🔍 What Changed and Why
Search Atlas recently updated the way its AI assistant opens. Previously, the AI launched as a sidebar panel that sat alongside your current page. It now opens as a full AI interface that takes over the screen, giving you a larger workspace, more context, and a richer experience for generating content, running research, and managing tasks.
This change was made to improve usability. The sidebar format limited the amount of information the AI could display at once, which made complex tasks harder to complete. The full interface removes those constraints and allows the AI to surface deeper insights, longer outputs, and more interactive features without cramping your workflow.
The sidebar mode is no longer available. The full AI interface is the permanent layout going forward. There is no setting to revert to the sidebar.
📐 Old Layout vs. New Layout
Here is a quick comparison of what has changed:
- Old layout: AI assistant opened as a narrow panel on the right side of the screen. Your current page remained visible in the background. Screen space was shared between the page and the AI panel.
- New layout: AI assistant opens as a full-screen interface. The workspace is dedicated entirely to the AI session. You navigate back to your tools using the left sidebar at any time.
The core AI capabilities — content generation, keyword research assistance, task management, and more — remain exactly the same. Only the container they appear in has changed.
🗺️ How to Navigate Between the AI and Your Tools
Because the AI now takes up the full screen, you may be wondering how to get back to your usual Search Atlas tools. This is straightforward using the left sidebar navigation, which remains accessible at all times.
To return to your tools from the AI interface:
- Look at the left sidebar on any screen inside Search Atlas.
- Click any section to navigate directly to that tool.
- The AI interface will close and the selected tool will open.
You can return to the AI interface at any time by clicking Left sidebar → OTTO SEO from within the platform.
🛠️ Accessing Common Tools in the New Layout
All your existing Search Atlas tools are still available in the same locations. Nothing has been moved or removed. Use the left sidebar navigation to browse and access any tool, just as you did before the layout change. All sections and sub-tools remain reachable from the sidebar — the only difference is that launching the AI assistant now opens the full interface rather than a side panel.
If you previously used the sidebar AI to look something up while keeping a tool open in the background, the recommended approach is to complete your AI session and then navigate back to your tool using the left sidebar. Your tools and data are unaffected by the layout change.
If you are unsure where a specific tool has moved or cannot locate a section you were previously using, reach out to our support team with the name of the tool you are looking for so we can point you to the correct location.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.