App header

What it is

The app header is the strip at the top of the app. From left to right you see the app launcher, the app name, the Dataverse search box, and a row of icons: + (quick create), Advanced find, the notifications bell, Settings, Help and your account card. The header is the same on every page, so it works as the fixed point while the site map and the page content change.

When to use it

You don't choose to use the header, it is part of every model-driven app. Use it for things that apply to the whole app rather than one record: searching across tables, creating a record from anywhere, switching apps, reading notifications and changing your personal settings. Commands that belong to a table or record go in the Command bar instead.

Licensing and configuration

No extra licence. The app name and icon are set in the app designer (Settings). The search box appears only when Dataverse search is turned on for the environment, in the Power Platform admin center under Settings, Product, Features. The notifications bell appears when In-app notifications is enabled in the app designer under Settings, Features.

Pitfalls

• A missing search box almost always means Dataverse search is set to Default instead of On at environment level, not that the app is broken.
• You can't rearrange or add buttons in the header. Modern commands from the command designer don't cover the global header, so extra actions belong on a table command bar or a custom page.
• The + button only offers tables that have quick create forms and are included in the app.

Try it in the demo

1. Hover each icon in the header and read its tooltip.
2. Select + and pick a table to open a quick create panel.
3. Open the account card to see who you are signed in as.

In the demo the app launcher only shows a "not available" message, and Help links to this guide and to Microsoft's documentation.