While using the Gather Desktop App, you can use Mini Mode to display a miniature Gather window. This makes it easier to see activity in your office when you're working in other apps and can also help save screen space when sharing your screen. 

Mini Mode is a feature that's exclusive to the Gather Desktop App. Download it for Mac or Windows here. 

Overview

Mini Mode is a small Gather window on your desktop. You can freely move this around your screen or snap it to the left, right, or top edge for easy window management. 

There are two views you’ll experience with Mini Mode:

• Desk Mode for when you’re passively in your Gather office
• Video Mode for when you’re actively talking with colleagues

Desk Mode‍

When you hover over the Mini Mode window, you’ll see the people around you (defined today by “7 tiles” of distance). You'll see their availability status and can also set your own, making it easy for everyone to know at a glance who's available to talk. 

When you click on a colleague from the Mini Mode window, you'll see options to wave at them or send a chat DM – all without having to fully open Gather.

And to make sure you never miss the chance to interact with someone new around you, we’ve added a few interactions to help you feel that sense of in-person presence. A small animation around the Mini Mode window will play when: 

• Someone new comes into your range (like when they come online in the morning or return from a meeting) 
• Someone switches their status to Available after being in Busy or in Do Not Disturb mode. 

Video Mode

If someone walks up to you and you connect with audio and video, your Mini Mode will change to Video Mode. You’ll see slightly larger videos from your colleagues along with important collaboration features like chat, screen share, and emoting.

You’ll even see reactions at the bottom of the Mini Mode window, so you won’t miss out on the energy of how your coworkers are reacting to something.

Turn Mini Mode On or Off

To adjust your Mini Mode settings, you must be using the Gather Desktop App. They won't display if you're accessing your space via a browser. 

Go to Settings > Desktop > Mini Mode. 

Here you'll see two options you can toggle: 

• Auto Mini Mode: Automatically switch the Gather application into Mini Mode when you open a different application
• Auto Mini Mode while Screen Sharing: Automatically switch the Gather application into Mini Mode when you share your screen