User Guide

User Interface
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Figure 3.1. The Main window
Wireshark's main window consists of parts that are commonly known from many other GUI programs.
1. The menu (see Section 3.4, “The Menu”) is used to start actions.
2. The main toolbar (see Section 3.16, “The "Main" toolbar”) provides quick access to frequently used
items from the menu.
3. The filter toolbar (see Section 3.17, “The "Filter" toolbar”) provides a way to directly manipulate the
currently used display filter (see Section 6.3, “Filtering packets while viewing”).
4. The packet list pane (see Section 3.18, “The "Packet List" pane”) displays a summary of each packet
captured. By clicking on packets in this pane you control what is displayed in the other two panes.
5. The packet details pane (see Section 3.19, “The "Packet Details" pane”) displays the packet selected
in the packet list pane in more detail.
6. The packet bytes pane (see Section 3.20, “The "Packet Bytes" pane”) displays the data from the packet
selected in the packet list pane, and highlights the field selected in the packet details pane.
7. The statusbar (see Section 3.21, “The Statusbar”) shows some detailed information about the current
program state and the captured data.
Tip!
The layout of the main window can be customized by changing preference settings. See
Section 10.5, “Preferences” for details!