Navigating Postman

Postman provides a variety of views and controls for managing your API projects.

You can toggle Postman between two main modes: Build and Browse using the control at the bottom-right. The Build mode is the primary interface for working with API requests.

• The left sidebar provides access to your request history, collections, and APIs.
• The header allows you to create and import requests and collections, to access the Collection Runner, to move and invite collaborators to workspaces, to access the Interceptor, view sync status / notifications, open your Settings, account, and Postman plan.
• The center area is where you build and work with requests.
• The status bar along the bottom allows you to show/hide the sidebar, find and replace, and open the console on the left. On the right you can launch the Bootcamp, toggle between Build and Browse mode, toggle pane view, open keyboard shortcuts, and access help resources.

You can drag to resize the panes in the Postman UI.

You can declutter your workspace by collapsing panes using the arrow button—click the collapsed section to reopen it.

Use the buttons at the bottom-right to hide the sidebar and toggle between single and two pane view.

Use browse mode to access entities across your workspace and connect to the Postman Dashboard.

Find and replace

You can search your Postman workspace by clicking Find and Replace at the bottom-left of Postman—or using the keyboard shortcuts Command + SHIFT + F / Control + SHIFT + F.

Enter your search string and optionally choose which entities to return, entering replacement text if necessary.

Postman will search tabs, collections, and variables. You can click directly from the search results to open an entity.

History

You can access a history of the requests you've made in Postman in History on the left of Postman. If you're signed into a Postman account, your history will sync across devices.

Click a request to open it again. Click + to save the request to a collection. Toggle Save Responses to save request responses so that you can view what was returned by a request when you open it from your history.

The View more actions menu allows you to save, monitor, document, or mock a request. Use the delete (trash icon) or Clear all options to remove requests from your history. You can multi-select requests by pressing Command or Control and clicking the requests.

Tabs

You can send requests in Postman by opening tabs—click + in the center of the screen, or press Command/Control + T.

If you open a request and do not edit or send it, then open another, the first tab will be replaced by the second. While the tab is in Preview mode it will display in italics.

You can have multiple tabs open at the same time as you work, and can drag tabs to rearrange them. Use the ... button to manage tabs and access recent tabs.

Duplicating a tab does not mean creating a second request to the same endpoint—when you duplicate a tab any edits you make will affect the original request.

Postman will display a dot on any tabs with unsaved changes.

A tab may indicate a conflict if you or a collaborator changes it in another tab or workspace. Postman will prompt you to resolve any conflicts that occur.

You can toggle whether Postman opens requests in new tabs or not in the Settings, as well as configuring whether Postman prompts you when closing tabs with unsaved changes.

Next steps

The best way to get to know Postman is by firing up the Bootcamp on the bottom-right and working through the lessons.

You can also access the bootcamp together with other resources for getting started and staying up to date by opening the launchpad—you'll see a button when you have no open tabs.

Next try sending your first request!