Merge pull request #278360 from JnHs/jh-portal-june24ref

service menu updates and refresh

Author: ShannonLeavitt

articles/azure-portal/azure-portal-overview.md

@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: What is the Azure portal?
 description: The Azure portal is a graphical user interface that you can use to manage your Azure services. Learn how to navigate and find resources in the Azure portal.
-keywords: portal
-ms.date: 04/10/2024
+ms.date: 07/02/2024
 ms.topic: overview
 ---
 
@@ -12,53 +11,84 @@ The Azure portal is a web-based, unified console that lets you create and manage
 
 The Azure portal is designed for resiliency and continuous availability. It has a presence in every Azure datacenter. This configuration makes the Azure portal resilient to individual datacenter failures and helps avoid network slowdowns by being close to users. The Azure portal updates continuously, and it requires no downtime for maintenance activities. You can access the Azure portal with [any supported browser](azure-portal-supported-browsers-devices.md).
 
-In this topic, you learn about the different parts of the Azure portal.
+In this article, you learn about the different parts of the Azure portal.
 
-## Azure Home
+## Home
 
-By default, the first thing you see after you [sign in to the portal](https://portal.azure.com) is **Azure Home**. This page compiles resources that help you get the most from your Azure subscription. We include links to free online courses, documentation, core services, and useful sites for staying current and managing change for your organization. For quick and easy access to work in progress, we also show a list of your most recently visited resources.
+By default, the first thing you see after you [sign in to the portal](https://portal.azure.com) is **Home**. This page compiles resources that help you get the most from your Azure subscription. Select **Create a resource** to quickly create a new resource in the current subscription, or choose a service to start working in. For quick and easy access to work in progress, we show a list of your most recently visited resources. We also include links to free online courses, documentation, and other useful resources.
 
 ## Portal elements and controls
 
-The portal menu and page header are global elements that are always present in the Azure portal. These persistent features are the "shell" for the user interface associated with each individual service or feature. The header provides access to global controls. The working pane for a resource or service may also have a resource menu specific to that area.
+The [portal menu](#portal-menu) and page header are global elements that are always present in the Azure portal. These persistent features are the "shell" for the user interface associated with each individual service or feature. The header provides access to global controls.
 
-The figure below labels the basic elements of the Azure portal, each of which are described in the following table. In this example, the current focus is a virtual machine, but the same elements generally apply, no matter what type of resource or service you're working with.
+The working pane for a resource or service may also have a [service menu](#service-menu) with commands specific to that area.
 
-:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-overview-portal-callouts.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the full screen portal view and a key to UI elements." lightbox="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-overview-portal-callouts.png":::
+The illustration below labels the basic elements of the Azure portal, each of which are described in the following table. In this example, the current focus is a virtual machine (VM), but the same elements generally apply, no matter what type of resource or service you're working with.
 
-:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-overview-portal-menu-callouts.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the portal menu and a key to UI elements.":::
+:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/portal-callouts.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the full screen portal view and a key to UI elements." lightbox="media/azure-portal-overview/portal-callouts.png":::
 
-|Key|Description
+|Key|Description |
 |:---:|---|
-|1|**Page header**. Appears at the top of every portal page and holds global elements.|
-|2|**Global search**. Use the search bar to quickly find a specific resource, a service, or documentation.|
-|3|**Global controls**. Like all global elements, these controls persist across the portal. Global controls include Cloud Shell, Notifications, Settings, Support + Troubleshooting, and Feedback.|
-|4|**Your account**. View information about your account, switch directories, sign out, or sign in with a different account.|
-|5|**Portal menu**. This global element can help you to navigate between services. Sometimes referred to as the sidebar. (Items 10 and 11 in this list appear in this menu.)|
-|6|**Resource menu**. Many services include a resource menu to help you manage the service. You may see this element referred to as the service menu, or sometimes as the left pane. The commands you see are contextual to the resource or service that you're using.|
-|7|**Command bar**. These controls are contextual to your current focus.|
-|8|**Working pane**. Displays details about the resource that is currently in focus.|
-|9|**Breadcrumb**. You can use the breadcrumb links to move back a level in your workflow.|
-|10|**+ Create a resource**. Master control to create a new resource in the current subscription, available in the Azure portal menu. You can also find this option on the **Home** page.|
-|11|**Favorites**. Your favorites list in the Azure portal menu. To learn how to customize this list, see [Add, remove, and sort favorites](../azure-portal/azure-portal-add-remove-sort-favorites.md).|
+|1|**[Portal menu](#portal-menu)**. This global element can help you to navigate between services. Here, the portal menu is in flyout mode, so it's hidden until you select the menu icon.|
+|2|**Breadcrumb**. Use the breadcrumb links to move back a level in your workflow.|
+|3|**Page header**. Appears at the top of every portal page and holds global elements.|
+|4|**Global search**. Use the search bar in the page header to quickly find a specific resource, a service, or documentation.|
+|5|**Copilot**. Provides quick access to [Microsoft Copilot in Azure (preview)](/azure/copilot/).|
+|6|**Global controls**. These controls for common tasks persist in the page header: Cloud Shell, Notifications, Settings, Support + Troubleshooting, and Feedback.|
+|7|**Your account**. View information about your account, switch directories, sign out, or sign in with a different account.|
+|8|**Command bar**. A group of controls that are contextual to your current focus.|
+|9|**[Service menu](#service-menu)**. A menu with commands that are contextual to the service or resource that you're working with. Sometimes referred to as the resource menu.|
+|10|**Working pane**. Displays details about the resource or service that's currently in focus.|
 
