Original documentation published with v2.0.0 on 2026-09-13. This release predates the handbook. Commands and external services reflect that release.

Make Flare yours

Open Settings → Appearance (/dashboard/settings?section=appearance) to manage the instance design. Every account can save a light, dark, system, or inherited dashboard preference under Profile → Appearance (/dashboard/profile?section=appearance). Public share pages use the instance appearance.

Administrators can use Settings → Appearance to change the instance name, tagline, light/dark logos and footer text; choose paired color palettes, typeface, background and corner radius; and configure Minimal, Framed or Delivery share pages. Turn on Use studio theme to apply studio palettes. Existing color and favicon controls are in the same Appearance section. Custom CSS and head HTML are under Settings → Advanced.

Sharing controls configure uploader attribution, filename, size, footer, image fit and social preview text. Templates accept {{instanceName}}, {{filename}}, {{size}} and {{uploader}}. A hidden detail is also omitted from generated social text. These are presentation choices: existing URLs and downloaded files can still contain their original names. Visibility and passwords continue to control file access. Upload profiles can select a share style; files with no stored style inherit the instance default.

Save draft keeps edits separate from the live instance. Preview light/dark, image/code and protected examples, then Publish appearance. Publishing retains the previous appearance; Restore previous restores it. Saves detect concurrent changes and ask you to reload instead of overwriting another administrator's work.

Appearance packs export the design being previewed as versioned JSON. Packs include identity, embedded PNG/JPEG/WebP logos, palettes, surfaces and sharing choices. They exclude users, uploaded files, credentials and executable code. Importing creates a saved draft; review it before publishing. Logo uploads are limited to 256 KB each, and packs to 1 MB.

Recover an unusable appearance

Sign in as an administrator and open /dashboard/settings?section=appearance&recovery=1 directly. This page uses the original Flare theme and suppresses legacy custom CSS/head HTML without modifying saved settings. Restore a previous studio appearance, or follow repair advanced styles in Settings to /dashboard/settings?section=advanced&recovery=1 and fix the CSS/head fields. Return to /dashboard/settings?section=appearance to check the live result.

Recovery is limited to Settings and the legacy appearance link. It requires the signed session and a current administrator role; adding a request header cannot activate it on public pages. It does not disable authentication or change file access.