---
title: "Configure Desktop App Settings"
slug: "configure-desktop-app-settings"
updated: 2026-10-30T01:21:08Z
published: 2026-10-30T01:21:08Z
canonical: "docs.rocket.chat/configure-desktop-app-settings"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rocket.chat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure Desktop App Settings

The Rocket.Chat desktop client includes a centralized settings panel to configure application behavior, manage certificate exceptions, set up telephony and calling workflows, and adjust diagnostic logging.

To open the settings panel:

- Open the **Application menu** by clicking the **three-dot icon** in the top bar or at the bottom of the left sidebar, depending on your workspace layout.
- Select **App Settings**.

> [!NOTE]
> Alternatively, on macOS, you can use the ***Cmd + ,*** keyboard shortcut to access these settings.

The settings panel opens in a non-resizable, fixed-size window. It saves its last position across sessions. If no position is saved, it opens centered on the main window's display. On screens smaller than its dimensions, it scales down to fit. On Windows, the title bar features only Minimize and Close controls.

The settings panel contains six tabs:

- **General**: Configure launch behavior, notifications, window persistence, default browsers, and workspace layout controls.
- **Appearance**: Adjust color themes, window transparency, and workspace switcher layouts.
- **Certificates**: Review, trust, or revoke domain-level SSL/TLS exceptions.
- **Telephony**: Manage system-level protocol handlers (tel:, callto:) and global call shortcuts.
- **Video Calls**: Define in-app window behavior and position retention for video conferences.
- **Advanced**: Configure hardware acceleration, crash telemetry, and developer-level debug logging, and reset window sizes and positions.

## General settings

The General tab controls the desktop app's core behavior. Available settings vary by operating system.

**macOS**

| **Setting** | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Check for updates on start** | Checks for newer desktop app releases automatically each time the app launches. Use the inline **Check for updates now** button to run an immediate manual check. |
| **Menu bar extra** | Displays the Rocket.Chat icon in the macOS menu bar. The main window opens every time you start the app, even if you quit the app while the window was hidden. To start the app without opening the main window, start it with the `--start-hidden` command-line option. |
| **Unread indicator in menu bar extra** | Shows the unread messages badge on the menu bar extra instead of your presence status. When you have unread messages, the icon shows a dot. When you have none, it shows the default Rocket.Chat icon. If the app is disconnected, the icon shows the disconnected state instead. This setting is unavailable when **Menu bar extra** is disabled. |
| **Unread count in menu bar** | Displays the number of unread mentions next to the menu bar extra. |
| **Bounce dock icon** | Bounce the app icon in the dock to draw your attention when new notifications arrive. |
| **Download percentage** | Display file download progress as a percentage in the tab bar. |
| **Default Browser** | Sets the default external browser used to open web links from the app. The available options are: - **System Default**: Uses your device’s default browser setting. - **Google Chrome** - **Safari** |
| **Outlook Calender Sync Interval** | Set how frequently (in minutes) Outlook syncs calendar events. |
| **PDF preview size limit in encrypted rooms (MB)** | Set the maximum file size (in MB) for generating previews of encrypted PDF files. PDF files larger than this limit will be downloaded directly instead of previewed. |

**Windows**

| **Setting** | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Enable Flash Frame** | Flash the window to attract the user's attention when new alerts arrive. |
| **Fallback Screen Capture for Video Calls** | Disable Windows Graphics Capture to enable screen sharing in Remote Desktop sessions. The app restarts when you change this option. |
| **Open Video Chat in Application Window** | Enable this option to open video chats directly within the desktop app window. |
| **Remember video call window position** | Save and restore the size and position of video call windows between sessions, so they reopen exactly as you left them. |
| **Tray Icon** | Keeps the application running in the Windows system tray when closed rather than exiting completely. On Windows, the tray icon is located in the notification area at the bottom-right corner of your taskbar. Right-click the Rocket.Chat icon to show, hide, or quit the application. The main window opens every time you start the app, even if you quit the app while the window was hidden in the tray. To start the app without opening the main window, start it with the `--start-hidden` command-line option. |
| **Minimize on close** | Minimizes the app window to the taskbar or tray instead of terminating the process when the close button (X) is clicked. Enabled by When the **Tray Icon** setting is enabled, this setting is enabled by default. |
| **Unread counter in tray icon** | Shows the unread messages badge on the tray icon instead of your presence status. The badge shows a dot when you have unread messages. When you're mentioned, it shows the number of mentions. When you have no unread messages, the tray icon shows the default Rocket.Chat icon. If the app is disconnected, the icon shows the disconnected state instead. This setting is unavailable when **Tray Icon** is disabled. |
| **Sidebar** | Display the sidebar on the left side of the desktop app window to access your list of workspaces. |
| **Menu bar** | Display the menu bar at the top of the desktop application to access key controls. Note that both the **Sidebar** and the **Menu bar** cannot be disabled at the same time. At least one option must be enabled. |
| **NTLM Credentials** | Allow [NTLM credentials](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/windows-security/ntlm-user-authentication) to be used when connecting to a server. When this option is enabled, you can enter the domains (as comma-separated values) that will use the credentials. Use `*` to match all domains. |
| **Default Browser** | Choose which browser opens external links from the app. The available options can include: - **System Default**: Uses your device’s default browser setting. - **Google Chrome** - **Firefox** - **Internet Explorer** - **Microsoft Edge** |
| **Outlook Calender Sync Interval** | Set how frequently (in minutes) Outlook syncs calendar events. By default, the value is 60. |
| **PDF preview size limits in encrypted rooms (MB)** | Set the maximum size of encrypted PDF files that can be previewed. Files larger than this limit are downloaded directly instead of being previewed. |

