Welcome to Logos Bible Software! We know that the move from WordSearch to Logos may have come as a surprise, but we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll guide you to articles about Logos features that correlate to some of your favorite features in WordSearch.
This article is indebted to the thread on Faithlife Forums of the same name. The Forums are a great place to engage with the community of Logos users and find additional answers to your questions.
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User Interface
Desktops, Desktop Templates, and Arrange Windows => Layouts
Layouts allow you to permanently save a current or previous snapshot of the Logos workspace to access at a later time. Use this to set up your preferred workspace, with all the resources and tools you want to access quickly for reading a particular book or studying a specific topic.
Learn more about using Layouts.
Check for Updates (to the application or to resources) => “Update Now” in the Go Box
With Logos, you can enter a variety of commands into the Go box. One of these, update now, tells Logos to search for updates to the software installation and to your downloaded resources.
Learn more about the commands you can enter in the Go box.
About
To see detailed information about your Logos installation (such as your account, package, software version, etc.), open the Help Panel Menu [icon] and click About Logos Bible Software.
Word Definition
To find the dictionary definition of a word, simply highlight it and select Look up from the Selection menu. Logos will then open a dictionary to that entry.
Settings => Program Settings
Logos allows you to quickly customize your preferences. You can open Program Settings from the Help Panel menu [icon], by clicking Tools > Utilities > Program Settings, or entering program settings in the Go box.
Learn more about the options available in Program Settings.
Unlock Purchased Books
By default, Logos is set to automatically download new resources, but you can toggle this option on or off from the Internet section of Program Settings.
Spelling Helper
From Program Settings, you can tell Logos whether you want it to check your spelling as you type or not. You can find this option in the General section.
Greek/Hebrew Keyboards
The keyboard selector appears in input boxes where you might want to enter original language characters. You can pick between English, Greek, and Hebrew by clicking the keyboard icon and selecting the desired language.
Learn more about the keyboard selector.
History
Go to History to see and revisit the places you’ve been in Logos. Access History by clicking Tools > Library > History.
Learn more about the History tool.
Using Your Bible
Linking => Link Sets
You can easily control whether panels in Logos scroll together or independently using Link Sets. You can assign two or more resources to the same link set, or assign some tools to follow an open panel. This means you can set your preferred Bible and favorite commentary to stay in sync as you scroll through the Biblical text.
Learn more about using Link Sets in Logos.
Words of Christ in Red and Other Bible Text Visual Filters
From Program Settings, you can choose whether the words of Christ appear in red or not. You can find this option in the Text Display section. With your Bible open, you’ll also see the option to display only the biblical text in the Visual Filters menu. This option also allows you to selectively display non-biblical text such as chapter and verse numbers, footnotes, etc, or adjust how the biblical text is displayed (such as displaying one verse per line).
ZipScript => Copy Bible Verses (with some differences, under Tools Menu)
In Logos, you can use the Copy Bible Verses tool to copy text from a Bible version in your Logos library, select the formatting, and paste it into a word processing document and/or other software.
Learn more about the Copy Bible Verses tool.
Current Verse Highlighted in Bible => Emphasize Active References Visual Filter
With the Emphasize Active References Visual Filter, Logos can help you quickly scan reference materials to locate the Bible passage you’re currently studying.
Learn more about using Visual Filters in Logos.
Parallel Bible => Text Comparison or Multiple Resource View
To see parallel Bible passages in Logos, you can either use the Text Comparison tool or Multiple Resource View. The Text Comparison tool emphasizes similarities and differences between translations, whereas Multiple Resource View simply opens two or more resources in parallel in the same panel.
Learn more about Text Comparison.
Learn more about Multiple Resource View.
Verse Explorer => Passage Guide (Guides Menu)
A Passage Guide is the quickest and most exhaustive way to find where a passage is referenced or discussed in your Library. It provides fast access to many resources, such as commentaries, journals, cross-references, parallel passages, ancient literature references, photos, maps, illustrations, sermons, and more. Access the Passage Guide from the Guides menu.
Learn more about the Passage Guide.
Cross Reference Explorer => Cross References Guide Section
The Cross References guide section provides references to other passages related to the reference you’ve entered. It is included in the Passage Guide by default and can be added to an Exegetical Guide or a Sermon Starter Guide. As with all Guide sections in Logos, the section can also be opened as a stand-alone Guide.
Learn more about the Cross References guide section.
Strong’s Search
Strong’s is a massive index of every English word in the King James Version of the Bible. Each corresponding word in the original language is marked with a unique number, allowing you to identify the underlying Hebrew or Greek term and see every verse in the Bible using it. You can quickly and easily access Strong’s numbers in a variety of ways.
