How do I find a setting?

Goal

Find a setting with search instead of going through the pages.

Before you start

• Nova is running. See How do I start Nova with the Mac, and where is the menu?

Steps

1. Settings has nine groups: General, Language & voice, AI, Knowledge & memory, Tools, My day-to-day, Apps & services, Privacy and System. Each page has tabs. In Simple the sidebar shows fewer pages.
2. At the top of the sidebar is the field Search settings…. Type a word. Each result names group, page and section.
3. A click opens the page and scrolls to the setting. Collapsed sections open, and the setting lights up briefly.
4. In Simple, results from Expert appear under In Expert view. A click on one switches to Expert.
5. The small search window Nova Search is faster. Its shortcut is called “Nova Search” shortcut and is under Keyboard shortcuts, the Window & speech tab. By default it is Option-K.
6. If ⌘, should open the search window too: Startup & windows, the Mac & windows tab, Open settings as: Search field. Then the Settings item in the menu bar opens the search window as well.
7. In the search window, a result opens a card with the real controls. You change the setting right there. Open in window jumps to the same spot in the large window. All settings in the window opens Settings without a target.
8. In the menu bar, under Help, Search… opens Settings with the cursor in the search field.

Example

Press Option-K, type “voice” and open the result. The controls appear right in the search window.

Common problems

• If the word search finds nothing, Nova sends your search term to the AI model you set up. You then see Searching with the model…. With Privacy Lock this does not happen.
• A result from Expert switches the whole view to Expert. To go back, see How do I switch between Simple and Expert?
• ⌘, works only when a Nova window is in front. While the license is locked or the permission setup is running, ⌘, always opens the large window.
• A click next to the search window closes it.
• Meetings, moments, notes and subscriptions are in the same window, see How do I use Nova Search?