## Appearance settings

The Appearance tab controls the app's theme and workspace switcher. When Developer Mode is enabled, it also shows the **Load a web UI build** section.

| **Setting** | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Theme** | Choose the color theme for your desktop app. The available options are: - **Match system**: Automatically matches your app’s theme to your device’s system settings. - **Light**: Uses a light color scheme. - **Dark**: Uses a dark color scheme. |
| **Workspace switcher** | Choose how connected workspaces are displayed. The options are: - **Tabs**: Display your workspaces in a horizontal tab bar, similar to tabs in a web browser. - **Sidebar**: Display your workspaces in a vertical sidebar on the left side of your window using icon-only buttons. - **Titlebar:** Keep the interface minimal by displaying your workspaces in a compact switcher in the top title bar. |
| **Transparent window effect** | Enable the native vibrancy and transparency effect for the desktop app window. |
| **Load a web UI build** | Run a different Rocket.Chat web UI build in a connected workspace for testing. This option is available when *Help > Developer Mode* is enabled. You can load: - `develop` for the latest develop build. - A pull request number, such as 42364 or #42364. - An http or https URL for a served bundle. Add a build, then select **Apply** to load it in a workspace. The app keeps your existing workspace session and displays a UI badge while the preview is active. You can check listed builds for updates or restore the workspace's server UI at any time. > [!NOTE] > While a web UI build is active, the unread badge, native notifications, presence, window title, and server information are unavailable for that workspace. UI builds are also removed when you restart the app. |

## Certificate settings

The Certificates tab logs how the app manages untrusted or invalid SSL/TLS certificates (such as self-signed or expired certificates). When an invalid certificate is encountered while connecting to a server or loading workspace content, the app asks whether you want to trust or reject it. Your decision is saved here for future reference.

To clear a manual override and force the client to prompt you on the next connection attempt, search for the domain in the filter field and select **Remove**.

- **Trusted Certificates**: Domains with invalid certificates that you chose to trust. The app will connect to these domains without further warnings.
- **Not Trusted Certificates**: Domains with invalid certificates that you chose not to trust. The app will block connections to these domains.

Valid certificates are accepted automatically and do not appear here. This tab only tracks decisions made for certificates flagged as invalid.

> [!WARNING]
> If Rocket.Chat revokes a certificate, the app rejects it without prompting, even if you previously trusted the domain. The app [logs](/v1/docs/manage-your-desktop-app#access-desktop-app-log-viewer) a warning with the requested URL and certificate issuer. The domain may remain on the **Certificates** tab as **Trusted**, but the app won't connect to it while the certificate is revoked. Selecting **Remove** doesn't restore the trust prompt.

## Telephony

Use the telephony settings to control how Rocket.Chat handles phone-call shortcuts and links.

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Telephony** | Allow Rocket.Chat to handle phone-call shortcuts and `tel:` or `callto:` links from your browser or other app. Turn off this setting to disable the shortcut, ignore phone-link clicks, and hide the global shortcut settings below. |
| **Phone-link handler diagnostics** | Use this diagnostic to verify that `tel:` and `callto:` links open in Rocket.Chat. It checks your system’s default handlers and shows whether Rocket.Chat is configured to handle each link type. Click **Refresh** to check the configuration again after making changes. Click **Copy diagnostics** to copy the diagnostic results to your clipboard. |
| **Global call shortcut** | Define a keyboard shortcut that brings Rocket.Chat to the front and opens the dial pad from any application. If a phone number is on your clipboard, Rocket.Chat pre-fills it in the dial pad. |
| **Telephony workspace** | Choose the workspace that handles incoming phone calls from `tel:` and `callto:` links. You can choose to be prompted to select a workspace or specify one of your connected workspaces. |

## Video calls

Manage dedicated calling window behaviors.

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Video calls inside app** | Open video calls directly inside the Rocket.Chat desktop app. [Google Meet calls](/v1/docs/google-meet-app) can only open in browser. |
| **Retain video call window position** | Save and restore the size and position of video call windows between sessions, so they reopen exactly as you left them. |
| **Clear screen capture permissions** | Removes all screen capture permissions previously granted to workspaces, including any you chose not to be asked about again. After clearing, the app prompts for permission again the next time a workspace requests screen capture access. |

## Advanced settings

The Advanced tab provides settings for logging, troubleshooting, and resizing apps windows.

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Hardware Acceleration** | Enables hardware acceleration when available. The app will reload when it detects a change. |
| **Report errors to Rocket.Chat** | Send error reports to the developers to help improve the app. If you installed the app from the Mac App store, this option is disabled and errors are reported through the Mac App Store report process. |
| **Reset window sizes and positions** | Clicking this button resets the main window, settings panel, Downloads, log viewer, and document viewer to their default sizes and positions. The main window exits full-screen and centers on your primary display. Open windows immediately resize and center on the display nearest the main window, while closed windows reopen centered at their default size. Video call windows are excluded from this reset. Moving or resizing any window afterward will save its new position and size. You can also select **View** > **Reset Window Sizes and Positions** from the menu bar. |

### Developer Mode

Additional diagnostic settings are available when Developer Mode is enabled.

To enable Developer Mode:

- Open the **Help** menu in the top menu bar.
- Select **Developer Mode**.

After Developer Mode is enabled, the following settings become available:

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Verbose Logging** | When this option is enabled, all console outputs are written to the log file. When this option is disabled, only errors and important messages are saved, keeping logs smaller and focused. |
| **Verbose Outlook Calendar Logging** | Enable detailed Exchange/NTLM debug logs for troubleshooting Outlook Calendar integration issues. |
| **Detailed Events Logging** | Enable this option to log full event data exchanged between Outlook and Rocket.Chat during calendar sync. This is useful for diagnosing sync issues. |