# Show something else now (override)

An override lays other content over a display's assigned program for 30 minutes, an hour, a day, or permanently. Afterward, the program continues on its own — an announcement without touching the weekly plan.

> **Type:** guide
> **For:** Anyone who wants to show something else on a display at short notice.
> **Prerequisite:** The permission to edit programs — by default, the roles **Owner** and **Manager** have it. In addition, a paired display and the content that should run now: a program, a scene, a playlist, or a media item.
> **Where in the portal:** **Displays** › open a display › **Playback** tab › **Show something else now** card

## Steps

### Start an override

1. Open **Displays** and click the display you want.
2. Switch to the **Playback** tab. Below the **Program** card is the **Show something else now** card with the sentence “Sits on top of the assigned program until the chosen time has passed or you end it.”

![The Playback tab of a display: below the Program card is the Show something else now card with the Choose content button (1), the For how long? setting with the four spans (2), and the Start override button (3), which takes effect only once content is chosen](/docs/programs/bilder/d293ec7b-override-card.png)

*1 Choose content · 2 For how long? setting · 3 Start override*

3. Click **Choose content**. The **What should run now?** picker opens (“This choice sits above the assigned program — while it applies, nothing else does.”), with the four tabs **Programs**, **Scenes**, **Playlists**, and **Media**. Before that, it says **Nothing chosen yet**, and afterward the button is called **Change content**.
4. Under **For how long?**, choose one of the four spans. All of them count from now. Below it, it says when the span ends.
5. Click **Start override**. The portal confirms with **Override is running**.

### End a running override

6. Open the display and the **Playback** tab. The card is now called **Override is running** and stands out clearly.
7. Click **End override**. The portal confirms with **Override ended**, and the assigned program takes effect again immediately.

A time-limited override ends on its own, and a permanent one ends only here. It also ends when the display is removed: that releases everything that belongs to it, including the program, the override, and the place on a video wall.

## Options

| Span | What it says below | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| **30 minutes** | **Ends on …** | A short announcement |
| **1 hour** | **Ends on …** | A promotion or a talk |
| **1 day** | **Ends on …** | Inventory day, holiday, a visit |
| **Permanent** | **Runs until you end it.** | A renovation with no fixed end |

A scene, a playlist, or a media item runs continuously. If the override itself is a **Program**, it runs completely with its program entries and its base program.

> **Caution:** An override replaces everything. As long as it runs, neither a program entry nor the base program applies.

## Check the result

![The red-bordered Override is running card in the Playback tab: the Override badge above the name of the chosen content (1), the Runs until line with the end time (2), the Set by you on line (3), and the End override button (4)](/docs/programs/bilder/13ae6760-override-running.png)

*1 Override badge · 2 Runs until line · 3 Set by you on line · 4 End override*

- The **Override is running** card shows the **Override** badge, the content, the end time (**Runs until …** or **Permanent — until you end it.**), and **Set on …**, for your own override **Set by you on …**
- In the **Overview** tab, the **Now playing** card names **Override** as the source instead of **From program** or **Assigned directly**.
- In the **Playback timeline**, the **Override** layer lies over the **Program entries** and the **Base program**. **Show composition** unfolds this layering.
- The display switches to the chosen content. After it ends, the program picks up where the weekly plan says it should be.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Meaning | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The display does not show the expected content | An override, another program entry, or an off-air period applies | Check the cards in the **Playback** tab. Further causes: [When a display does not play what the plan says](/docs/programs/troubleshooting) |
| The override has been running for days | It was set with **Permanent** and ends only by hand | **End override** and choose a time-limited span next time |
| The change does not yet appear on the timeline | The calculation is cached briefly | **Refresh** below the timeline, on the device **Refresh content** ([remote maintenance](/docs/displays/remote-maintenance)) |
| The message **Setting the override failed** | Saving failed | Reload the page and click **Start override** again |
| Instead of the cards, it says **Part of a video wall** | The display belongs to a video wall, and it decides what runs | Follow the **Go to the video wall** link: [Create a video wall, assign content, and dissolve it](/docs/displays/create-video-wall) |
| **Start override** is grayed out | You lack the permission to edit programs | Ask an Owner or Manager: [Permissions by role and by area](/docs/organization/permissions-by-role) |

## Related

- [Assign a program to a display](/docs/displays/assign-program) — the **Program** card directly above the override.
- [How does a display decide what is playing?](/docs/getting-started/about-playback-decisions) — why the override sits at the very top.
- [Check what a display is showing now and will show today](/docs/displays/check-now-playing) — the timeline with the **Override** layer.