Getting started with your new elementary OS is really easy! First lets have a look at some basic features your desktop has to offer.

At the top of the screen you can see the panel that holds the menus you will need for working with the desktop. On the left is the Main Menu, which is divided into three slots: Applications, Places and System. Main Menu allows you to view and access all the applications you have installed on your computer, navigate to your favourite folders, and to fine tune your system settings.

Indicators

On the right side of the panel are your AppIndicators. These tell you of the current status of your session, i.e. your network connections, battery power, time, chat and email accounts, etc.

Docky

At the bottom of the screen is Docky. It holds all your open windows as well as the applications that are pinned to the dock. Pinned applications are used as shortcuts as they are not removed from the dock when quitting an application. Closing an unpinned application will remove the corresponding icon from the dock. You are able to customise your dock according to your preferences by adding or removing pinned shortcuts.

To pin an application to Docky right click on an active application and click “Pin to dock”. To unpin an application drag it from the dock and drop it at an empty space on your desktop. By dragging the applications you can also rearrange the order the shortcuts appear on the Docky.

Now that you’ve learned the basics, feel free to check out the other sections to learn more about the bits that make up elementary.