# Getting Started

Source: https://metadock.app/docs/getting-started

# Getting Started

Your first 5 minutes with MetaDock — from launch to a fully organized workspace.

## First Launch

When you open MetaDock for the first time, it starts with an empty workspace — no panels, nothing open yet. Press **Ctrl+T** to open the **New Tab**page. Think of this as your home screen — it's where everything starts.

### What you'll see

The New Tab page is your command center. Here's what each section does:

#### URL Bar

Type any URL (like `tradingview.com`) or a search query (like `bitcoin price`) and press Enter. MetaDock opens it as a browser panel right in your layout.

#### Profile Selector

Choose which browser profile to use before opening a site. Each profile has its own cookies, cache, and extensions — so you can be logged into Gmail with two different accounts at the same time. Hover over a profile to see action buttons.

#### App List

App Support is off by default. Turn it on under **Settings → Applications**, and running Windows applications appear here. Click one to embed it directly into your MetaDock layout — Discord, VS Code, MetaTrader, most apps with a normal window.

#### Launcher Tiles

Quick-access tiles for Settings, Bookmarks, Downloads, and more. One click to open any of these as a panel.

### Choosing how content opens

Before you open a URL or app, pick an opening mode. This controls where the new content appears:

Mode

What happens

Best for

Current Window

Replaces the New Tab page

Quick single-site browsing

New Tab

Opens as a tab alongside New Tab

Tabbed browsing within one panel

New Window

Opens as a new panel in the grid

Building a multi-site dashboard

Floating

Opens as an overlay window

Temporary reference, quick lookups

Tip

**Example:** Setting up a trading workspace? Use “New Window” mode, then open TradingView, Yahoo Finance, and your broker one by one. MetaDock auto-tiles them into a grid. Save with **Ctrl+S** and it restores next time.

## URL Bar

The URL bar is MetaDock's universal launcher. You can open it from anywhere — even when you're deep in a multi-panel layout.

Action

Shortcut

Open main search bar (recommended)

Ctrl+K

Open floating URL bar

Ctrl+O

Focus URL bar in current browser

Ctrl+L

### What you can type

The URL bar is smart — it detects what you're typing and responds accordingly:

`tradingview.com`Opens the URL directly in a browser panel

`bitcoin price chart`Searches with your configured search engine (Google by default)

Tip

**Pro tip:** **Ctrl+K**is the one shortcut you should memorize. It's the fastest way to get anywhere — open sites, launch apps, switch profiles, or search. Think of it like Spotlight on macOS or the VS Code command palette.

## Command Line

You can launch MetaDock with a URL argument to go straight to a specific page on startup:

bash

```
metadock.exe https://tradingview.com/chart
```

This opens the specified URL in the first layout after your workspace loads.

### Practical uses

#### Desktop shortcuts

Create a Windows shortcut with `metadock.exe https://app.slack.com` as the target. One double-click opens MetaDock directly to Slack.

#### Automation scripts

Call MetaDock from batch scripts or task schedulers to open specific dashboards at market open, at the start of your workday, or on a schedule.

Note

Command line launch opens the URL in your startup workspace. To control which workspace loads, set it in **Settings → General → Startup Workspace**.