--- title: Configure description: >- Configure dashboard details, template variables, permissions, and access controls to customize your Datadog dashboards. breadcrumbs: Docs > Dashboards > Configure --- # Configure ## Overview{% #overview %} Dashboards provide visibility into your data across Datadog products. Add details and configurations to expedite troubleshooting and add focus to the information you are visualizing. Configure individual dashboards to: - Add details and descriptive information on what the dashboard visualizes - View configuration actions to customize your dashboard display and view dashboard related activities - Restrict access to individual dashboards with Permissions - Customize views with template variables - Organize widgets into named sections with Tabs ## Dashboard details{% #dashboard-details %} From an individual dashboard, hover over the dashboard title to view and edit dashboard details. A panel opens which displays the title and the creator. {% image source="https://datadog-docs.imgix.net/images/dashboards/suggested_dashboards.64bbb6cdbcb229e206f9c3ebffcdc05d.png?auto=format" alt="Dashboard details highlighting editable title, suggested dashboards, and Teams features" /%} Update Markdown-supported dashboard descriptions or associate [teams](https://docs.datadoghq.com/account_management/teams/) with a dashboard: 1. Hover the dashboard title. A dropdown panel opens. 1. Click on the dashboard title or description to edit them. 1. Click the check button, to change the title. 1. Select up to 5 teams from the **Teams** dropdown. 1. (Optional) Add `[[suggested_dashboards]]` inside the dashboard description for a list of suggested dashboards. These dashboards are recommended based on the user activity in your organization and how often users go from this dashboard to other dashboards. ## Template variables{% #template-variables %} Template variables allow you to focus your dashboards on a particular subset of hosts, containers, or services based on tags or facets. See the [Template variables](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/template_variables/) documentation to learn how to: - Add and configure dashboard template variables - Apply template variables to dashboard widgets - Use template variables to create Saved views ## Tabs{% #tabs %} Use tabs to organize widgets into named sections within a single dashboard. Tabs help manage large dashboards by grouping related widgets together, reducing visual clutter, and letting viewers navigate directly to the content they need. ### Create and manage tabs{% #create-and-manage-tabs %} To add a tab, click on the **Add Widgets** dropdown at the top of the dashboard and click **Add New Tab**. New tabs are named automatically (for example, "Tab 1", "Tab 2") and a dashboard supports up to 100 tabs. Add subsequent tabs using the **+** button on the tab bar. To **rename** a tab, double-click the tab name to edit it inline, or open the tab's options menu (⋮) and select **Rename**. Tab names support up to 100 characters. To **reorder** tabs, drag and drop them into the desired position. To **delete** a tab, open the tab's options menu (⋮) and select **Delete**. ### Move widgets to a tab{% #move-widgets-to-a-tab %} In edit mode, open a widget's share menu and select **Move to tab**, then choose a destination tab or create a new one. If the selected widget is a group, all nested widgets move together. If the selected widget is a nested widget, it becomes a top-level widget in the destination tab. The widget is placed in the next available position on the destination tab. ## Configuration actions{% #configuration-actions %} Click **Configure** to open a menu of configuration options available for your dashboard, including: | Configuration | Description | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Clone dashboard | Copy the entire dashboard to a new dashboard. You are prompted to name the clone. | | Display UTC time | Toggle between UTC time and your default time zone. | | Include Flex Logs | Control whether widgets search [Flex Logs](https://docs.datadoghq.com/logs/log_configuration/flex_logs/) or [Standard Indexed](https://docs.datadoghq.com/logs/log_configuration/indexes) logs. Switch between recent and historical data without editing individual widgets. This is a user-level preference that persists across sessions for this dashboard. | | Increase density | High-density mode displays group widgets in a dashboard side-by-side for increased widget density. This mode turns on by default on large screens for dashboards that use group widgets. | | Keyboard shortcuts | View a list of available keyboard shortcuts. | | Pause Auto-Refresh | Pause automatic refresh by default for dashboards with relative time ranges to optimize compute usage and reduce background activity. This setting applies to all users who view the dashboard. | | TV Mode | Toggle to display key performance metrics on large screens or TVs. For more