User guide
- Right-click your companion for almost everything: breaks, water, walking, focus sessions, timers, calm practices.
- The Control Center (right-click > Open Control Center) shows your day, lets you change your companion and has all settings.
- Lost your companion? Open Lumling again from the Start menu; it comes back.
Getting started
Pick your buddy
The first time Lumling opens, choose a companion, give it a name and click Meet. It appears near the bottom of your screen. You can change your companion or its name any time in the Control Center.
Move it where you like
Drag your companion anywhere on your screen. Wherever you put it becomes its home: it takes its little walks near there.
The two places to find things
- Right-click your companion: a menu with each feature (Wellness, Walk, Focus Buddy, Simple Timer and more) and Help & guide.
- The Control Center: right-click your companion > Open Control Center, or open Lumling from the Start menu while it is running.
Lumling also has a small icon in the system tray, the row of icons next to the clock at the bottom-right of Windows (click the ^ arrow if you do not see it). Right-click it to show or hide your companion, report a problem or quit.
Reminders
Your companion asks, kindly, at the right moments:
- Stretch: stand up and move for a minute.
- Water: a glass at a time, toward your daily goal.
- Eye rest: the 20-20-20 rule, look at something far away for 20 seconds.
- Posture: a quick check on how you are sitting.
Each reminder has Done, Later and Skip. While a reminder is open, your companion stands still so the buttons never move. Reminders wait while you are away from your computer.
From the right-click menu (Wellness)
- Take a break now: a stretch break right away.
- I drank water: count a glass without waiting for a reminder.
- Rest my eyes (20s): a 20-second eye break with a countdown.
- Today's wellness: what you have done today.
- Pause wellness for 1 hour and Resume wellness: when you need quiet.
To change how often each reminder comes, or switch one off: Control Center > Features > Wellness.
Walking
Right-click your companion > Walk:
- Take a walk now: a short stroll straight away.
- Walk gently (the default): a short, slow stroll every few minutes, close to where you put it.
- Walk playfully: strolls along the bottom of the screen more often.
- Follow my mouse: trails after your mouse pointer.
- Stay here: stays put until you pick another walk.
Gently is calm on purpose: if your companion is not moving, it is probably resting between strolls. Choose Take a walk now to see it go. Speed and other walking options are in Control Center > Features > Walk.
Focus, timers and reminders
Focus sessions (Focus Buddy)
Right-click > Focus Buddy > Start focus session. Your companion keeps time, then sends you on a break. You can pause, skip to the break or end the session from the same menu.
Timers (Simple Timer)
Right-click > Simple Timer: pick 5, 15, 25 or 30 minutes or 1 hour, or Start timer… to name your own. The countdown shows above your companion, with pause and +5 minutes.
Your own reminders (Quick Reminders)
Right-click > Quick Reminders > Set reminder…, type what to remember and when. It rings with a snooze. View reminders lists them.
Calm moments
Right-click > Anxiety Aid Tools and choose a practice: guided breathing, muscle relaxation, grounding (5-4-3-2-1), guided meditation, visualisation or relaxing sounds. Each opens beside your companion and closes with the ×.
Your companion
- Virtual Pet: Feed snack, Play game, Pet, Let rest and Check on pet. Your bond grows over time.
- Daily Fortune Cookie: Read today's fortune.
- Launch Buddy: a friendly hello when you start your computer.
- Size and Flip horizontally in the right-click menu change how it looks.
- To pick another companion or rename yours: Control Center > Dashboard > Change pet, or the ✎ next to its name.
Your day at a glance
Control Center > Dashboard shows today's water, stretches, eye rests and your water streak, with the last seven days. A streak grows each day you meet your water goal.
Staying out of your way
- Your companion hides during full-screen apps, calls and screen sharing, then comes back.
- Hide pet (right-click) puts it away. Bring it back from the tray icon (Show pet) or by opening Lumling again.
- Every feature has its own switch in Control Center > Features.
Chat (optional)
You can talk with your companion: right-click > Talk to your pet. Chat needs an account with an AI provider (for example OpenAI or Anthropic); add your key in Control Center > Assistant. Everything else in Lumling works without it.
Settings
- Light or dark: the sun/moon button at the top of the Control Center.
- Start with Windows: Control Center > Settings. If you installed from the Microsoft Store, switch it in Windows Settings > Apps > Startup.
- Updates install by themselves (from the Microsoft Store, or for the website installer, when you restart Lumling).
- Share an anonymous daily summary is off unless you switch it on; see the privacy policy.
Something's not right
My companion disappeared
Open Lumling from the Start menu again, or click the tray icon > Show pet. It may also be hiding because a full-screen app or a call is active.
It doesn't walk
Right-click > Walk > Take a walk now. If you chose Stay here, pick another walk.
No reminders come
Check that Wellness is not paused (right-click > Wellness > Resume wellness) and that the reminder is switched on in Control Center > Features > Wellness. Reminders also wait while you are away.
Two Lumlings, or it won't open
Only one Lumling can run at a time. Install it either from the Microsoft Store or from the website, not both. Quit from the tray icon > Quit Lumling, then open it again.
Still stuck?
Right-click the tray icon > Report a problem…, or write to support@lumling.app. We read everything.
Also readPrivacy policy →