Introduction: Welcome to this comprehensive ACT tutorial by Tony Holowitz. In this session, we will delve into the world of ACT preferences, where you can customize the software to suit your specific needs. By adjusting the settings behind the scenes, you can enhance your overall experience with ACT Desktop and streamline your workflow.

1. Exploring ACT Preferences:

• ACT offers a plethora of settings that can be personalized to align with your preferences.
• These settings cater to various aspects of ACT, including startup view, colors, fonts, and communication preferences.

2. Setting the Preferred Startup View:

• By default, ACT opens to the welcome screen upon startup.
• To change this, click on “Tools” in the menu and select “Preferences.”
• In the Preferences dialog box, go to the “General” tab and click on “Startup.”
• Choose your preferred startup view, such as “Contacts” or any other option that suits your needs.
• Save the changes by clicking “Apply” and “OK.”

3. Selecting the Startup Database:

• ACT usually opens the last database you accessed.
• For users with multiple databases, it’s recommended to choose the primary database for startup.
• Navigate to the desired database using the “Startup Database” option in the “Preferences” dialog box.
• Click “Apply” to save the changes.

4. Customizing Colors and Fonts:

• The “Colors and Fonts” tab allows you to adjust the appearance of ACT.
• Select the first item in the list, scroll down, and while holding the Shift key, click on the last item to select all.
• Toggle the “Show Gridlines” option to display or hide gridlines in ACT.
• Customize font styles, colors, and backgrounds to suit your visual preferences.
• Save the changes by clicking “Apply.”

5. Choosing the Preferred Word Processor:

• ACT offers its built-in word processor, but you can also integrate Microsoft Word for better functionality.
• Go to the “Communication” tab in the “Preferences” dialog box.
• Select “Microsoft Word” as the preferred word processor.
• Click “Apply” and “OK” to save the changes.

Conclusion: In this first part of our ACT preferences tutorial, we have explored some essential settings to make your ACT experience more tailored to your needs. From choosing the startup view to customizing colors, fonts, and communication preferences, these adjustments enhance your efficiency and productivity with ACT Desktop. Stay tuned for more parts of this tutorial, where we will delve deeper into specific preferences to maximize the potential of ACT for your business. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!