I'm new to TheBrain. Where shall I get started?

Welcome to the creation of your new Digital Brain! We strongly recommend that you sign up for a Brain 101 class. Our live Brain 101 classes are held each week and you'll learn all the basics that you need to know in order to get started on your own Brain.

Afterwards, you can also visit our video tutorials page or contact us at support@thebrain.com if you have further questions.

I forgot my password. How can I remember it?

For your own security, the support representatives at TheBrain cannot reset or look up your password. You'll need to visit app.thebrain.com/forgot-password. Fill in your email address and further instructions for resetting your own password will be delivered to you.

Do I qualify for a discount or free upgrade?

If you made a new purchase of TheBrain Pro Licenses or a renewal of TheBrain Pro Combo after November 1, 2015, you'll qualify for a free upgrade. Other existing customers qualify for a discounted upgrade. Please visit the TheBrain Store Page and scroll to the bottom. Type your email address into the Check for Discounts field. This will update the page and inform you of any available upgrade discount options and/or if you qualify for a free upgrade to TheBrain 9.

How do I log in on the desktop version?

If you are a Pro or Pro Combo Licensed user, but you are only getting Free Version features, you may not be logged in. Look for the User or Person Icon in the upper right hand corner of the application.

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Click it and then click on + TheBrain Cloud. Use your email and password to log in. Don't have a Brain account yet? You can create one at app.thebrain.com/signup.

Will I lose access to my version 8 Brains?

Installing TheBrain 9 does not overwrite the version 8 application. This means that, if desired, you can run both version 8 and version 9 at the same time. Additionally, your version 8 databases will not be modified or automatically updated with the instalation of version 9.

If you would like to import a version 8 Brain into version 9, click on File > Import and follow the on screen instructions. Your original v8 Brain will be coppied into the new v9 format.

How do I sync my Brain to TheBrain Cloud?

Want to access your Brain online, from a mobile device or from another machine? It's time to sync.

Look for the Cloud icon in TheBrain toolbar. Click it to upload your Brain to TheBrain Cloud. Your Brain will now be set to auto sync and upload will upload changes as you edit in the future. To modify this setting or review if a sync is necessary, click on the small arrow icon next to the cloud icon for your sync status.

Now that I've synced, where can I find my Brain online?

We have switched servers for TheBrain 9. Any of your Brains synced from v9 are available at app.TheBrain.com. You can log in with your same username/password combination you've used for version 8. Additionally, your v8 Brains are still available at WebBrain.com

How secure is my data in TheBrain Cloud?

• TheBrain 9 uses a completely different architecture from TheBrain 8 and we are enhancing security as part of that transition.
• TheBrain 9 servers are hosted via Microsoft Azure and not AWS.
• At present, there is no facility for accessing information even by administrators without the login information. Additionally, our services agreement does not permit us to access user data for any purpose beyond providing services to the user.
• Passwords are salted and hashed so they are not readable by anyone.
• File attachments and notes are now encrypted using a 256-bit AES cipher (one of the strongest block ciphers available).

How do I drag and drop emails from Outlook?

Unfortunately, Microsoft made supporting drag and drop from Outlook directly into TheBrain quite difficult and has changed the APIs required to make it work several times. This is not a trivial feature to implement. However, there is a good workaround. Simply open a folder for the thought where you want to attach the message and drag and drop to that folder. Alternatively you can drag and drop to your desktop and then drag from there to TheBrain.

More direct support for drag and drop from recent versions of Outlook is something we are planning for a future release of TheBrain.

What is the Alpha Channel?

By default, when you install TheBrain 9, you'll be on the Beta Channel. This gives you access to the latest, tested, stable beta release. Swithcing your local Brain to the Alpha Channel will alow you to get the latest, still being tested builds of TheBrain 9, hot off the developers' desks. To get on the Alpha channel:

Windows: Go to Options > Preferences > System > Updates, and select Alpha from the dropdown menu. Then go to Help > Check for Update, and install the update.

Mac OS: Go to TheBrain > Preferences > System > Updates and select Alpha from the dropdown menu. Then go to TheBrain > Check for Update, and install the update.

Does the latest iOS app load v8 or v9 Brains?

You can log into either v8 or v9 with the latest iOS build. From the login screen, you should see which version you are logging into at the top of the screen. Tap on the "i" icon to switch versions if needed.

Already logged in and can't tell if you are looking at v8 or v9 Brains? Easy, just look for the sync button when you have a Brain open. Version 9 has the sync button - version 8 does not.

Does the latest Android app load v8 or v9 Brains?

You can log into either v8 or v9 with the latest Android build. From the login screen, you should see which version you are logging into at the top of the screen. Tap on the three dots icon to switch versions if needed.

Already logged in and can't tell if you are looking at v8 or v9 Brains? Easy, just look for the sync button when you have a Brain open. Version 9 has the sync button - version 8 does not.

Do the mobile apps still have the bookmarklet feature?

We've made things much easier in TheBrain 9. TheBrain bookmarklet (and tedious set up process) no longer exists. Now, you can simply tap on the share button from your browser (or any other supported app) and select "Add to TheBrain." From TheBrain app, tap on the paperclip icon from the desired Thought and open your Inbox to add your attachment.