Set up the Tilo desktop

You do not need to configure everything at once. Start with the device, learn the basic layout, and test recovery before moving important work.

Before you begin

A complete Tilo installation and a Tilo desktop session look alike, but they do not manage the same parts of the computer.

On the complete system, Tilo manages boot, disk encryption, system updates, recovery, and the desktop.
In a desktop session, your Linux distribution continues to manage boot, encryption, system packages, the sign-in screen, and recovery.

Tilo Settings shows only controls the current system can safely provide. A missing control means the setting is not available on this installation.

Check the device

Open Settings from search. Work through the pages that matter for your computer:

Connect to Network, then disconnect and reconnect once. For enterprise Wi-Fi, use the organisation’s CA certificate rather than bypassing certificate checks.
In Displays, choose the resolution, scale, and refresh rate. Reconnect any external display and check it again after a restart.
In Keyboard & Pointer, confirm the layout, primary button, scrolling, repeat behaviour, and touchpad gestures.
In Sound, choose the speaker and microphone and run their short tests. The microphone test displays a live level; it does not keep a recording.
Set Accessibility & Appearance before arranging workspaces. Text size, contrast, and reduced motion are personal preferences.
Choose a Power profile, then try one real suspend and resume while the computer is unplugged.

When pairing Bluetooth hardware, compare the code on both devices before accepting. A prompt appearing at the right time does not by itself make the device trustworthy.

Learn the layout

Search for Desktop tour if you skipped it during first login.

A strip is a horizontal row of windows. A workspace contains strips, files, people, and permissions. Moving a window to another strip changes its position; it does not share the window.

Begin with the Personal workspace and one strip. Open Notes and Files, move between them, and open the overview. Create another workspace when a project needs different people or permissions, not simply to tidy the screen.

Try your applications

Existing Linux applications appear in search alongside Tilo apps. On the complete system, install other Linux software through Software or a distribution container. In a desktop session, keep using the host distribution’s package manager.

Before moving original files, open copies of a document, image, and media file. Check which app opens each one and where an exported copy is saved. For Windows software, choose Wine, Proton, or the side-by-side Windows VM per application; you do not need one compatibility choice for everything.

The Personal workspace is private by default. For a first sharing test, create a new workspace and copy a disposable note into it. Keep the original.

Open Workspace Settings and check who can view, comment, edit, or manage the workspace, how long access lasts, and whether a collaborator may invite other people. Viewing an ordinary Linux app and controlling it remotely are separate permissions. Press Super + Esc to stop all remote-input grants.

Prepare for recovery

Keep each of these in a safe place away from the computer:

the encrypted identity recovery copy created at first login;
the disk recovery key from a complete-system installation;
an export or backup of work that exists only on this device.

Backups is a separate app. Choose Choose folder to protect, then Choose backup location. After the first snapshot, Back up now creates another; select Verify to check it. For important work, put the destination on another physical device. Restoring does not overwrite existing files by default.

Backups currently runs when you ask it to and stores local repository snapshots; it is not an automatic schedule or an off-site backup service. Open several restored files before relying on any backup.

System rollback is not a data backup. It changes the Tilo system image without rewinding your home directory or workspaces.

Know the current limits

The public alpha is not yet a safe replacement for every daily-driver setup. Multi-monitor support, the complete accessibility tree, audio routing, notifications, session lock, and power management still have known gaps.

Keep your previous desktop, VM snapshot, or another bootable system until the workflows you depend on have survived a restart and a recovery test on your hardware.

Next, create your first workspace. Keep the installation and recovery guide nearby while you test the machine.