Home Assistant Guide

Simple tutorials for powerful automations

User Profile Settings in Home Assistant

Home Assistant lets you personalize your experience with profile settings, from your language and time format to how the interface looks and behaves. Here's how to find your profile and what each setting means.

How to Access Your Profile

  1. In the Home Assistant sidebar (usually on the left), look for your username or initials at the very bottom. Click on it.
  2. This opens your User Profile page, where you'll find all your personal settings.
  3. You can also get here by clicking your user icon (or initials) in the bottom-left corner of the screen, then selecting "Profile".

General Settings

  • Language: Sets the language for Home Assistant's interface.
  • Number, Time, Date Format: Choose how numbers, times, and dates appear (e.g. 24-hour clock or 12-hour clock, DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY, etc.). "Auto" usually matches your language or browser settings.
  • Time Zone: Select your local time zone for correct display of times and automations.
  • First Day of the Week: Pick which day your calendar starts on (Sunday or Monday).
  • Change the order and hide items from the sidebar: Organize your Home Assistant sidebar to suit your workflow. Press and hold the sidebar header to activate edit mode.
  • Advanced Mode: Available only to admin users. This unlocks extra features and settings - such as advanced automation options, YAML editing, and more detailed controls. It's not required for everyday use, so you can leave it off at first if you prefer a simpler experience. However, don't be afraid to turn it on: many users find it helpful as they become more comfortable with Home Assistant.
  • Display entity IDs in picker: Shows technical "entity IDs" when choosing devices for automations and dashboards. Useful if you want to see or use the exact IDs, but not needed for most beginners.

Browser Settings

These settings only affect the device you're using right now (they won't sync across different computers or phones):

  • Theme: Switch between Light, Dark, or Auto (matches your system settings). Pick your favorite!
  • Primary/Accent Color: Change the highlight and accent colors in your interface.
  • Dashboard: Set which dashboard loads by default on this device.
  • Always Hide the Sidebar: Hides the sidebar for a cleaner look, especially on smaller screens.
  • Vibrate: Enable vibration feedback when controlling devices from your phone or tablet.
  • Receive Notifications: Allow this browser/device to receive notifications from Home Assistant. (Requires SSL/HTTPS.)
  • Suspend background connections: Save resources by disconnecting when browser tabs are hidden or inactive for a while.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Enable or disable keyboard shortcuts for the Home Assistant web interface.

Security Settings

  • Change password: Update your password for your Home Assistant account.
  • Multi-factor authentication: Add an extra layer of security (such as an authenticator app) for logging in.
  • Refresh tokens: Shows your currently active login sessions and devices. Remove any you don't recognize or no longer use.
  • Long-lived access tokens: For advanced users - these tokens allow scripts or external apps to connect to Home Assistant for a long time (up to 10 years). Only use them for trusted tools or scripts.

Tip: Most changes are saved automatically. If you're not sure about an option, you can always change it again later!