# Configure TholusOS and the room Set up your account, content folder, language, downloads and network in TholusOS. Find audio and projection controls and check that your room is ready. Canonical: https://docs.theusualnext.com/en/tholusos/settings/configure/ Updated: 2026-10-22 Publisher: the usual neXt **Settings** contains account access, app preferences, content and network services. **Room** contains space, projection, audio and accessories: this is where you prepare the installation for sessions. Open **TholusOS → Settings…** or press **⌘,**. Available categories depend on the profile, licence and functions enabled for the installation. ## Initial configuration Prepare a workstation by checking access, content, room equipment and the network services required for your activities. Configuration is ready when you can locate the files, identify the outputs and understand which functions are enabled. Have the account or licence assigned to the Mac, the content drive and the equipment connections available. For a first launch, also follow [Getting started](/en/tholusos/getting-started/). During a session, keep changes to the operational adjustments you need. Language, updates, content location and output devices are settings to prepare when you have time to check their effects. ## Account, subscription and Mac licence **Tholus Account** shows your profile, available subscriptions and the licence saved on the workstation. Account access and the local licence have their own displayed status and expiry. 1. Open **Tholus Account** in Settings. 2. If sign-in is required, start it and complete the process in the browser. 3. Check the subscriptions associated with your account: organisation, site, validity and assigned Macs, where available. 4. If the plan allows it, select **Activate on this Mac** and wait for confirmation of the assignment. 5. Check **License saved on this Mac** too. Offline licence and support tools are available through that panel. The app shows how long account access is valid offline and explains that it renews online. Plan a connection before that date if the workstation usually operates without Internet. Read the local licence’s validity in its own panel. If a function is locked, first check the assigned plan and the function’s message. Installations can have different capabilities: projection, experiences, games, automation and integrations may have separate requirements. ## Language, updates and manual playback **General** lets you choose the interface language, review updates and set the manual playback duration. A language change takes effect the next time the app opens. Choose your language and reopen TholusOS when the session has finished. Content you author or generate for an experience keeps its own language: selecting English for the interface does not automatically translate a lesson. In the updates section, check the version, mode, channel and status. Some options may be managed for the installation and therefore unavailable for editing. Allow an appropriate interval to install and verify an update before your audience arrives. **Override duration** sets the interval for a manually started video or video playlist. Its slider offers 5 to 60 minutes in steps of 5. Live control lets you return to the schedule sooner. Manually started experiences keep scheduling suspended until an explicit return, while background audio alone does not start the video override timer. See [Scheduling](/en/tholusos/media-server/scheduling/) for the behaviour during a session. ## Content folder and storage **Contents** shows the active folder, drive type, scan results and available storage. Choose a stable location and keep its drive accessible throughout operation. 1. Open **Contents → Choose Folder…**. 2. Select your library’s main folder. 3. Use **Open** to inspect it in Finder and **Rescan** to read its files again. 4. Check the video, audio and experience counts. 5. Import a file through the app menu and check its preview in Media library. Media is organised in subfolders including `videos`, `audio` and `events`. Choosing a content folder makes that location the active library; existing files remain in their previous locations. Import the media you need into the selected library. Moving a file that is already in use can break a playlist or time slot’s reference; after reorganising files, check those selections again. The list of recognised formats helps with file selection, but the container alone does not guarantee playback of the encoding inside it. Open the content in Media library and check that it becomes ready. The [playback guide](/en/tholusos/media-server/playback/) covers sending it to the room. ## Organise downloads **Cloud Downloads** controls when content downloads and how much bandwidth it uses. These settings help prepare media before a day of activities. Choose a mode and, where applicable, a download window. The window uses the Mac’s local time and can cross midnight; matching start and end times allow a full day. Check any active pause before treating a stopped download as an error. Network protection can slow or temporarily suspend downloads while the Mac uses the connection for other activities. Limits are expressed in **MB/s**, not Mbps. Measured traffic belongs to that Mac, so it does not measure the whole Wi-Fi network’s use by other devices. A manual action on an individual item can start a download outside the window; pauses and bandwidth limits still apply. Check that content is ready before including it in the session. ## Network, participants and privacy **Network** shows the local service, remote connection and guest access address. Configure the services your room needs and check the status reported by the app. Automatic LAN startup is an explicit choice. When disabled, the local server and automatic WLED and DMX discovery do not start when the app opens; the operator can start them manually. Cloud services have separate behaviour. Check the active URL before printing a QR code or distributing it to guests. The section lets you save a dome address and restore the default address. To connect an AI assistant, follow [MCP connection](/en/tholusos/mcp/connect/) and check that connection’s specific requirements. In **Privacy**, select the options for guest data and app diagnostics. These are separate controls: configure them for the way your room operates and inform participants according to your organisation’s procedures. ## Audio, projection and final checks Use **Open Room** to reach space, projection, audio and lighting. Listening levels during a session are controlled in Live control; device assignments are prepared in Room. For audio, select the interface, check available outputs and configure the speakers that are actually connected. Speaker tests emit sound, so run them when the room is ready for a test. Vibration and multichannel playback require the corresponding hardware. For projection, follow [calibration](/en/tholusos/projection/calibration/). With multiple projectors, also see [edge blending](/en/tholusos/projection/edge-blending/) and [black level](/en/tholusos/projection/black-level/). Before the session, check **Room status**, content availability, the selected output and audio. If a category is missing, check access; if a device is disconnected, restore its connection. For a problem during operation, follow [Troubleshoot playback and sessions](/en/tholusos/settings/troubleshooting/). **Room → Support** provides an operational summary and a locally saved support bundle.