---
title: "Interface settings"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings
category: "Settings"
tags: ["settings", "interface", "tuhi", "apps"]
summary: "Settings → Interface chooses what the menu bar icon opens — the calm Intelligence window or the Advanced popover — whether Tuhi uses Apple Intelligence when your Mac has it, and whether Storage Studio also shows a Dock icon."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:37:19.000Z
---

# Interface settings

Settings → Interface chooses what the menu bar icon opens — the calm Intelligence window or the Advanced popover — whether Tuhi uses Apple Intelligence when your Mac has it, and whether Storage Studio also shows a Dock icon.

**Settings…** → **Interface** has three choices: how Storage Studio opens when you click its menu bar icon, whether it uses Apple Intelligence for its suggestions and answers, and whether it also keeps an icon in the Dock.

## How Storage Studio opens

| Choice | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Intelligence** | A calm window that figures out what helps most and does it for you — best for most people. |
| **Advanced** | The menu-bar popover and all the specialist windows — full control for power users. |

Both views use exactly the same features underneath, so switching loses nothing. The change takes effect the next time you click the Storage Studio menu bar icon, and you can switch back any time.

New installs start in **Intelligence**. If Storage Studio was already set up on your Mac before this choice existed, it keeps you on **Advanced**, so the app doesn't change under you without asking.

You can also switch without opening Settings: **More** → **Switch to Advanced View** in the Storage Studio window, or **More** → **Switch to Intelligence view…** in the popover.

```mermaid
%% caption: What clicking the menu bar icon opens
flowchart LR
  A[Click the menu bar icon] --> B{Which view is chosen?}
  B -->|Intelligence| C[Storage Studio window on the Home tab]
  B -->|Advanced| D[Menu-bar popover]
```

*Flowchart — What clicking the menu bar icon opens. Outline:*

- Click the menu bar icon
  - leads to Which view is chosen?
- Which view is chosen?
  - Intelligence: leads to Storage Studio window on the Home tab
  - Advanced: leads to Menu-bar popover

## Smart suggestions

**Use Apple Intelligence when available** lets Storage Studio use Apple's on-device intelligence to phrase its suggestions and understand what you ask [Tuhi](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi). It's on by default. The line beneath it tells you where things stand on your Mac:

- **Available** — it's in use. Nothing about your storage leaves your Mac.
- **Turned off on this Mac** — click **Open System Settings…** to switch Apple Intelligence on.
- **Getting ready** — your Mac is still downloading Apple's on-device model.
- **Not available on this Mac** — the switch is greyed out, and Storage Studio uses its built-in suggestions instead. Everything works the same; the wording is just a little simpler.

More in [Tuhi on a Mac without Apple Intelligence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi-without-apple-intelligence).

## Dock

**Show Storage Studio in the Dock** is off by default — Storage Studio lives in the menu bar. Turn it on to keep a Dock icon as well, in either view. Clicking the Dock icon opens the same view as the menu bar icon, its badge shows the same notification count as the menu bar icon, and right-clicking it gives a short menu. See [Show in Dock](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/show-apps-in-dock).

See also: [The Home screen](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen), [The menu bar icon and popover](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover), [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window).

## What links here

- [Asking Tuhi a question](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/asking-tuhi)
- [Meet Tuhi, your storage assistant](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi)
- [Show in Dock](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/show-apps-in-dock)
- [The Home screen](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen)
- [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window)
- [The menu bar icon and popover](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover)
- [The menu bar icon doesn't appear](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/menu-bar-icon-missing)
- [Tuhi on a Mac without Apple Intelligence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi-without-apple-intelligence)
- [What Storage Studio does](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-storage-studio-does)