Support Center

Installing BuddyBar is simple:

• Visit the Chrome Web Store
• Click "Add to Chrome"
• Open Articulate Rise and start authoring - BuddyBar will appear automatically

Yes! Click and drag the dots (handle) on the left side of BuddyBar to move it anywhere on your screen. BuddyBar will remember your preferred position for future sessions.

Use Alt+Shift+C on Windows/Linux or Option+Shift+C on Mac to toggle BuddyBar visibility.

This is useful when you need more screen space or when recording screen captures.

Simply click any color swatch to instantly copy its hex code to your clipboard. A notification will appear confirming the copy.

Click the + button in the swatches area to add a new color. BuddyBar 2.0 supports unlimited colors per template!

When you add a new color, the color editor will open automatically so you can customize it right away.

Right-click any color swatch to open the color editor. From here you can:

• Rename the color - Click the color name at the top to edit it inline
• Change the hex code - Type directly in the hex field or click the color preview to use your system's color picker
• Delete the color - Click the trash icon to remove it from your palette

The ability to give each color a custom name (like "Brand Primary" or "Accent Blue") is new in version 2.0 and makes organizing complex palettes much easier.

Simply drag any color swatch to a new position. A ghost preview will follow your cursor showing where the color will land when you release.

This works both in the main bar and in the overflow panel.

BuddyBar keeps your workspace clean by showing only the first 6 colors in the main bar. When you add more than 6 colors, an overflow button appears showing how many extra colors you have (e.g., "+3").

Click this button to open the overflow panel, which displays your extra colors in neat rows of 6. You can copy, edit, and reorder colors in the overflow panel just like in the main bar.

Click the + button in the template controls section (next to the template dropdown). This creates a new blank template with 3 starter colors that you can customize.

The template editor will open automatically so you can rename it right away.

Click the template dropdown to see all your saved templates. Each template shows mini color previews (the first 3 colors) so you can quickly identify them.

Click any template to switch to it instantly.

Click the pencil icon in the template controls. This converts the template dropdown into an editable text field where you can type a new name.

Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel.

Yes! Click the × button in the template controls to delete the current template. BuddyBar will ask you to confirm before deleting.

Note: You must have at least one template, so the delete button is disabled when you only have one template remaining.

BuddyBar 2.0 makes it easy to share templates:

• Export: Click the download icon to save your current template as a .buddybar file
• Share: Send the .buddybar file to your team via email, Slack, or any file-sharing method
• Import: Your teammates can import it by simply dragging the file onto their BuddyBar

Simply drag the .buddybar file from your computer onto the BuddyBar interface.

BuddyBar will validate the file and import all the colors with their names. The imported template will be added to your template list with "(Imported)" added to its name.

If BuddyBar isn't appearing, try these steps:

• Make sure you're on the Articulate Rise authoring page (not just the dashboard)
• Refresh the page and wait a moment for it to load
• Try the keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+C (or Option+Shift+C on Mac)
• Check that the extension is enabled in Chrome's extension manager

If it's still not working, please contact support below.

Import failures usually happen for one of these reasons:

• The file isn't a valid .buddybar file
• The file is corrupted or incomplete
• The color format in the file is invalid (colors must be 6-digit hex codes like #FFA69E)

BuddyBar will show an error message explaining what went wrong. If you continue having issues, please reach out via the contact form below with the file attached.

Currently, BuddyBar is available only for Google Chrome. Chrome was chosen for its excellent extension support and because it's the most popular browser among instructional designers.

Support for other browsers may be considered in the future based on user demand.

Yes! BuddyBar is completely free to use. No hidden fees, no subscriptions, no account required.

It was built as a gift to the instructional design community to help make everyone's workflow a little easier.

Version 2.0 is a major update with several powerful new features:

• Unlimited colors - Add as many colors as you need (no longer limited to 3)
• Custom color names - Name each color individually instead of generic labels
• Drag-to-reorder - Rearrange colors by dragging them
• Overflow panel - Clean interface that shows extra colors when you need them
• Import/export - Share templates with your team as .buddybar files
• Mini color previews - See template colors at a glance in the dropdown
• Enhanced editor - Better color editing with inline name editing and delete buttons

See the full changelog on the main page.

BuddyBar is specifically designed for Articulate Rise and only appears on Rise authoring pages.

However, you can use the exported .buddybar files as a reference for your color palettes in other tools. The files are human-readable JSON format containing all your color names and hex codes.

There's no hard limit! BuddyBar 2.0 supports unlimited colors per template. The interface automatically adapts:

• First 6 colors appear in the main bar
• Additional colors appear in the overflow panel (accessible via the +N button)
• The overflow panel displays colors in rows of 6 for easy scanning

For practical purposes, most users find 10-20 colors per template covers their needs for even complex brand guidelines.

Currently, BuddyBar stores your templates locally in your browser, so they won't automatically sync between computers.

To use your templates on multiple computers:

• Export your templates as .buddybar files on your first computer
• Import them on your other computers by dragging the files onto BuddyBar

This approach also serves as a backup of your color palettes.