Explore the Interface

  1. Let’s briefly look around before we get started. First off, NVivo will present you with a tour of the tool. You can just close that window for now.

  2. The left side menu helps you navigate the various items of your project, such as your files, codes, notes, queries, etc. We will look at these sections as we use the tool.

    NVivo main window, red box around left menu.

  3. At the top are various ribbon menus, similar to Microsoft tools, such as Word or Excel. These menus and their options will change depending on what is selected.

    NVivo main window, red box around top ribbon menus.

  4. NVivo will ask you to save your project every 15 minutes. But if you want to save it manually, create or open a new project, get help or change your program settings, you can use the File menu at the top left.

    Red box around the file menu in the top ribbon.

  5. If you select File, and then Product Info, you will see an option for Manage License, where you can update your license key, when you receive a new one.

    File menu screen with the product info tab and manage license outlined.

  6. Click on the top left arrow to get back to NVivo’s main screen.

    Back arrow at the top of the file menu screen outlined.

Technique: Qualitative Data Analysis | Tools: NVivo

First created: November 20, 2023
Last updated: May 12, 2026

Tutorial maintained by Kelly Schultz.

Tutorial created by Kelly Schultz.

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