> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).
# Your Dashboards at a glance
Dashboards is a read-only snapshot of your cash, income, burn and runway for one period. Here is what every card shows and where each one leads.
## Open your Dashboards
1. In the left navigation, click **Home** › **Dashboards** (or press G then D).
2. Pick the period with the period picker at the top. See [Choosing a reporting period](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reports-and-insights/choose-a-reporting-period).
Dashboards opens on the last complete month, then moves once to the newest month that has activity. A period you pick yourself is never changed, but Dashboards doesn't remember it when you leave the page.
Nothing on Dashboards is edited here. Every figure is calculated from your ledger, so it changes when your books change.
## What each card shows
| Card | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Expenses Analysis** / **Revenue Analysis** | A sentence comparing this period with the one before, then **Notable changes include:** with up to four vendors, customers or entries that moved the most. |
| **Total Cash** | The combined balance of your bank accounts at the end of the period. Credit cards are not included. |
| **Gross Income** | Revenue plus other income for the period. |
| **Net Burn** / **Net Cash In** | How much more money left your bank accounts than came in. The title changes to **Net Cash In** when more came in. |
| **Runway** / **Live Runway** | How many months (or quarters, or years) your cash lasts at your recent burn. |
| **Cash Flow** | Money in, money out and the net for your bank accounts. |
| **Top Expense Categories** | Your five largest expense categories this period, with the change from the period before. |
**Net Burn** and **Cash Flow** carry a **CASH** badge because they measure money moving through your bank accounts. How the cash cards are calculated is in [How Runway, Net Burn and Total Cash are calculated](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reports-and-insights/runway-net-burn-and-total-cash).
{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** The analysis sentences are not AI-written. ZeraBooks builds them from your figures, so they always match the numbers on the page.
{% endhint %}
## Read the charts and change chips
- Each chart covers the 12 periods up to the one you picked: 12 months when you pick a month, 12 quarters when you pick a quarter, 12 years when you pick a year. The chart starts no earlier than your books start date.
- Hover a month on a chart to update that card's value and change chip for that month.
- The change chip compares with the period before, for example **▲48% vs Jun '26**. It is teal when the change is good for you (more income, less spending) and orange when it isn't.
- While the period is still running, the cards read **as of Today** and the analysis adds **This month is in-flight so insights may change**.
## Go from a card to the detail
- Click a row in **Top Expense Categories** to open the **Ledger** filtered to that category and period.
- Click a vendor or customer in **Notable changes include:** to open it in **Vendors** or **Customers**. Movers that aren't a saved vendor or customer open the **Expenses** or **Revenue** page instead.
- Click the section name in an analysis sentence (for example **Expenses**) to open that page. See [Explore Expenses, Revenue and Cost of Revenue](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reports-and-insights/explore-expenses-and-revenue).
## Above the cards
- **The Autopilot strip** reads, for example, "Autopilot · 42 things done for you in the last 30 days · 91% hands-off". Its pill shows how many questions need you, or **Nothing needs you**. Click it to open **Autopilot**. See [What Autopilot does](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/what-autopilot-does).
- **The setup guide** appears on a company that isn't fully set up. It shows one next step, such as **Set up categories**, **Add an account** or **Upload a statement**, and disappears once setup is done.
## Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Dashboards show last month instead of this month?
Because it opens on the last complete month, then moves to the newest month that has activity. Pick **This Month** in the period picker to see the running month.
Can I add, remove or rearrange dashboard cards?
No. Dashboards has one fixed set of cards. To build your own selection of charts and statements, use [a custom report](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reports-and-insights/create-a-month-end-report).
Is the analysis text written by AI?
No. It is composed from the calculated figures, with no AI involved, so it always agrees with the numbers.
Why is Top Expense Categories higher than my Expenses page?
Because **Top Expense Categories** on Dashboards includes cost of revenue. The **Expenses** page doesn't; cost of revenue has its own page.
What does "Nothing to compare yet" mean?
There's nothing earlier to compare with. The analysis reads the period you picked against the one before it, and there's no earlier activity to compare against yet, usually because the books start in this period.
Why does the dashboard say "Could not load the dashboard"?
The figures couldn't be fetched. Check your connection and click **Retry dashboard**.
Can I download or print Dashboards?
No. Dashboards has no download button. Put the same charts in [a custom report](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reports-and-insights/create-a-month-end-report) and download it as a PDF.
---
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