How Do I Customize My Home Assistant Lovelace Dashboard?
- Card YAML syntax error
- Custom card not installed via HACS
- entity_id wrong or unavailable
Problem Description
You're building or troubleshooting a Lovelace dashboard in Home Assistant — cards not showing, YAML errors, or the layout not behaving. Lovelace is HA's dashboard UI, editable visually or in YAML, so most issues are card configuration, a missing custom card (from HACS), or YAML syntax.
Why This Happens in Real Homes
Lovelace is Home Assistant's dashboard, and most trouble is per-card: a YAML typo, a custom card (installed via HACS) whose JavaScript resource wasn't added, or a card pointing at an entity that doesn't exist. The card usually shows its own error explaining which.
Start by reading the card's error, fixing YAML indentation/syntax, and confirming any custom card is installed in HACS with its resource registered. Reference valid entities, hard-refresh the browser to clear a cached old version, and know whether you're editing in UI (storage) mode or YAML mode, since that changes how edits are saved.
Symptoms
- Cards not displaying
- YAML/config error on a card
- Custom card not found
- Layout broken
- Entity not showing on a card
- Dashboard will not save
- Changes not appearing
- Card shows an error
Recognize these? Here's what usually causes it.
Common Causes
- Card YAML syntax error
- Custom card not installed via HACS
- entity_id wrong or unavailable
- Wrong card type/options
- Resource not added for a custom card
- Browser cache showing an old version
- Storage vs YAML mode confusion
- Nested layout misconfigured
Most fixes happen in the first 3 steps.
Do not factory reset your hub unless absolutely necessary as this removes all paired devices, automations, and settings. You will need to re-pair every single device from scratch which can take hours for a large setup. Always try a simple restart first.
Tools & Requirements
These tools will help you complete this fix.
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Step-by-Step Solution
Create a new dashboard
Go to Settings > Dashboards > Add Dashboard. Choose a title and icon. Select 'Start with an empty dashboard' for full control, or 'Take control' on the default dashboard to edit it manually. A new empty dashboard has no cards — you build it from scratch. Each dashboard can have multiple views (tabs at the top), and each view contains cards. Dashboards are stored in the '.storage' directory by default, but can be switched to YAML mode for version control.
Add cards to display entities
Click the + button in the bottom right to add a card. Common card types: Entities (list of entity rows), Button (single entity toggle), Gauge (sensor value with visual dial), Graph (historical sensor data), Picture Entity (image with entity state overlay), and Markdown (custom text/HTML). Select the card type, pick the entity, and configure display options. Each card can be resized and repositioned by dragging in the dashboard edit mode.
Organize with sections and views
Use views (tabs) to organize by room or function — one view for 'Living Room,' another for 'Security,' another for 'Climate.' Within each view, use sections (heading cards or horizontal/vertical stacks) to group related cards. The Masonry layout auto-arranges cards, while the Grid or Panel layout gives more control over positioning. Switch the view type in View Settings > View Type.
Use conditional cards and templates
For dynamic dashboards: use the Conditional card to show/hide cards based on entity states (show a door lock card only when the door is open). Use the Markdown card with Jinja2 templates to display calculated values (e.g., total energy usage across all rooms). Template sensors can aggregate data from multiple entities into a single card. Custom cards from HACS (like mini-graph-card, mushroom-cards, or button-card) add more display options beyond the built-in card types.
Fix dashboard loading issues
If the dashboard shows a blank page or fails to load: check the browser console (F12 > Console) for JavaScript errors. A common cause is a broken custom card — if a HACS custom card is not installed or has an error, the entire view may fail to render. Remove the problematic card: edit the dashboard in raw YAML mode (three-dot menu > Raw Configuration Editor) and delete the card entry causing the error. If the entire dashboard is corrupted, delete the 'dashboard-' file in the '.storage' directory and recreate it.
Quick Solutions
Still having issues? This is usually the deeper cause below.
If this comes back after following these steps, check whether a recent app or firmware update reset a default setting — the fix works, but the setting gets reverted silently.
Place your hub in a central location in your home, elevated off the floor and away from your WiFi router by at least 3 feet. This provides the best Zigbee and Z-Wave signal coverage to all corners of your house.
Home Assistant issues that only appear after restart are a well-known quirk — triggers that require prior state history simply can't fire until that history rebuilds.
- Card YAML syntax error
- Custom card not installed via HACS
- entity_id wrong or unavailable
- Wrong card type/options
- Resource not added for a custom card
Before you go — try one of these (they fix most cases).
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Official Manufacturer Manual
Home Assistant provides official product documentation through their online manual rather than downloadable PDF. Access setup guides, troubleshooting steps, and product specifications for your Home Assistant.
Source: home-assistant.io
Need More Help? Home Assistant Support
Note: The contact information below connects you directly to Home Assistant's official customer support team, not Trunetto. They can help with warranty claims, device replacements, and advanced technical issues.
