Navigating Synapse

If you’re new to Synapse, you may be looking for an overview of the site structure and components.

Your main point of entry into Synapse activity will likely be your dashboard. This is where all of “your projects” will live, including projects that you have created, projects you have favorited, and projects that have been shared with you. Your dashboard is also the page from which you can create a new project.

Synapse Toolbar

You can navigate through the rest of Synapse using the toolbar on the left side.

Synapse Homepage

Click this icon at any time to re-orient yourself in Synapse by returning to the homepage.

Projects

This tab mimics the information found in your dashboard - it simply provides a quick way of getting there.

Favorites

Throughout Synapse, you can favorite pretty much any item (project, file, folder, table, dataset, etc.) by clicking the star icon next to its name. This will add that item to your favorites list.

Teams

For information on teams, see Teams.

Challenges

For information on challenges and how to create and/or participate in one, see Challenges.

Download Cart

As you add items to download from within Synapse or a portal, the number of items you have in your download cart will be indicated here. Click on this icon at any time to access your download cart and download the items to your computer. For more information on downloading data, see Finding and Downloading Data.

Search

Having trouble finding a specific project or file? Use the search bar.

User Profile

This is where you can view your profile and/or change your account settings. For information on managing your profile and account settings, see Managing Your Account.

Help

We have a variety of tools to help you out. Visit the Help section of this site to help guide you to the resource that will best serve your needs.