How to set personal preferences in Linear

Learn how to set personal preferences in Linear: open Preferences, review your home view, and turn on pointer cursors, underlined links and your theme.

Quick answer

Open Settings, then Account, then Preferences in Linear. Review general options such as Default home view, then scroll to Interface and theme. Switch on Use pointer cursors and Underline links, and check Interface theme to match your color scheme. Each toggle takes effect as soon as you flip it, with no save button.

Steps at a glance

  1. Open Settings and choose Preferences under Personal
  2. Review the Default home view setting
  3. Scroll to the Interface and theme section
  4. Switch on Use pointer cursors
  5. Switch on Underline links
  6. Check the Interface theme setting

Interactive demo

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Summary

Preferences collect the settings that change how Linear looks and behaves for you. You can set your home view, cursor style, link style and theme in one place, so the app fits how you work.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Step 1

    Open your preferences

    Go to Settings and select Preferences under the Personal heading in the left sidebar. The page opens on the General section, where your personal options are grouped together.

  2. Step 2

    Review your default home view

    In the General section, find Default home view. It controls which view Linear shows when you launch it, and it currently reads Linear Agent (default). Other settings here include Display names, First day of the week and Send comments on….

  3. Step 3

    Turn on pointer cursors

    Scroll down to Interface and theme and switch on Use pointer cursors. This changes the cursor to a pointer when you hover over any interactive element, so clickable areas are easier to spot.

  4. Step 4

    Turn on underline links

    Below it, switch on Underline links. Links in text content are then always underlined, which makes them stand out from the surrounding words.

  5. Step 5

    Check your interface theme

    Find Interface theme just below. It lets you select or customize your interface color scheme, and it is set to System preference by default. The Light and Dark rows beneath it set the theme for each system appearance.

Why this matters

You start each day in Linear and the defaults do not quite fit: links blend into text and the cursor gives no hint what is clickable. A few minutes in Preferences makes the app easier to scan and more comfortable to use every day.

Frequently asked questions

  • What does Default home view control?

    It selects which view Linear displays when you launch it. In this workspace it was set to Linear Agent (default).

  • What does Use pointer cursors do?

    It changes the cursor to a pointer when you hover over any interactive element, so it is clearer what you can click.

  • Can I choose different themes for light and dark mode?

    Interface theme is set to System preference by default, and separate Light and Dark rows below it set the theme for each system appearance.

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