Learn more about using Strong’s numbers in Logos.
Using Your Books
My Library List => Library
The Library is the central access point to all of your Logos resources (books, media, etc.). Access your Library with the [icon] icon on the toolbar.
Learn more about using your Library.
Open Book => Go Box
Logos provides several ways of opening your books. You can open the Library and search for a specific book, or you can just begin typing the book’s title in the Go box.
Learn more about using the Go box.
Manage Collections => Collections
In Logos, Collections are individually created, customizable groups of resources, which you can access and search specifically in several places within Logos.
Learn how to create and use resource collections.
Select Another Book => Parallel Resource Sets
With Parallel resource sets, Logos organizes your resources according to their type, such as Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, etc. This allows you to quickly access resources in your library with a few keystrokes and read your passage or entry in each one of them.
Learn more about Parallel Resource sets.
Manage Library => Hidden Resources
What can you do if you have books in your Logos library that you know you're never going to use? Hide them! Using the Library or Program Settings, you can quickly and easily hide resources so they don’t appear in your Library, Search, etc.
Learn more about hiding resources.
Study Tools
Highlighting => Highlighting Tool
In Logos, you can highlight text in a resource in the same way you might use a highlighter or colored pencil to mark up printed material. You can even create your own custom styles, view or hide highlights while reading, or run advanced searches based on your highlights. You can access the Highlighting tool from the Tools menu, the Selection menu, or from the Context Menu.
Learn more about using Highlights in Logos.
Search => Search Icon
One of the most tangible benefits of a digital library is the ability to quickly search and find whatever you need. With Logos, you can quickly search any resource or your entire library using several search resources.
Learn more about searching in Logos.
Smart Search: Plurals and Verb Forms => Morph Search
You can use Morph search to find specific morphological constructions in any morphologically-tagged resource in your Logos library.
Learn more about Morph searches in Logos.
Topic Explorer => Topic Guide
The Logos Topic Guide allows you to search your library and organize the results based on a topic or concept. Access the Topic Guide from the Gudies menu.
Learn more about the Topic Guide.
Lexicon Explorer => Bible Word Study
The Bible Word Study Guide provides detailed information about a specific word and its usage. It supports English words as well as original language Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Access the Bible Word Study Guide from the Guides menu.
Learn more about the Bible Word Study Guide.
Sermon Illustration Manager => Illustrations Guide Section
The Illustrations Guide Section links out sermon illustration resources in your Library that match the Bible reference or topic you’ve entered.
Info Window => Power Lookup
The Wordsearch Info Window gave you a fast way to see the text of Scripture references. In Logos, Power Lookup does that and more. The tool displays the text associated with a reference, whether that’s from a Bible or other resource in your Library, in a secondary panel. You can access the Power Lookup tool from the Context menu or the Tools menu.
Learn more about Power Lookup.
User-Generated Content
Bible Notes => Notes Tool
The Notes tool allows you to record your thoughts on any Logos resource as you study, organize those thoughts into custom notebooks, and then recall what you’ve learned with faceted searching. With this fully cross-platform database you can access your notes on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, or the web.
Learn more about the Notes tool.
Documents => Docs Menu
Logos documents (whether they’re personal documents, public documents, or documents shared with a group you’re part of) are stored in the Cloud and accessible from the Docs menu.
Learn more about using the Docs menu.
Verse Lists => Passage List
A Passage List document allows you to create lists of passages on a particular topic, word, or other collection of references. A Passage List is a great tool to collect verses you want to study further, and a list can be readily shared with others, such as a small group Bible study. You can create a new Passage List from the Docs menu, search results, or any resource containing biblical passages.
Learn more about Passage List documents.
Bibliographer => Bibliography Tool
A Bibliography document in Logos makes it easy to cite your research in sermons, papers, and publications. Create a Bibliography from the Docs menu to edit, annotate, and export citations to support your research.
Learn more about Bibliography documents.
Morphological Explorer => Morph Query Documents
Morph Query documents provide a point-and-click interface for building complex morphological queries. You can search for any number of words in specific morphological constructions and relationships. The Morph Query document provides several capabilities not available in the regular Morph Search.
Learn more about creating Morph Queries in Logos.
NoteStack => Clippings
In Logos, Clippings are the digital equivalent of using index cards for note-taking. Clippings allow you to extract and store excerpts from any resource to use later. Create new Clippings documents or open existing Clippings documents from the Docs menu.
User Books => Personal Books
Logos allows you to create your own Personal Books, which will be fully indexed and integrated into your Library. You can find the Personal Books tool by Clicking Tools > Utilities > Personal Books.