---
title: Utility Menu
description: "The Utility Menu on every page: change your site, reload permissions, clock in or out, see your In/Out board and tasks, and start a support session."
url: "https://theasst.com/docs/utility-menu/"
updated: "2026-10-12"
category: Getting Started
---

# Utility Menu

The **Utility Menu** is a link at the bottom of the left sidebar on nearly every page. Click it for a small menu of things you may need from anywhere in TBA, without leaving the page you are on. It’s a good place to start when something seems out of date.

## Change Current Site

If your company has more than one [site](https://theasst.com/docs/sites-setup/) and you have permission for several, choose which one you are working in. TBA only shows you the clients, documents, and reports for that site while it is selected. Changing sites also refreshes your permissions.

## Reload Permissions

When an administrator changes what you are allowed to do (see [Users and Permissions](https://theasst.com/docs/users-and-permissions/)), or changes company-wide settings such as the default color theme, your current session doesn’t find out until you log in again, change sites, or click **Reload permissions**. Clicking it picks up the changes immediately, including new menu items.

## Timeclock

Shown when **Use Timeclock Functions** is on in [General Options](https://theasst.com/docs/general-options/). It shows your current status and the list of statuses you can switch to (for example *In*, *Lunch*, or *Gone for the day*). Click one to clock in, out, or change your status. The choices are defined in [Timeclock Statuses Setup](https://theasst.com/docs/timeclock-statuses-setup/). See also [Timeclock and Kiosk](https://theasst.com/docs/timeclock-and-kiosk/).

## In/Out Board

Shows the people on your own [In/Out Board](https://theasst.com/docs/in-out-board/) and their current status, so you can see at a glance who is in, out, or in a meeting. **Manage my In/Out board** opens the full page to choose and reorder who appears.

## My Tasks

Shows what is on your plate today: your own tasks plus any scheduled work you have been assigned on Sales/Service Orders. **Open Task List** goes to the full [My Tasks](https://theasst.com/docs/my-tasks/) page.

## Start/Stop Support Session

If you need help from a TBA support technician, they may ask you to start a support session. Click this button and read the consent message carefully: the technician will be able to *see* what is open in this browser tab, but cannot control your mouse or keyboard, and may only draw temporary highlights on your screen. Close or hide anything private first. You then read the code that appears to your technician. A small dot next to “Utility Menu” shows while a session is active. Click the button again to stop it at any time.

## Use Desktop Layout / Use Mobile Layout

On a phone (or in a very narrow window), the Utility Menu also has a button to switch between the phone layout and the regular desktop layout of the page you are on. Choose **Use desktop layout** if you want the full page; choose **Use mobile layout** to go back. TBA remembers the choice on that phone. The button doesn’t appear on a computer, or on pages that are always desktop-only. See [Using TBA on Your Phone](https://theasst.com/docs/using-tba-on-your-phone/).

## Sharing Your Whole Screen with Support

Sometimes the technician needs to see something outside TBA. They can ask to see your screen, and you will see a **Screen sharing request** message. If you agree, click OK and a small window titled **Screen sharing with Support** opens. Click **Start sharing**, then in the box your browser shows, choose **Window** (the browser window you use for TBA) or **Entire screen**, and click **Share**.

- Keep that small window open while you work. Only what you choose is shared.
- Stop at any time with the red **Stop sharing** button, or your browser's own "Stop sharing" bar.
- A screen share never runs longer than **one hour**; if you still need help, start another.
- If your browser blocks the small window, TBA tells you. Allow pop-ups for TBA and ask the technician to try again. If you decline, or your browser cannot share its screen, the technician keeps using the page view.