 ## Portal menu
 
-The Azure portal menu lets you quickly get to key functionality and resource types. You can [choose a default mode for the portal menu](set-preferences.md#set-menu-behavior): flyout or docked.
+The Azure portal menu lets you quickly get to key functionality and resource types. It's available from anywhere in the Azure portal.
+
+:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-menu.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the Azure portal menu.":::
+
+Useful commands in the portal menu include:
+
+- **Create a resource**. An easy way to get started creating a new resource in the current subscription.
+- **Favorites**. Your list of favorite Azure services. To learn how to customize this list, see [Add, remove, and sort favorites](../azure-portal/azure-portal-add-remove-sort-favorites.md).
+
+In your portal settings, you can [choose a default mode for the portal menu](set-preferences.md#portal-menu-behavior): flyout or docked.
 
 When the portal menu is in flyout mode, it's hidden until you need it. Select the menu icon to open or close the menu.
 
 :::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-overview-portal-menu-flyout.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Azure portal menu in flyout mode.":::
 
-If you choose docked mode for the portal menu, it will always be visible. You can collapse the menu to provide more working space.
+If you choose docked mode for the portal menu, it's always visible. You can select the arrows to manually collapse the menu if you want more working space.
 
 :::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/azure-portal-overview-portal-menu-expandcollapse.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Azure portal menu in docked mode.":::
 
-You can [customize the favorites list](azure-portal-add-remove-sort-favorites.md) that appears in the portal menu.
+## Service menu
+
+The service menu appears when you're working with an Azure service or resource. Commands in this menu are contextual to the service or resource that you're working with. You can use the search box at the top of the service menu to quickly find commands.
+
+By default, menu items appear collapsed within menu groups. If you prefer to have all menu items expanded by default, you can set **Service menu behavior** to **Expanded** in your [portal settings](set-preferences.md#service-menu-behavior).
+
+When you're working within a service, you can select any top-level menu item to expand it and see the available commands within that menu group. Select that top-level item again to collapse that menu group.
+
+To toggle all folders in a service menu between collapsed and expanded, select the expand/collapse icon near the service icon search box.
+
+:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/service-menu-toggle.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the icon to toggle service menu items between collapsed and expanded.":::
+
+If you use certain service menu commands frequently, you may want to save them as favorites for that service. To do so, hover over the command and then select the star icon.
+
+:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/service-menu-add-favorite.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the star icon to add a service menu command to favorites.":::
+
+When you save a command as a favorite, it appears in a **Favorites** folder near the top of the service menu.
+
+:::image type="content" source="media/azure-portal-overview/service-menu-favorites.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Favorites folder in a service menu.":::
+
+Your menu group selections are preserved by resource type and throughout sessions. For example, if you add a favorite command while working with a VM, that command will appear in your **Favorites** if you later work with a different VM. Specific menu groups will also appear collapsed or expanded based on your previous selections.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> We're in the process of rolling out the new service menu experience to all customers. If you don't see these options in the service menu, check back soon. We'll remove this note once all customers are seeing the new experience.
 
 ## Dashboard
 
-Dashboards provide a focused view of the resources in your subscription that matter most to you. We've given you a default dashboard to get you started. You can customize this dashboard to bring the resources you use frequently into a single view.
+Dashboards provide a focused view of the resources in your subscription that matter most to you. We give you a default dashboard to get you started. You can customize this dashboard to bring resources you use frequently into a single view, or to display other information.
 
 You can create other dashboards for your own use, or publish customized dashboards and share them with other users in your organization. For more information, see [Create and share dashboards in the Azure portal](../azure-portal/azure-portal-dashboards.md).
 
@@ -73,7 +103,9 @@ To view all available services, select **All services** from the sidebar.
 > [!TIP]
 > Often, the quickest way to get to a resource, service, or documentation is to use *Search* in the global header.
 
+For more help getting started with Azure, explore the [Azure Quickstart Center](azure-portal-quickstart-center.md).
+
 ## Next steps
 
-* Take the [Manage services with the Azure portal training module](/training/modules/tour-azure-portal/).
-* Stay connected on the go with the [Azure mobile app](https://azure.microsoft.com/features/azure-portal/mobile-app/).
+- Take the [Manage services with the Azure portal training module](/training/modules/tour-azure-portal/).
+- Stay connected on the go with the [Azure mobile app](https://azure.microsoft.com/features/azure-portal/mobile-app/).