If you look after more than one company in Aicountly Manage, the fastest way to move around is Manage command search: press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac), type a few letters and press Enter. This guide shows what command search can do, what it cannot, and how to use it without lifting your hands off the keyboard.
What Manage command search is
Command search is a small search window in Manage. It sits behind the search bar at the top of every screen, which reads "Search companies, branches, FY, key persons…" and shows the shortcut ⌘K. On a phone or a narrow screen the bar becomes a search icon, and tapping it opens the same window.
Despite the placeholder text, think of it as two things in one list: shortcuts to the main pages of Manage, and a company switcher. Everything you pick takes you somewhere in one step, so you skip the menu and the company list.
How to open it
- Press Ctrl+K (Windows or Linux) or Cmd+K (Mac) from any Manage screen. Pressing the same keys again closes it.
- Or click the search bar in the top bar, or the search icon on a small screen.
- Start typing. The cursor is already in the box, so there is nothing to click first.
Use the up and down arrow keys to move through the results, Enter to open the highlighted one, and Esc to close the window without doing anything.
The page shortcuts it knows
When the search box is empty, command search lists these actions:
- Go to Dashboard
- Manage Companies and Add Company
- Branches
- Financial Years
- Key Persons
- Business ID
- Audit Trail
As you type, the list narrows to the actions whose name contains your letters. Typing "fin" leaves Financial Years; typing "key" leaves Key Persons. You do not need to type the whole name.
Why some shortcuts are missing
Branches, Financial Years, Key Persons and Audit Trail belong to one company, so they appear only when a company is selected. If you are on a screen with no company chosen and these four are missing, that is why. Pick a company first (see the next section) and they come back.
Switch companies by typing a name
This is the part that saves the most time for accountants and practice owners. Every time you type, command search also looks up your companies and adds up to ten matches below the page shortcuts. Each match reads Switch to [company name] (#[company id]).
Press Enter on one and Manage makes that company your working company and takes you to its Dashboard. The same company is then used for Branches, Financial Years, Key Persons and the rest, until you switch again.
A few habits make this smoother:
- Type a distinctive part of the name, not the start. "Sharma" is quicker than scrolling for "M/s Sharma and Sons Traders".
- If two companies have similar names, check the number in brackets. It is the company ID, and it tells them apart.
- If you can see only ten results, type a little more. The list is capped at ten so it stays quick.
A worked example
Say you are closing the books for a client and need to confirm their financial year dates and the authorised signatory before a filing. Without command search you would open the company list, find the client, open it, and then open the menu twice more.
With command search: press Ctrl+K, type the client's name, press Enter. You are on their Dashboard. Press Ctrl+K again, type "fin", press Enter, and you are on Financial Years for that company. Press Ctrl+K once more, type "key", press Enter, and you are on Key Persons. Three short visits, no mouse.
What command search will not do
Be clear about the limits so you do not search for something that is not there:
- It does not search inside records. Typing a director's name or a branch name will not open that person or branch; it finds the page (Key Persons, Branches) and you pick the record there.
- It does not change anything. Choosing an action only navigates or switches your working company. Nothing is created, edited or deleted from this window.
- Switching company changes what you see in Manage. It does not give you access to a company you have not been given; the company list you can reach is the one your account is allowed to see.
For how people and permissions are arranged inside a workspace, read Workspace team vs company users in Manage. For the pages you will reach with these shortcuts, see Key persons in Manage and Financial years and branches in Manage.
Tips for a practice with many clients
- Switch before you start work. Make switching the first move on a new client so you never edit the wrong company by habit.
- Glance at the company ID. A quick look at the number in brackets takes a second and avoids confusion between near-identical names.
- Use the page shortcuts too. Typing two or three letters is faster than finding an item in the side menu.
- Keep company names consistent. Search matches the letters you type, so a clear naming habit (trade name first, for example) makes results easier to spot.
Key takeaways
- Press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K anywhere in Manage to open command search; Esc closes it.
- It lists page shortcuts and lets you switch to any matching company, up to ten at a time.
- Company-specific pages show up only after a company is selected.
- It navigates only. It does not edit data or search inside records.
If you manage several companies in one place, Aicountly Manage keeps companies, branches, financial years and key persons together, and command search is the quickest way through them. Confirm statutory details for each client with your CA before you file.
