# First capture

> Save your first web page with the Beav browser extension, then confirm the source, body text, and what you can do next in the knowledge base.

- Source: https://beav.pro/en/docs/getting-started/first-capture

Before you start, make sure the Beav desktop app is running and you have finished [installing the browser extension](https://beav.pro/en/docs/browser-extension/install).

## Save a regular web page

1. Open a public web page in Chrome or Edge.
2. Click the Beav icon in the toolbar to open the side panel.
3. Confirm the side panel shows the current page and the connection status.
4. Choose to save the current page.
5. Wait until the side panel reports that the page is saved.

## Check it in the knowledge base

Back in Beav, open the knowledge base and check:

* Is the page title correct?
* Is the source link preserved?
* Can you read the body text or summary?
* Did the content land in the workspace you selected?

Only when the browser reports success and Beav has the record is the capture complete.

### Browse and filter content

Checked on October 6, 2026. This applies to development source after 2.8.12 that includes the Knowledge layout update; it has not been released. Native Mac/Windows titlebars, window dragging, and dark mode still need manual acceptance.

The desktop Knowledge titlebar offers an icon-size slider, Gallery / Timeline buttons, and a type filter where applicable. Use the minus/plus buttons or drag the slider to resize cards; the current computer remembers your choice. Resizing is disabled in Timeline view. Knowledge, the Asset Library, and Account Archive → Manuscripts share the preference for folders, cards, and asset thumbnail column widths. The default size is 104px, with a minimum of 72px. Embedded Knowledge views and hosts without a custom titlebar keep their inline controls.

The Add menu in the Knowledge root and personal folders offers file, folder, Obsidian vault, and Eagle library imports, phone upload, and folder creation. File imports in a personal folder belong to that folder. Inside a local source directory, Add File / Add Folder / New Folder writes to the current directory. Asset Library and Manuscript tools also appear in the titlebar, with the path remaining in the content area. Manuscripts offer search, refresh, and folder creation; phone media upload in writable local Asset Library spaces is available in builds containing the October 6, 2026 entry update.

Asset moves and trash actions, and manuscript category moves and renames, update the list immediately before reconciling with the host. Partially successful asset operations restore only unfinished entries, even if refreshing fails. Changing directories or searches does not insert the old list into the current view. Native desktop menus and row spacing still need manual acceptance.

Moving or deleting local files hides the pending entries immediately. Failed or cancelled operations restore the list unless a newer read or operation has replaced it, and failures show a reason. After partial success, check the destination and completed items before retrying failures. Directory counts may update later; if a refresh fails, reopen the source to confirm the result before repeating the operation.

## Save selected text

Select text on a page, then right-click and choose Save selected text to Beav. This is the quickest way to keep an argument, a data point, a user's exact words, or a short paragraph while preserving the original page as the source.

## Keep going

* [Submit multiple note links from your phone](https://beav.pro/en/docs/workflows/phone-upload).
* [Save Xiaohongshu notes and comment sections](https://beav.pro/en/docs/browser-extension/use#xiaohongshu).
* [Save a YouTube video](https://beav.pro/en/docs/browser-extension/use#youtube).
* [Let Beav drive a real browser page](https://beav.pro/en/docs/browser-extension/browser-control).
* [Turn captured sources into topics and drafts](https://beav.pro/en/docs/workflows/collect-to-create).

If the side panel shows disconnected, a page has no Beav action, or the knowledge base stays empty after saving, go to [Extension troubleshooting](https://beav.pro/en/docs/browser-extension/troubleshooting).