information, see [Using TV mode for Dashboards](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/guide/tv_mode). | | Version history | Preview, restore, or clone your dashboard's version history. For more information, see the [Version History guide](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/guide/version_history/). | | View audit events | See who is using this dashboard within your organization. As an individual, you can see a stream of your own actions. For more information, see [Datadog Audit Trail](https://docs.datadoghq.com/account_management/audit_trail/). | ### Notifications{% #notifications %} Enable notifications tracking to receive change notifications for a dashboard. Any user in the organization can enable this for themselves, regardless of administrative privileges. When notifications are activated for a dashboard, an event is created in the [Events Explorer](https://docs.datadoghq.com/events/). This event provides information on text changes, widget changes, dashboard cloning, and dashboard deletion, along with the name of the user performing the action. View change events for a specific dashboard in the event explorer by searching: ```text tags:(audit AND dash) ``` ### Copy, import, or export dashboard JSON{% #copy-import-or-export-dashboard-json %} Copy, import, or export a dashboard's JSON by clicking the **Configure** icon (upper right) with the following options: | Option | Description | | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Copy dashboard JSON | Copy the dashboard's JSON to your clipboard. | | Import dashboard JSON | Paste or import your JSON to the dashboard. This option overwrites all content on the dashboard. If the JSON is already on your clipboard, use `Ctrl V` (`Cmd V` for Mac). | | Export dashboard JSON | Download a JSON file containing the JSON of your dashboard. | Options for copying or exporting the JSON can also be accessed from the **Share** icon in the upper right. ### Delete dashboard{% #delete-dashboard %} {% alert level="danger" %} Dashboards must be unstarred before deletion. {% /alert %} Use this option to permanently delete your dashboard. Use the preset **Recently Deleted** list to restore deleted dashboards. Dashboards in **Recently Deleted** are permanently deleted after 30 days. For more information, see the [Dashboard list](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/list) documentation. ## Permissions{% #permissions %} {% alert level="info" %} *View* restrictions on individual dashboards are available upon request to anyone on a paid plan. Reach out to your account team or [Datadog support](https://docs.datadoghq.com/help/) to enable this feature. {% /alert %} {% image source="https://datadog-docs.imgix.net/images/dashboards/access_popup.5a37083ece0d8d4e0986b0152199ce16.png?auto=format" alt="Dialog box with dropdown menu allowing users to choose a role to access the dashboard." /%} Use granular access controls to limit the [roles](https://docs.datadoghq.com/account_management/rbac/) that may edit a particular dashboard: 1. While viewing a dashboard, click on the cog **Configure** in the upper right. 1. Select **Permissions**. 1. Click **Restrict Access**. 1. The dialog box updates to show that members of your organization have **Viewer** access by default. 1. Use the dropdown to select one or more roles, teams, or users that may edit the dashboard. 1. Click **Add**. 1. The dialog box updates to show that the role you selected has the **Editor** permission. 1. Click **Save**. **Note:** To maintain your edit access to the dashboard, the system requires you to include at least one role that you are a member of before saving. For more information about roles, see the [RBAC documentation](https://docs.datadoghq.com/account_management/rbac/). To restore general access to a dashboard with restricted access, follow the steps below: 1. While viewing a dashboard, click on the cog **Configure** in the upper right. 1. Select **Permissions**. 1. Click **Restore Full Access**. 1. Click **Save**. If the dashboard was created with the deprecated "read only" setting, the access control list pre-populates with a list of roles that have the Access Management (`user_access_manage`) permission. If you manage your dashboards with Terraform, you can use the latest version of the Datadog Terraform provider to control which roles can edit your dashboards. For more information, see the [Terraform Dashboard role restriction guide](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/guide/how-to-use-terraform-to-restrict-dashboard-edit/). The access indicator appears at the top right of each edit-restricted dashboard. Depending on your permissions, it may say **Gain Edit Access** or **Request Edit Access**. Click the access indicator to understand your access permissions and what steps to take to edit the dashboard. ## Further Reading{% #further-reading %} - [Dashboards Overview](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/)