3 Helpful Commands You Might Not Know About

Logos 5 offers so many time-saving features that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Here are three I use on a regular basis:

1. “Update Now”

You can force an update by typing “Update Now” into the command box, which directs Logos to search for updates to both the software and all your resources. Resource updates include things like additional links, typo fixes, and—of course—downloads of new books you’ve recently purchased. Logos updates itself on its own, but Update Now starts the process immediately.

2. “Close All”

My favorite layout includes an exegetical guide, a passage guide, a half-dozen Bibles, four commentaries, and the info tool. I usually start there and, as I study, open even more books, guides, and Bibles. It’s not uncommon for me to end up with three dozen tabs open across four different panes. It would take at least two minutes to close them individually, but I can close them all at once by typing “Close All” into the command box.

3. “Facilitate Serendipitous Discovery”

Many Logos users have multiple thousands of books. With a theological library that large, you might have books you’ve never read—or even opened. The Facilitate Serendipitous Discovery (FSD) command opens a resource at random, so you can get to know even more of your library. Type “FSD” into the command box to start exploring. I use this command daily, and I’m still finding new things.

Bonus: drag to shortcuts bar

All three of these commands can be saved to the shortcuts bar. Just type them and then, rather than pressing enter to execute, drag the command from the dropdown menu into your shortcuts bar, to the right of the command box.

As you can see, “update now,” “close all,” and “FSD” are the first three items on my shortcuts bar. You can add your favorite Bibles, books, tools, and layouts, too.

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Not studying with Logos 5 yet? You should be. Get it today!