] related: ["your-profile","make-a-sale","close-the-day","guided-setup","install-the-app"] updated: "2026-09-29" --- # Start here: how Zero POS is laid out A map of the sidebar, the top bar and your avatar menu, so you always know where a screen lives and why some rows are not there for you. Everything in Zero POS hangs off the sidebar on the left. It has four zones, from what you touch every shift at the top to setup at the bottom. On a phone, tap the menu button at the top left to open it. Read this on your first day, or whenever you can't find something. Setting up a brand-new shop? Start with [Set up a new shop: guided setup and the settings tour](https://zeropos.shop/help/guided-setup). Where to find it: The sidebar and the top bar. ## The counter zone (the rows at the top) **New Sale** is pinned first: it opens the till. See [Make a sale](https://zeropos.shop/help/make-a-sale). **Quick actions** is a folder of jobs done between customers: **Quick prints**, **New deal**, **Refund**, **Pending approvals**, **Stock-taking**, **Stock adjust** and **Mark tester or damaged**. **Check-in** is where you clock in and out. See [Check in and out](https://zeropos.shop/help/check-in). ## BACKOFFICE **Customers**, **Invoices**, **Layaway** and **Gift cards** open straight away. Four folders hold the rest. **Inventory**: products, reorder, orders, transfers and suppliers. **Treatments**: the calendar, appointments, gift vouchers, the treatment menu and online booking. **Team**: the rota, your availability, time off and building the rota (for those allowed). **Marketing**: offers by email, deals and **Worth a call**. ## INSIGHTS **Dashboards** (your own results, the company, shops, products, sellers and the competition), **Reports**, **Accounting** and **Payroll**. Sellers usually see their own results under **Dashboards** and their pay under **My salary**. ## MANAGE **Users**, **Targets**, **Locations**, **Settings** and **Activity history**. **Settings** is a page of tiles in groups (company, money, selling, printing and so on). Each setup guide names the tile it uses, for example [Company info: name, time zone and tax](https://zeropos.shop/help/company-info) or [Receipt printer setup: Epson, browser or cloud](https://zeropos.shop/help/printer-setup). ## Close day, at the bottom **Close day** has its own row at the foot of the sidebar (on a phone, in the menu and on the bottom bar). It counts the takings and closes the day: see [Close the day](https://zeropos.shop/help/close-the-day). Below it, **Collapse** shrinks the sidebar to icons; tap it again to widen it. ## The top bar On the left: the name of the screen you are on. On the right: the bell (**Notifications**), the “?” button that opens the guide for the screen you are on, the gear for **Settings** (only if you can open it) and your initials, which open your avatar menu. ## Your avatar menu **My profile**: your password, language, sidebar order, passkeys and notifications. See [Your profile](https://zeropos.shop/help/your-profile). **Manager PIN**: the PIN that approves sales below the minimum price, for those allowed to approve. See [Below-minimum approvals](https://zeropos.shop/help/below-minimum-approvals). **Help centre** opens these guides in a new tab. **Switch workspace** moves you to another business saved on this device ([Work in more than one workspace](https://zeropos.shop/help/switch-workspace)). **Sign out** is last. ## Why some rows are missing The sidebar only shows the screens your role lets you open. A folder with only one screen you can open shows as that screen on its own. **Cash & bank accounts** and **Payment methods** only appear in Expert accounting mode: see [Simple or Expert accounting](https://zeropos.shop/help/simple-or-expert). If you need a screen you can't see, ask the owner: roles are explained in [What each role can do](https://zeropos.shop/help/roles-and-permissions). ## Arrange the sidebar for yourself Click a section heading (such as **INSIGHTS**) to fold that section away; click it again to unfold it. To change the order of sections and rows, use the **Your sidebar** card in [your profile](https://zeropos.shop/help/your-profile#your-sidebar). Only you see your order. ## Where to go next At the counter: [Make a sale](https://zeropos.shop/help/make-a-sale), [Opening float: open the day and count the cash](https://zeropos.shop/help/open-the-day), [Find an invoice](https://zeropos.shop/help/find-an-invoice) and [The customer file](https://zeropos.shop/help/customer-file). In the back office: [Book an appointment](https://zeropos.shop/help/book-an-appointment), [Products and stock](https://zeropos.shop/help/products-and-stock), [Prepare a deal for one customer](https://zeropos.shop/help/prepare-a-deal) and [The rota](https://zeropos.shop/help/the-rota). Running the business: [What each report answers](https://zeropos.shop/help/reports-overview), [Read the Accounting overview](https://zeropos.shop/help/accounting-overview) and [Company info: name, time zone and tax](https://zeropos.shop/help/company-info). ## Common questions ### How do I get back to the till quickly? Tap **New Sale** at the top of the sidebar, or the Zero POS logo at the very top, which takes you to your start screen. ### What is the bar along the bottom of my phone? Shortcuts for your role: the till and quick jobs for people at the counter, dashboards for people who run the shop. Everything else is in the menu at the top left. ### Why is there no gear icon in my top bar? The gear only shows for people who can open at least one Settings tile. Sellers usually can't, so it stays hidden. ## Good to know - The screen name in the top bar always matches the sidebar row that opens it, so you can say exactly where you are when you ask for help. ## Related guides - [Your profile](https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/your-profile.md) - [Make a sale](https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/make-a-sale.md) - [Close the day](https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/close-the-day.md) - [Set up a new shop: guided setup and the settings tour](https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/guided-setup.md) - [Install Zero POS on an iPad, phone or computer](https://zeropos.shop/help/md/en/install-the-app.md)